Holidaymaker Best Practices

Safe Payment Methods

Making payments online with HomeAway Payments is the most secure way to book a HomeAway holiday rental on our sites. When you use HomeAway Payments, your payment will be automatically covered against internet fraud for up to £10,000.

Ask the homeowner or property manager if they accept HomeAway Payments when booking your holiday rental.  

When you receive a payment request from an owner you can pay securely online with Visa, Mastercard and Carte Bleu credit cards.

Please ensure you always call the telephone number published on the listing and speak with the owner or property manager to confirm your reservation and payment details.
If no phone number is listed, please contact us for assistance here.

Never pay by cash or instant money transfer services such as Western Union or MoneyCorp. These payment methods are highly susceptible to fraudulent activity and if used you will not be eligible for any of the payment protection guarantees offered by HomeAway.co.uk.

Get to know the property owner or manager

Read the listing details and reviews, and use the information provided to help you get a sense of the owner and their rental practices. Call the owner and ask questions about the property, how long they have owned it, and request references from past guests.

Request a rental agreement, and if the owner or manager does not have one available, ask for a printed list of your accountability as a renter.

Handling issues with owners or property managers
In the first instance you should speak directly with the owner or manager of the property to resolve any issues. If the matter is serious or hasn’t been resolved after speaking with the owner or manager, please contact customer support here. We take all complaints very seriously and will do all we can to facilitate an agreeable outcome. However please bear in mind that HomeAway.co.uk is a venue only, it is not an agent for any of the properties listed and thus it is ultimately the owner or manager’s responsibility to ensure their property is accurately represented, as well as deal with any issues or refunds etc.

The full Terms & Conditions of HomeAway.co.uk can be found here.

Fraudulent Listings
We have a dedicated Trust and Security team who constantly monitor for fraudulent listings, but you can also safeguard against this by looking out for the following signs:

• Too good to be true deals
• Significantly lower rates than other similar properties in the area
• Poor grammar and anything else which seems unusual compared to other listings

If you are concerned about any listing on our website, please contact us here.

Property owners or managers can be victims of fraud too
Our owners and managers will inevitably communicate with holidaymakers through email providers and systems outside of our control. As with many types of internet sites and business, these external systems can be vulnerable to online identity theft attacks known as “phishing attacks”.  Phishing is the most common form of online identity theft and occurs when a criminal is able to capture an owner or manager’s email password and access their inbox and therefore their messages, which  can include booking enquiries from holidaymakers. Once the phisher has control of their email account, they can then pose as the owner or manager and instruct holidaymakers to send money to their accounts rather than those of the real owner or manager.