[Halle]

We have our home listed on TheVillages4Rent.com. In the last two days we have received several very suspicious emails through that site requesting the address of our home. We became suspicious after trying to contact the person via phone and were unable to because the number was invalid. This person emailed us two more times with different invalid phones numbers. It is our policy to never give our home address without actually speaking to the person and we have been even more diligent about security due to the recent robberies. We wanted to advise others of this potential threat to their homes. We have sent the owner of the site a message so he can send a warning message to his clients.

You can't be to careful!

[KathieI]

Halle, this is very good information. I've rented here 7 times through owners before I purchased and I never received the address of the house prior to getting here. That is a no-no for sure. Upon receipt of the final deposit for the house, the owners would mail me a key and the address. It worked fine. Thanks for the heads up!!

[l2ridehd]

I to received an e-mail like that from the site. I sent them back 200 main street. Hope no one lives there. It was pretty clear that it was someone poaching information.

I put the address in my rental agreement so when they have agreed to rent and are ready to send me the deposit and signed agreement, they have the address at that point.

[Ohiogirl]

I advertise mine on VacationRentals.com and last year had 1 inquiry that sounded legit to start but don't think it was. Couple from Britain (purportedly) that said they had rented here once before and liked to dance at Katie Belle's, wanted to know if my unit was close to that and if it was available in May/June. I answered not all that close to Katie Belle's but was available and discussed price, etc. Emailed the lease to be returned with the deposit and they advised that their bank told them easiest way was to direct deposit into my bank account, wanted the account # and routing #. I said no, wasn't comfortable with that, just to send a money order. They then said that one of them couldn't get away from her job at that time after all, and never heard from them again.

About 2 weeks later I read about people making up dummy checks from that info. Glad I didn't fall for it and never will. You do have to be careful out there - that's why I like using a local caretaker who personally meets the tenants with the keys, etc. Have been doing this for almost 3 years now with no serious problems at all.

[faithfulfrank]

I use ****.com ( www.****.com/145288 ) and have not had any of these problems.....but this is good info to know. It is easy to become lax. Thank you.

Frank D.

[champion6]

Halle, contact the county cops. This is significant information and they should use their resources to investigate further.

[Halle]

I just want to clarify we have had no problems with the site and recommend them for advertising your homes that are for rent in TV. We just wanted to alert homeowners to this suspicious behavior. We have been renting our home through TheVillages4Rent.com since October 2007 and have been very satisfied with the site and the renters who contacted us through the site.

Champion6, good advice I will do that.

[BritParrothead]

We owned a vacation home in Kissimmee, just off the 192, for quite a few years. One thing we learned early was NEVER give out the home address or phone number until we had the money safe in the bank. We had a local caretaker, but we also had a 'lock box' for the house keys. The number was changed for every guest, just in case the decided to come back at a future date for a 'look see'
I am happy to say, we never ever had any problems.

[PR1234]

We rent here in the winters and I always ask the address because we like to look at the map and see if it is an area that we want. There is a BIG difference from renting just inside the gate as opposed to the very back of a village.......Especially in regards to how close they are to a square.

[BritParrothead]

Last year we rented from The Villages. They will not tell you where the home is until you actually check in! Not good. I dont want to know exact address, but give me an idea where we will be placed!
After last years debacle, we will never rent throught The Villages again, but will rent from the owner direct.
We asked for a south facing back yard, so we could sit out in the sun, we should have changed our names to Fred & Wilma, the house was so dark it was like a cave
Coming from northern Europe(UK) we like to see the sun now and again!