Vacation Rentals

Even as the sinking economy is making many people think about turning their vacations into "staycations," an online vacation rental service recently managed to raise $250 million to fund its growth. The listing service, HomeAway Inc., said Tuesday that with its latest round of private financing, it had raised $405 million since it launched in 2005.

The visionary in Fort Bragg, Calif., who ordered up a living room large enough to accommodate a rugby match. The risk taker in Idyllwild, Calif., who one day must have said, "Hey, what about a round house?" The fearless renovator in Santa Fe, N.M., who asked, "Why just one kitchen?" I've never met these people, but you could say that I've slept with them -- under their roofs, that is, in beds they bought. I know them, dear readers.

If you're thinking about renting a home for your summer vacation, a relatively new site, www.pickpackgo.com, launched in September, may make the search easier. What's hot: Search by location (including international), dates and the number of bedrooms. Results show listings of vacation rentals offered by property managers, with photos, amenities, maps and destination. Calendars show availability. What's not: The site says it has about 66,000 listings. A competitor, Vacation Rentals by Owner, www.

If you're going to rent out your vacation place -- perhaps to offset maintenance and mortgage costs -- what's the best thing you could do to improve it? "Add a hot tub," said Bill May, whose Sunspots Inns, Resorts and Rentals (www.sunspots.us) owns and maintains more than 100 such properties in Hawaii and on the mainland. "It's a four-season amenity and something people really like to have available, even though they might not use it," he said.

Listed below are various firms that rent or provide rental listings for homes, condominiums, apartments, hotel rooms, B&Bs and other lodgings in vacation destinations worldwide. In addition to addresses and phone numbers for the rental agencies listed below, the types of housing and the geographic specialty, plus Internet sites and/or e-mail addresses, have been listed where possible.

Your readers may want to know that there is a low-cost alternative to renting a villa of their own. We recently stayed in a home every bit as wonderful as some of those described in your Vacation Rentals issue (April 12) . . . except there was no charge other than the minimal ($75) membership fee of the home-exchange agency. We used Trading Homes International of Hermosa Beach, telephone (800) 877-8723. And while we stayed in the comfort of their home, our English exchange partners took wonderful care of our home (including our dog!

[To our readers: Below is a list of vacation home rental agencies that appeared in the October 1997 issue of Consumer Reports Travel Letter, published by the nonprofit Consumer's Union organization. Please note that some telephone numbers or other information may have changed.] All agencies in our list rent to the public. We also provide information on travel clubs that specialize in vacation rentals, and directory sources.

For 20 years, Vivian Falzetti has been watching sunsets from her cottage in what is now Crystal Cove State Beach, a flower-draped patch of paradise on America's back porch. Soon, it'll be your turn. After 15 years of negotiation and confrontation, the state Parks and Recreation Department is taking over the 45 bungalows at the park's old surfer campground and turning them into vacation rentals.

QUESTION: We own a condominium on the ocean which we only use during the summertime. We are considering renting it out on a periodic basis, but have been told that there are complex tax rules regarding the so-called "vacation home." This is not our principal residence. Can you assist us by giving an explanation of the vacation home rules? ANSWER: As the summer months approach, our thoughts turn to taking pleasurable vacations at our second home.

The language of the S. J. Diamond column on leases ("Tenants Should Know a Lease Isn't the Law," June 22) creates the impression that a landlord is not allowed to charge any fee for cleaning the apartment of an outgoing tenant. Certainly, an apartment owner may not charge a renter for damages that preceded his or her tenancy; however, the story implies that an owner may not charge a present renter for damage and cleaning related to his tenancy. The law and the courts do indeed allow owners to use the security deposit to clean apartments upon the termination of tenancies.