new to redweek and looking to rent Marriott villa

Hi,

I'm new here and talking to a owner who requires i send a check in full (travel date is less than month and half away) along with the rental agreement form (signed by me) that they will send me via email (i'm guessing they will not sign it until after they deposit the check). Then once deposited they will send me the confirmation from the resort in my name. **I have done some research and will obviously call the resort to make sure it is indeed in their name and has their address listed to which I will mail the check.

My question is: should they first sign it and send the rental agreement form so that I can send it back to them signed (keeping a copy) with a check in full?

What good does it do me if they sign the form after they deposit the check? bottom line is that I have no signed form in hand before I provide any type of payment. Am I thinking too much here? lol

or is it common for a owner to send a un-signed form via email and the renter signs and sends out the money first (i'd think even a partial payment would be an issue here?)

I have searched the forums to my best of abilities to see if someone else asked this question. Sorry for asking such a simple question that may have been asked numerous times and thanks in advance for any advice or input!

Amardeep -

We provide assistance on staying safe with your transaction here: Stay Safe

It is up to you and the owner to decide who signs the rental agreement first. Typically, in the transactions I've been involved in, the renter signs, returns with the deposit, and then the owner signs and sends a copy of the agreement to the renter.

If you have further questions, or need assistance, please feel free to Contact Us.

Phyllis

Never pay 100% of the rental price up-front (depending on how close the transaction is to the check-in date) Pay 50% of the rental price up-front, and the remaining 50% when you receive written confirmation FROM THE RESORT that the reservation has been placed in your name (it's also a good idea to phone the resort to ensure your reservation is secure) Never pay via wire transfer (Western Union, MoneyGram). Please view our Payment Method Comparison for more information