Each host has their own cancelation policy posted in their property listing. If you have questions regarding a cancelation policy please contact the host/manager directly.

Details relating to cancelation policies should be included in all rental contracts. If you have to cancel your trip (especially at the last minute), you may forfeit a portion or all of your rental. Read the contract details carefully as this is your binding agreement directly with the host.

No. Florida Rental By Owners is an online advertising venue that allows vacation rental hosts/managers to advertise their rentals and helps potential renters find a suitable vacation rental property. To rent a property contact the host directly using the contact information provided within each vacation rental listing.

Although Florida Rental By Owners does take steps to verify ownership before a property listing is activated, it is a good idea to take a couple of minutes and run through a few of the following steps to ensure your money is protected.

1. Always use a secure certified platform to exchange money for a reservation such as a credit card processor, or PayPal (do not send by friends and family transfer, insist on a Paypal business invoice for protection) that has some recourse in the event something goes wrong.

2. Validate that the person you are conversing with is the actual owner of the property. You can search on a public property appraiser website (Florida county) for the owner's name and property address. Cross-reference the owner's phone number with a search, usually offering the area where the owner is located. All of the above should match the rental contract.

3. Do not rely solely on an email address to contact the owner. Consider having the host's telephone number handy in the event you need to contact them.

4. Ensure you sign a rental contract and understand what you are paying for. Ensure all details match (owner name, property address, etc...)

5. If you wish, take a minute or two to search an owner on the internet. Professional owners usually have a profile of some kind (Linkedin, Vacation Rental License, Professional Associations, etc...) Check for how long of a history the owner has on these platforms, the longer the better.

6. Do check the property listing for reviews. These are testaments from past guests where you can see how long the owner has been hosting for.

7. Find out if the owner has a legitimate vacation rental website of their own. Websites cost money to invest in and are traceable through IP addresses and host servers. Check that the website is full of useful information and links to professional associations, has a vacation rental license, and an about us page where you can find more information about the owner. Usually, an owner that has a website would be legitimate.

8. Never rent from a person who has contacted you privately through a social media platform via direct or private message. This is a red flag where a person is not communicating publicly and may have something to hide.

9. Search the address of the property on Google Maps. Does it match the photos on the property listing?

10. Always purchase travel insurance that includes fraud prevention to protect your holiday investment.

11. Perform a search on the vacation rental property 'name'. Check that all listings have the same owner name, physical address and contact details.

12. Ask for additional photos or floor plans from the owner. A legitimate owner should quickly and easily be able to provide these to a traveler.

13. If a deal is too good to be true it probably is. Below-market rent is a red flag. High-pressured sales tactics are also red flags.

14. When using a third-party website to book travel accommodations, be sure the site is secure. The web address should start with "https" and have a padlock icon in the URL address bar.

15. Don't wire transfer money, cash app or pay with a prepaid gift card for a vacation rental. Once the scammer collects the money, it is almost impossible to get it back.

Anyone who encounters a vacation rental scam should immediately report it to the Florida Attorney General's Office by filing a complaint online at MyFloridaLegal.com or by calling 1-866-9-NO-SCAM.

Use the search box to enter your ideal location, enter your dates and any other pertinent information in the filters and press the "Search" button. Narrow down your final decisions to at least 4 or 5 properties. Send the host an inquiry directly from their property listing page.

Note: Do not include any url links in your inquiry. This will block your inquiry and the host will not receive it. We do this for security purposes.

To respond to a host within the system travelers must create a free account to track all of their inquiry details.

The host has not updated their availability calendar. It is up to each host to manage their calendars.

Yes. Florida Rental By Owners verifies each host before a listing is activated. Documentation must be provided and is validated through public government documents and other third-party resources.

Florida Rental By Owners does not take any responsibility if for any reason the Host does not honor a reservation. If a Host receives serious complaints and the FLARBO team deems it necessary, the listing(s) may be removed immediately from the website. If you feel that you have been a victim of fraud contact fraud.org and report the situation immediately to our customer service team.

FLARBO is not the merchant of record. FLARBO does not have payment processing in place for reservations. We feel it is best to leave it up to the individual host to determine the best way to accept payments for reservations in order to get travelers the best price.

We recommend travelers pay hosts through a secure payment platform where they have recourse by using a Credit Card or Paypal for Business (not friends and family).

Of course, hosts are free to ask for another payment option, including checks and wire transfers BUT we do not recommend travelers pay in this manner.

We want everyone to have an enjoyable vacation experience, protecting yourself is important whenever conducting digital transactions with an unknown vendor/host.

No. You will deal directly with the host when making reservations and payments.

Each host has their own booking process in place and we respect their right to do things their way which is how our travelers get the best price.

It is totally within their discretion how they would like to accept reservation payments. Each host has their own booking policy within their vacation rental listing, be sure to read it carefully.

We highly recommend travelers only make payments through secure platforms (https) as well as using a credit card for added security.

Once you find a property listing that you are interested enter the check-in and out dates on the right. The quote shows the total price based on the host's information they have entered in their rate settings.

Quotes are an estimated price for the rental period selected and may not include optional extra guest, pet or seasonal fees.

Click the "Contact Owner" button to get a final detailed price based on your exact needs.

Prices may change if a host is using pricing optimization software. The final detailed price is quoted directly from the host to the traveler.

Most large online travel agency platforms charge travelers up to 20% for booking a rental through their websites. This is one of the biggest traveler benefits for using FLARBO.

By booking directly with a verified host/manager through Florida Rental By Owners, travelers have the opportunity to get the best price.

Some hosts need a little extra exposure to get their properties booked out. We offer enhanced paid advertisement options that are enticing during searches. Featured and highlighted banners indicate if a host has paid for these options to showcase their homes more visually.

The Last Minute Deals page is perfect for flexible travelers able to get up and go on vacation. Often times hosts will offer up last minute availability at reduced prices. Specials usually result in lower rental rates or even added special sports rentals or restaurant packages. The special offer will appear under the listing details. This is a paid feature for hosts to advertise their homes on this search page to help connect with last minute travelers.

Consider purchasing Travel Insurance to protect your trip.

Some policies offer more complete protection. If your trip has to be canceled for covered reasons such as illness, accident, etc... travel insurance protects your investment and may reimburse partially or fully the normally non-refundable payments you make for your vacation rental, airline tickets, and other covered travel-related fees.

Each Insurance company has their own policies and procedures, read policies carefully to ensure you are well protected. A traveler is responsible for purchasing their own trip insurance policy.

You can search online for reputable travel insurance companies within your country of residence.

FLARBO does not offer travel insurance at this time.