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Re: How do most of you conduct your rentals (by Beck):

Hi John,

You are a great example of a transaction gone well, although that's three payments which could have been done in one if you used a credit card since you can contest the charge if the unit wasn't reserved in your name. Calling references is also smart as it lowers your risk of a bad experience. I have had two experiences though where I was thorough on checking references and our experience was still not good. Those two experiences are not indicative of checking references and represent an incredibally small number of my total experiences.

You're also among fewer people planning a trip far in advance. Credit cards offer superior protection when planning trips short term but if you plan a trip 6-12 months in advance like yours sounds, any method of payment aside from using a rental escrow service is lost money if the owner doesn't fulfill their obligation. Think of it; if an owner doesn't deliver the promised unit you reserved 6 months in advance and refuses to refund your money, your only recorse if you paid direct is to sue. Are you going to spend $500-$5,000 to sue someone living in another state over $500-$3,000? Even if you win, if they don't pay the judgement then you spend more trying to collect.