home  >>  vacation home rentals  >> 

Vacation Rentals Guide

Unlike a typical hotel room, vacation home accommodation in houses, apartments, villas, condos or flats offer more space, kitchen facilities, multi rooms, free parking and often a yard.  Now families can vacation together with comfort, convenience and room to stretch.

Why rent a vacation home?

The benefits of vacationing in a vacation home versus staying in a hotel are:

More Amenities
Vacation homes offer more amenities than hotels, such as multi bedrooms, fully equipped kitchens, fireplaces, and private hot tubs and pools.

More Privacy
Free from the environment that comes with noisy hotels, privacy is one of the biggest benefits of any vacation home rental.

Renting a  vacation home typically requires signing an agreement with the vacation property owner. This agreement is legally binding and provides more detail than the standard form you might find at a hotel.  It is important to read the agreement and pay very close attention to cancellation and refund policies. 

Check it out before you make payment.  Because each property owner has his or her own deposit and payment requirements, cancellation policies, etc., a vacation home rental guest must contact the property owner directly in order to book.
Ask lots of questions to make sure you are really getting what you pay for.  If you are not satisfied with the quality of photos on the website, ask to see more. Insist on a phone conversation before you book.  Get an official agreement from the property owner.  Consider getting referrals. 

Watch out for scams.

Any consumer needs to be alert to the possibility of a scam whether they are using the internet, a newspaper. magazine or other media..

A scam is a dishonest attempt to trap you into parting with your money.

There are always people who want to exploit others through a scam, regardless of what is being offered by or to you, be it a product on ebay, a motor vehicle you might have for sale in a local newspaper, and even vacation rental homes. 

If a vacation rental owner insists your wire them money, beware it is a scam.  Never wire money.  

Please refer to our scams information..

How do I know vacation rentals are legitimate?
Ask for references and a list of past renters from the vacation rentals property owners. If possible, it is also suggested that you or a friend visit the vacation rental property in advance.  

Deposit and payments.

Vacation Rentals BC advertises properties and we do not participate in any transaction between a renter and owner.  Proceed with any payment at your own risk.  

Most  rental owners  require  a booking deposit of 20% - 50% to confirm the reservation, with full payment expected four to eight weeks prior to your arrival. All payments should be submitted as specified in the rental agreement in order to avoid losing your reservation and your booking deposit.  You may also also be asked to provide a refundable security deposit upon arrival.  Specifics related to the security deposit, including property maintenance, damages and additional fees such as telephone charges, should be detailed in the rental agreement.  We are not involved in the actual transaction between visitors and/or members.  As a result, the quality, safety or legality of the properties advertised, the truth or accuracy of the listings (including the content thereof or any property), the ability of members to rent vacation property or the ability of renter to pay for vacation rental properties are solely the responsibility of the users.

View all BC Vacation Rentals listings with photos

For more Vacation Rentals please visit:

BC Vacation Rentals vacation rentals on Vancouver Island, BC Gulf Islands, Vancouver, Whistler, Okanagan, Kootenays, Sunshine Coast.  

Vancouver Island Vacation Homes  including Sproat Lake, Shawnigan Lake, Sidney, Lake Cowichan, Maple Bay, Victoria, Nanaimo, Ladysmith, Qualicum Beach, Comox, Campbell River,  Black Creek & more

Gulf Island Vacation Homes  vacation homes on Pender Island, Mayne and Salt Spring Island 

-------------------------------------------------------

We are a British Columbia based vacation home accommodation service, advertising vacation homes since 2001