In this article we will focus on Tuscany apartments as the highest value property type, although the same set of advices may be applied to other types. Is it better to rent by owner or through agency?
Tuscany is a world known holiday destination, and if you are reading this you know why. Rental agencies are well aware about it. When searching for your property rental on search engines you might have noticed the impressive offering of rental websites for Tuscany apartments. However, there are things they are keeping for themselves that you should know.

What those websites like to avoid disclosing is how much they surcharge the rental price for their services. If you compare their prices to the owner’s direct booking price you are likely to find differences ranging between 10% to 90%. The latter figure is quite at the end of the spectrum, but would you still rent those Tuscany apartments from an agency if you could have them at 10% cheaper? The answer is obvious, and you would certainly rent direct with the owner. However, you may also wonder if what you are paying for is a service that frees your mind from all worries. Let’s see.

The arguments that rental agencies use to justify their overpricing policy are:

* Security: Your money is safe and your transactions are scam free.

While this is true, what is not evidenced is that you are not likely to be scammed when renting direct either. For liability reasons, the Italian law requires all vacation rental providers to be registered with a VAT ID number and to disclose that number on the homepage of their property’s official website. The validity of that number is easily verified online 24/7 at http://www1.agenziaentrate.it/servizi/vies/vies.htm?act=default&piva=&stato=IT#app . In addition, if you pay for your rental through any international payment service, except for escrow and similar, you are given full traceability, as when you pay through bank transfer.

* Easy of mind: You are offered travel insurance

Insuring travels is not an agency-restricted business anymore. Solo and family travels can be insured online on hundred of insurance company websites. The costs is so low that it should always counted in when renting an apartment in Tuscany. If you are going to get married in Tuscany, some insurers will even cover your wedding dresses and rings!

* Reliability and transparency: Our information is exact and timely.

While this may be true for rental agencies, it is even more so when renting direct. If you cut the middleman (which at times can become more than one) you are sure the information you are getting is as fresh and detailed as it can be. Do not misjudge poorly designed websites. Stick to the pictures and to directly emailing the owner. Tuscany apartments owners are much more Internet savvy today than they were just three years ago, and you will get a swift reply to your inquiries.

A common practice for rental agencies is to change the name of the advertised property and not disclosing their exact address, to avoid you to find the direct contact of the owner. While the name change may be acceptable to you, the exact location of the property may be an important choosing factor.

* Choice: On our website you have plenty of personally selected choices at your hand.

Even though the selection criteria of rental agencies might be the same exact you have, this argument is outdated. Thanks to the increased Internet sensibility of Tuscany apartments owners, the number of property dedicated websites has increased exponentially in the last few years. Your search for keywords such as Tuscany apartments or villas in Tuscany will return hundreds of splendid properties at reasonable prices. TIME SAVING TIP: The trick here is not to stop looking beyond those ten search engine results. Select your options to return 100 results per page, then quickly scroll going through the results URL. When you read a URL with what seems to be a proper name and not a generic keyword, you got a property dedicated website.

I am sure to have clarified some of your doubts on direct Tuscan bookings compared to agency rentals. You are now more aware of your choices and can pick up on those saving opportunities.

Author Bio: John Matthews is a full time writer about Tuscany and property rentals. His past experience includes working with Internet rental agencies. He now collaborates with http://thriftytuscany.com, dedicated to direct bookings. He dreams of buying some Tuscany apartments to leave in and rent.

Category: Real Estate
Keywords: Tuscany apartments