Be wary of advertisers who can’t be contacted by phone.
Scammers almost never provide a contact number, and it’s almost always difficult to reach them this way. Keep in mind that some listings don’t display a phone number until you’ve made a booking through our website; check if this booking option is enabled.
Be alert to inconsistencies from the property owner.
Pay attention to inconsistencies between the owner’s language, their nationality, their telephone number, country of residence, etc. For example, if the owner says they reside in the UK but their telephone number is Spanish.
Don’t believe deals that seem too good to be true.
Be wary of surprisingly low prices, especially in areas or cities with high demand for vacation rentals. If the offer seems too good to be true, it probably is. Check what other accommodations in the area are offering and for how much, and compare prices.
Be wary of owners who suggest alternative ways of contacting them through the images in the listing.
Be wary of listings that indicate different ways of contacting the advertiser through the photos, rather than the contact form integrated in Rentalia, whether this is by phone, email, WhatsApp or via a different website.
Distrust property owners that try to force you to close the rental arrangement
Don’t trust property owner who pressure you to close the rental agreement as soon as possible by telling you they have other bookings or by offering you discounts if you book immediately.
Be wary of listings that request payment through a third-party link.
Do not trust payments requested through external links, even if they insist on secure payment through another well-known website. These links are usually fake and do not belong to any trustworthy website, but rather are used illegitimately by other companies for fraudulent purposes. Therefore, always communicate through the platform and never transfer money from outside the site if the listing only offers that payment method, or online booking, as you would lose the Anti-Fraud Guarantee that some listings offer free of charge.
When making the reservation check the owner’s data
When you sign a contract, make sure that you always see the owner’s ID and basic data. If the owner requests a transfer, the account details must match the details in the contract or given to you by email (name, city of residence, ID, etc.). Do not trust if you are asked to make a transfer to a third person with other data or who lives in another country.
Don’t trust explanations that sound ‘strange’ to you
Just like ‘all life’ scams, Internet scams are usually based on stories full of details that an owner wouldn’t normally mention to you.
Some payment methods are safer than others
Payments by credit card through online booking are the most guaranteed. Direct money transfer services (such as Western Union, Moneygram, etc.) are the least guaranteed. Be wary if this is the only payment option offered to you.
Always use the payment by reservation if the ad has this modality, that is, use the reservation through our platform, to make a secure payment. This step does not imply any extra cost for the traveller, but a guarantee that the owner will not receive the payment until 48 hours after entering the accommodation, when the Anti-Fraud Guarantee is active.
Some payment methods are more secure than others.
Credit card payments through our online booking system offer the most guarantees. Direct money transfer services (such as Western Union, MoneyGram, etc.) offer the least. Be wary if this is the only payment option offered.
Always use payment by booking if the listing offers this option; that is, book through our platform to make a secure payment. This step doesn’t cost you anything extra, but it does ensure that the advertiser won’t receive payment until 48 hours after you check in, when the Fraud Guarantee is active.
Be wary of payment requests that do not come from Rentalia or AvaiBook.
Rentalia online bookings are always paid through the AvaiBook payment platform. If you are offered to pay through another platform, be wary and verify that it is a legitimate request. If you are offered discounts or better prices through some other link or other website, these links are usually false, so suspect.
Check if the owner is verified
To guarantee you a safe and trustworthy stay, we adopt measures of checking, quality and verification of the accommodations, in short anti-fraud controls. We recommend that you read carefully. What does “verified” mean?
Never send your login details to anyone
Rentalia will never ask for your login details by email or telephone. Unless you have to log in to your personal area for something very specific related to your property listings.
Only log in if the website has a padlock symbol at the top where the URL is.
If you receive an email that looks like it’s from Rentalia asking you to log in, make sure the page where you enter your login details has HTTPS in the web address.
Rentalia manages the following domains depending on your browsing language. Be wary of any URL that begins with a different domain, even if it includes the word “rentalia”:
https://es.rentalia.com/
https://www.rentalia.com/
https://it.rentalia.com/
https://pt.rentalia.com/
https://fr.rentalia.com/
https://de.rentalia.com/
https://nl.rentalia.com/
Contact us if you have any questions.
If you have any questions about a specific listing, advertiser, or behavior, please contact us here.
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