TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin payment of rent for villas/penthouses, etc

Hello all.
For those of you that have rented an entire villa, or a penthouse apartment, etc. I am wondering how many of you have to pay the total cost of rental 60 days prior to arrival. I totally understand the 25 per cent down, to secure your place, but just curious if the payment in full 60 days prior is normal.
We arrive Jan 26/2019. We have already paid our 25 per cent down, and it appears we need to make the rest of the payment by Nov 26/18. I really do not have a problem with it other than what would happen if someone got seriuosly ill and could not make the trip. Or God know's what, you never know. Just curious and interested in other's who have rented . Always appreciative of your comments.

In my experience, that's pretty darn common, almost universal, when you're talking a villa or similar. Villas are not like hotels, that there are several units alike and you can re-rent the unit virtually at the last minute. Trip insurance is ALWAYS recommended in such situations.

In addition to the deposit at the time of confirmation, I have always had to pay the entire balance one month prior to arrival. If you reserve close to the time of arrival, you usually have to pay the entire amount when you reserve. Some rentals may require payment 2 months in advance as your rental does. In case something happens unexpectedly and you have to cancel, always get travel insurance to protect yourself. Some rentals will refund your money, but some won't so you need travel and cancellation insurance to get your money refunded. Hope everything goes as planned for your trip in January.

We've rented several villas.. some want 25 - 50% when you book and the rest on arrival... The person we rented from in June and last week wanted 50% down when we booked and 50% one month prior to arrival. So, yes that is pretty typical. We've found a person and place now that we know and trust, and will rent from again - actually have already booked out next two stays with her.

Get trip insurance to protect yourself in case if illness or other qualifying circumstances. Paying in full in advance is normal for first time renters. After that with prior history with the renter you can come to other payment arrangements.

I always get cancellation insurance for my flight in case of having to cancel because of the allowed circumstances. And, I have a wonderful medical insurance through my work pension that would take care of me and my spouse if anything medical should happen. Thinking about that now, I don't believe I would have any insurance to cover the cost of the villa per say. I will have to ask some more questions and see what I come up with. The only reason I would ever not go on my vacation would be because illness or heaven forbid a death in the family.....and I am covered as far as flight or if on island emergency medical. I should check with travel agent to ask questions re what cancellation insurance covers exactly through her.

As others have said it is common practice to pay the rental in full anywhere from 30 to 60 days prior to arrival. This is mainly because it is often more difficult for owners to find someone to take your place if you cancel.

Your rental agreement will clearly state what happens if you have to cancel after payment is made and the amount of refund, if any, you might be entitled to receive if you cancel so you should first look there for answers. The rental terms can vary from rental to rental but generally speaking the closer you get to your "arrival date" the greater your cancellation penalty will be. If you want to protect yourself against this type of loss you should purchase Trip Insurance that specifically covers this type of risk/occurrence. Understand too, that in many, if not all, instances you have to purchase Trip Insurance within a specified number of days of your initial booking - here again the time can vary - but usually it is within 10 to 20 days. For example, if you booked your reservation 6 months ago you probably won't be able to purchase Trip Insurance now for a trip you are making next month.

Fletch, thanks for reminder, I did check the terms and conditions, and as you said there is a cancellation policy....looks like 60 days before or anything less than that, would be pro-rated, or if in fact they were able to rent the place, they would re-imburse amounts with service charges, etc. And, if for instance it was my husband and myself that could not go for whatever reason, they would be ok with another couple taking our place as long as they were approved. So..I feel a bit better for asking, etc.
Thanks one and all for your help. TTOL folks are awesome.

That is typical for villas in Terres Basse as well as any other place that I have rented whether on St. Martin or not.