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CMHToddandTony said:
We have used VRBO (owned by HomeAway) extensively however not in St Martin. We have had good luck with all of our rentals. But, the rentals are through the owners (Vacation Rental By Owner).Therefore experience, booking fees, etc can vary from rental to rental. The rentals are not controlled by VRBO... this is just the platform used to market the rental (not really all that different than Craigslist or other sites that provide classified adds). When looking at properties on VRBO, I always look at the reviews and I am sort of cautious of those that have been on VRBO for years but have no reviews.


Actually, VRBO and Homeaway offer a bit more protection that Craig's List. Both sites offer guarantees that the property exists and will make refunds. In addition, the renter has protection via their credit card since these sites allow owners to easily accept credit cards for all payments. Last, the sites are pretty strict in freezing and eliminating problem listings.

Unfortunately, Homeaway and VRBO (really the same company) have enacted booking fees charges directly to the renter. The fees are standard and are a percentage of the rent.