Travel Website Scams, what to look out for.

There are many signs to watch out for when researching and choosing 
a vacation rental apartment.

• Many travel websites advertise at VERY low rates. Whether it's a hotel or a 1 room rental, you should call to double check and make sure the listing is official. There are many online scams these days and you shouldn't put your family vacation at risk by renting an apartment from an unreliable source.

• As opposed to private companies, some privately owned apartments or room rentals might not offer reliable services. Always double check the exact services offered so you can know what to expect in advance.

You as a renter should consider the differences between 

private companies and privately owned apartments: 

Private Companies:

- offer services such as gym & pool access

- full staff of service representatives

- 24 hour doorman

- cleaning staff

- are the owners available to ask questions 24/7 via e-mail or telephone 

Privately owned apartments:

- will there be a team of service representatives available in case there is an apartment issue?

- are you guaranteed the same apartment as you inquired about?

- are services such as a pool or gym provided?

As a renter, you should feel comfortable when making a decision to rent a vacation apartment. Schedule a friend or family member to visit the apartment for you in advance. Ask questions, e-mail the owners, or call.  

Enjoy your vacation! 

www.IsraelVacationHomes.com

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New office - exterior image!

Our new office - Exterior view!

www.IsraelVacationHomes.com

Moving to a new home!!!

We would like to announce we are moving to our new offices

As of May 28^th, 2013 we are moving to our beautiful new offices.  

OUR NEW ADDRESS WILL BE:   

316 West 118 Street.  New York, NY 10026

Our telephone number, fax and e-mail address will remain the same.

Follow our updates on the move in our FACEBOOK page & TWITTER!

We would also like to send our warm salutations to all Mother's on this special day! 

May this Mother's Day be filled with love and joy! 

 

Formal Companies VS. Privately owned Vacation Apartments - Tell us your thoughts!

      We have heard many terrible stories about renters who rent from privately owned apartments which are advertised online. It's important to ask all the questions you may have beforehand and if possible, send a nearby relative or friend to check out the apartment for you.

 As a world traveler you should be aware of issues that might arise such as:

•  no apartment guarantee upon arrival
• no such address upon arrival to apartment
•  owner is not available via telephone or e-mail
•  apartment is damaged upon arrival and you are not given a valid compensation

  As compared to renting from a formal company which is 100% guaranteed, you should thoroughly check out your choice of vacation apartment in advance.

We would love to hear your thoughts on this!

 Post your experience/views today!

Israel Vacation Homes wishes Israel a Happy 65th Independence Day!!

Happy Passover!

To Our Dear Friends and Guests,

Just wanted to share with you and make you aware…..

Every year during Passover season we have no availability to rent out our apartments (most of our Passover reservations have been processed from over 10 months in advance!!!) and we continue to receive many inquiries from guests as well as guests’ friends for availability during Passover. In many cases we are being asked to help find several alternatives, i.e. to recommend or to send links to other apartments that may be available. 

We are very knowledgeable in the vacation apartment market. We are continuously educating ourselves on other apartments offered in order to update and improve our services.

Recently, we have been facing a rapid increase in the number of vacation apartments offered in Israel.   There are many privately owned apartments that are widely advertised on the internet (as the online advertisement can be relatively unrestrained or even free) that have been mushroomed in the past few years.  Hence, we feel that we would like to share with you some of the feedback that we have been receiving from other apartments. In this briefing we also hope to give you some useful tips when selecting your next vacation apartment in Israel. 

- Some of these apartments were renovated by their Owner, dividing bigger apartments into a few smaller apartments. These units are being rented while the Owner lives on site. In some cases these apartments are not legally created and do not have the proper occupancy documentation. 

- Although some of the apartments have been renovated and internally redesigned the buildings where they are located are frequently poorly maintained.  It is also important to check that there is an elevator in the building, as it can be very inconvenient to carry the luggage for your trip using a walk up building facility.

- Even if payment is due upon arrival and not in advance as most companies require, it can be very frustrating to find out that the apartment you were promised is not as expected. It can be almost impossible to find an alternative on the spot, especially when travelling with kids.  

- In case there is a malfunction with an appliance or an urgent repair required in the apartment during your stay, companies usually have maintenance arrangements on site. Also, companies  are more prepared than Private Owners to resolve the issues more promptly. 

Whether renting vacation apartments from either a company like us or from individual owners, always check for feedback and ask for recommendations from guests who have stayed in the apartment.
GOOD LUCK AND ENJOY YOUR VACATION !!!

Israel Vacation Homes 
WWW.IsraelVacationHomes.com
ContactUs@IsraelVacationHomes.com
NYC +1- 646-296-1342