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REAL ESTATE, NEXUS INFORMA GROUP

What to do about vacation rental scams?

The trend that began last summer, by which Spaniards prioritize their holiday stay in chalets and rented apartments, over hotels, to ensure greater security against the coronavirus by being less exposed to contact with other people, has driven, according to the Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU), scams in this sector,

The Dream-Travel company has left thousands of users without accommodation who, attracted by desirable houses at irresistible prices, have taken the bait, making a reservation by bank transfer in exchange for a non-existent property.

Although the greatest risk is associated with accommodations that do not really exist, there is a high percentage that, even corresponding to a real house, are not truthful about the conditions offered by their advertisements.

If the falsehood is of such magnitude that the consumer not only could not enjoy the stay but could not even claim the advertiser, OCU's advice is to report it to the police or to the Civil Guard computer crimes group and that put the means so that these situations do not recur

Another relatively common circumstance is that the state of the home does not correspond to the agreed one, in which case the tenant should claim, attaching the photographs and the conditions reflected in the advertisement; either to the owner, if there were no intermediaries, or to the platform or the agency, if it was hired through any of them.

The autonomous communities take good care of their powers with regard to holiday accommodation and are willing to impose sanctions on those who fail to comply with the regulation or damage the image of tourism in their community, so OCU advises to file a complaint with the General Directorate of Tourism of the corresponding autonomous community.

When the photos differ substantially from those taken, so much so that the consumer's choice would have been different. OCU advises that falsehoods be reported to the ad website.

These platforms usually have a service channel enabled for complaints or complaints from users, either via email or by phone. Also, users should leave their comments on the ad to help other home seekers not fall into the same trap.

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