Bosh Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 Can someone help with some advice. We're planning a trip to Aus soon to have a look around at a few areas in preparation for moving. We've been looking at renting apartments, and have found quite a few privately owned properties on stayz.com. The problem is that each one that I find that I try to book won't accept payment by credit card or paypal. They are insisting on either cheque or direct transfer to a bank account. I'm not prepared to pay a complete stranger by bank transfer or cheque , as there is no protection for me if it turns out to be fraudulent (anyone could post a few pictures of an apartment on the internet !) Has anyone had any experience of this in the past. What is the normal process in Aus ? I've managed to book one apartment through Paypal already , so I know that it's possible. Any advice would be appreciated. Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest proud2beaussie Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 Hi, Is there a particular reason why you are looking at privately rented property and not those listed with a professional real estate agent? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bosh Posted March 1, 2009 Author Share Posted March 1, 2009 Yes, we're only looking for short term rent (5-7 days in each location) and private rentals are considerably cheaper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lou'n'Pat Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 Hiya Bosh, We too are going on a rekkie trip to Perth in April and found the same thing with the booking process. We ended sending a banking transfer (which cost us £25) we have had no problems whatsoever but can see what you mean about fraudulent ads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest spadgersdad Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 Hi Phil, We are a small buisness and accept credit card (although there is a small fee for bank charges), can well understand not wanting to send a cheque, small buisness should be registered with ABN numbers and should be able to send you a tax invoice this should protect you from any fraudulence. Check www.realestate.com.au good luck with your visit hope all goes well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 Stayz is quite a well known website and they do carry out safety checks on the landlords pretty well prior to allowing the listings to be shown. Some small companys dont like paypal or credit cards because of the charges. Cal x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 Hi Phil I understand exactly how you feel and I also would have concerns before sending money to someone I had no information on. We had to do this when we first arrived in Melbourne, we were petrified that once we touched down in Melbourne and got a taxi to the address the people would have no idea what I was talking about. It didn't help when the taxi driver said he had never heard of the address or street, talk about panic. Now we realise all taxi drivers are the same, they haven't a clue, lol:) We allow our clients to pay via paypal so that they get cover both from their credit card and also from paypal. Yes we do end up with the fees but we don't mind as long as our clients feel safe. As Cal says, Stayz are very strict with their checks, we signed up for Stayz and we had to send lots of different forms of ID to prove we were who we said and that we owned the house. The only thing with Stayz is that you probably won't know anyone who has stayed in that property and sometimes it helps to have WOM (Word of Mouth). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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