Contact a local Realtor to handle the lease for you. The one time transaction fee will give you peace of mind knowing someone is representing your interest.

If you are sending money for a rental ask for a copy of their government issued ID for whom the check is made out to and cross reference with the property appraisers office to verify ownership "before" sending any money. To add an additional level of security you might want to pay a local Realtor to assist you for a one time transaction fee.

Man o man, the biggest scams on the internet are real photos from fake people. My brother in law in the Poconos once had people show up at one of his rental homes who had gotten the screwed . He reported it to the FBI. All the advice above is excellent especially the tax records I don't know anyone that will give you a copy of their license etc. If you're not sure of the rental, one last thing to do is to try to get the real name of the owner through the tax records and call them up through 411 and not use the phone number given to you through email

We are Brits who rent our house out over the winter months.
Our issue is the reverse, who can we trust as renters.
We use **** and have had virtually no issues.
Their charges are a bit steep but we feel happier using them.
You should be able to get a good discount this year, as there are fewer snowbirds travelling if our experience is anything to go by.
No renters for us this year but already booked for the next one.
So haggle over the price would be our advice

I’m a gambler I rented my house on my own but I did my due diligence.You should be nervous sending money to someone you don’t know.

Go through a management company. Good luck!!

Look up address on tax records for that county. Shows owner, etc.

The first time I rented, I used one of the large short term rental sites - they seem to somewhat validate the owners. Second time, I knew who the agency in the Villages was, who actually handled the rental, and i went directly to them (saving a few hundred $$ on the online fee).
I am not sure I would rent from a classified type add for a short term rental- others might, i am just hesitant.

Don't do it. Use a realtor. Five figures? Wow, quite costy. Use a realtor, we do.

Good advice.

Some people rent out their own properties, HOWEVER, I knew someone who paid for a rental and found that when they went to the home that the people living in it were not the people who rented it. Good luck finding them. Checking public records is a good place to start.

Villagershomes4rent.com or VH4R.com

Are you going to a legit site or just some rag tag ad that popped up. Many are checked out. Go to Homeaway.com. Not only are there reviews but the owners also review the tenants so other owners can beware. Ive done it numerous times and the house is usually even better than the ad

Yes, I verified first with Sumter assessor's website. It not only confirmed name but also their mailing address so I knew it wasn't someone just posing as the owner.

As an owner myself and a renter before I understand every aspects on the issue. You NEVER know who you are dealing with on both sides. I used to rent with **** to have an intermediary in case of issue. Now I put my rental house also on ****. Lots of exposures, less fees than a management company and they offer property damages cover to the renter for $50. The renter don't have to pay a big deposit and wait for an eventual refund. Everyone is happier this way. An other tip, if you decide to rent from an owner, I recommend you pick one who is a permanent resident on site.
Good luck to you.