Spanish holiday rentals

Amongst the plethora of agencies promoting and advertising properties for rent in southern Spain one wonders how is the best way to assure a good rental property for this summer.

Short haul flights are abundant with wonderfully low prices for those holidaymakers who book early and certainly there are some bargain rental properties out there as well.

Search on the internet and you will found thousands of properties offered for rental but these have their own dark tales of despair.

I was recently contacted by Mrs Erica Hardcastle who booked last year via the internet an apartment in Marbella for herself and her family. Despite paying for the apartment well in advance and the assurances of the rental company, it transpires the property was not managed locally with the result the keys did not arrive as agreed when the party arrived in Spain, the property was not clean and prepared and the taxi driver could not find the property within 2 hours.

‘After a long flight and crying children, it was the last thing we needed to happen at night. We have tried to get some money back from the rental agency but they are now avoiding all our calls’ says Erica. ‘It really spoiled our holiday and it did take several days for the situation to calm down, by which time we were back on the plane home.’

Erica’s tale is not an isolated case at all and with the private rental sector increasing in popularity, it is a wonder why so few cases hit the headlines. One of the worst cases I have heard of is clients paying in full for holidays and receiving everything including detailed directions to the property, but once arriving in Spain to find out it does not exist at all and the agency has disappeared along with the money.

Of course there are many reliable rental agencies out there and it is advisable to find one recommended by a friend or colleague before you contact them. A rental agency should manage the property themselves or ensure it is locally managed, preferably with an emergency 24hour emergency call out service – just in case.

On further research, two such agencies I have found very reliable is www.jetsetterholidays.com and www.costarents.com . They ensure all the properties they offer are also either professionally managed by their own agency or that the properties are professionally managed to a high standard. Some of their properties are offered by the larger tour operators which entails a high standard of professionalism.

Sarah Jameson booked through jetsetters and found the whole experience very smooth. ‘We had a problem when in Spain – the door lock broke at 3am and we could not get into the apartment, she says. ‘Luckily the 24hr service was available and we had help to hand within 20 minutes. Apart from that the property was very clean and fresh smelling, a taxi was organized to collect us from the airport directly to our front door and the property was exactly as described. We will be using them again and our kids had a great time’

So to ensure your holiday does not turn into a nightmare, book through a reputable agency who can answer all your queries and will help you if and when you need it.

For further information contact (0034) 655 560 443

By Paul Fleet

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Contact Information

Debbie Horsfield

Manager

Inderix

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