What to know before you rent a summer home on Cape Cod
CENTERVILLE – Spring is just starting, but it's already time to start thinking about your summer vacation.
Stressing about rental availability? There are some helpful tips if you're hoping to make a trip to Cape Cod.
"Right now, there's more availability than it was last year," Paul Niedzwiecki, Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce CEO, said. "But last year and the year before [were] record summers for us coming out of the COVID-19 restrictions. And what happened is, the length of stay, of most people, got longer."
Now that people are returning to more normal work schedules, Niedzwiecki said they're starting to see the length of stay return to a more pre-pandemic norm, too.
However, the Cape Cod Chamber CEO said the pandemic has a had a lasting effect on booking behavior.
"Everybody is starting to book in January or prior now. So, the bookings are definitely happening earlier, and it looks like it's a trend that will stay," Niedzwiecki explained.
Peak season on the Cape is the last two weeks of July and the first two weeks of August.
"But if you're looking for later in August, or earlier in July, June - there is still some availability," Niedzwiecki told WBZ-TV.
And when it comes to booking costs, prices are on the rise.
"Because of demand, there's been an upward trend in prices for short term rentals over the last two years, and we haven't seen that come down," said Niedzwiecki.
Niedzwiecki said that's good thing for the local economy.
"Traveling tourism on the Cape accounts for over $1.3 billion in spending annually. So, it's important to our regional economy that we have this sort of tourism industry that we have," Niedzwiecki said.
Unfortunately, scammers are looking to take advantage of people looking to rent.
When you're planning your next trip, here are some ways the BBB says you can lessen your chances of getting swindled:
Watch out for listings for properties that either are not for rent or don't exist or are significantly different than pictured. You can do that by:
- Talk with the owner by phone. If you are not using a service that verifies properties and owners, do not negotiate a rental solely by email.
- Check public records. Investigate online by looking up the address and use Google Street View to confirm the property matches the one advertised. Also, verify distances to beaches, attractions and airports while on the site.
- Look for reviews and ask for references. While vetting hotels, travel companies, vacation rentals and more, check BBB.org for reviews and complaints. Look for photos and a variety of reviews.
- Avoid wiring money or using a prepaid debit card. These payments are the same as sending cash. Once the money is sent, there is no way to get it back. Paying with a credit card the charges can be disputed and dramatically limit liability from a fraudulent purchase.
- Do some snooping. Check the website for links to the company's Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram accounts. Often, scam artists will link to Facebook.com instead of Facebook.com/THEIRCOMPANYNAME. If they do have social media accounts, check their activity and see if any other users have left reviews or voiced complaints.
The bottom line is if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Here's a link to the full list of tips from the BBB. The BBB also has a scam tracker for you to report or look up a scam:
