Cash Deposits?

I am booking a week at a Guest House in New Orleans in May and the establishment doesn%26#39;t take credit cards (I can deal with that) and they are requesting a Cash deposit of half the tab - which will be a couple of hundred dollars - to hold the room.

I will probably have to pay by money order because it is in US Funds. Is this something that happens a lot? What is my guarantee that the funds will be applied properly? I don%26#39;t mind too much paying so much in advance (saves on the cash at the vacation time)but I just want to make sure I am covered.

Any ideas?

Cash Deposits?

';Any ideas?';

Yes, find a place that accepts credit cards, at least for the deposit.

I would be too leery of a property that only deals in cash and wants 50% up front. They won%26#39;t even take a check??

Cash Deposits?

well, they did say they would take a cheque but I am coming from Canada - so a Canadian cheque probably wouldn%26#39;t be useful.... that%26#39;s why I figured I would have to pay by money order. Maybe I should ask them if I could send a cheque?

I would also make sure you understand their cancellation policy in the event of illness, etc. I prefer to deal directly with hotel chains where you can cancel within 24 hours of arrival with no penalty and no money is given up front.

Isn%26#39;t there a B %26amp; B Association in New Orleans? You may want to check out this Guest House with this group. Are there any reviews on Tripadvisor for this property?

Montreal: I recently did a search of guest houses in this area. I did not delve into the particulars however from what I was able to discern, this is not something I would get into personally. I do not know for sure, if there is an association representing these owners, it could be a real estate agent, as they get a fee for renting these places, or it could be the owner, or whomever.

I do however find that the deposit in cash should raise a red flag, it would to this writer, and I am not trying to rent in Montreal? So, having said that, I would not want to mess up your plans, but I would certainly raise a caution flag in this instance, as it would not be a position that I would expect to place myself.

You might have to dig a little deeper into this rental situation and I am sure some of these, or at least the reputable ones, will take a credit card for a deposit.

Sorry, just how I feel....hope you are having a good day and your visit is pleasant.

Hello KarenB,

I am President of the Professional Innkeeper%26#39;s Association of New Orleans (P.I.A.N.O.), an association of licensed Bed and Breakfast Inns and small lodging establishments in New Orleans. Since you haven%26#39;t mentioned the name of the ';Guest House'; you are dealing with, I cannot tell you if they are a member of our organization or not. But there are a few things you should be aware of regarding vacation rentals in New Orleans.

It is rare, but not totally unheard of, among our members to not take credit cards and/or require advanced deposits in the form of cash, check, or money order. A few properties do this because they don%26#39;t want to pay the credit card fees and/or they don%26#39;t want to be subject to the credit card rules regarding dispute resolution. If you are booking for a special event (like Mardi Gras or Jazz Fest) it may become more likely that the deposit will be requested to be non-credit card. But requiring cash deposits is still very rare among licensed businesses. It is possible that you may be dealing with an unlicensed short-term vacation rental.

All short-term vacation lodging in New Orleans must be licensed by the City of New Orleans. It is unlawful for anyone to rent an unlicensed room, apartment, condo, house, or any other dwelling unit for for less than 30 days (60 days if the property is located in the French Quarter). Nearly all condos and apartments cannot qualify for a license, and many homes are ineligible because of zoning restrictions. Getting a B%26amp;B license in New Orleans carries many requirements and qualifications that are designed to ensure guest safety and maintain the integrity of residential neighborhoods in and around our tourist centers. Many of the unlicensed operators are absentee property owners who have little regard for the quality of life in the neighborhood surrounding the property. B%26amp;B owners, on the other hand, are required to live in the property, carry proper insurance, pass fire safety and other inspections, and collect any lodging taxes that are required according to their size.

P.I.A.N.O. only accepts licensed properties as members. So, if an establishment is a member of P.I.A.N.O. you can be sure it is licensed. You can see the membership of our organization at our web site -- www.bbnola.com.

The City of New Orleans also maintains a list of licensed short-term rentals. The list includes all losging establishments, including hotels, B%26amp;Bs, ';Guest Houses'; etc... You can check to see if the establishment you are interested in is licensed by looking at the list here...

www.cityofno.com/portal.aspx?portal=6%26tabid=2

Thanks for the very informative post, Ashton%26#39;s. Also, than you for the list of legal short-term rentals.

For those members who may be computer-challenged, there%26#39;s a simple way to find a name in that non-alphabetically sorted list. If you%26#39;re a Windows user, just press and hold the CONTROL key while pressing the F key. This will bring up a search box, where you can key in the name of the property. Click on NEXT and your search argument will be highlighted, if it%26#39;s on the page. To continue your search down the page, just click on NEXT again.

Sorry, MAC users. I don%26#39;t know how to do this on a MAC. When I was employed by IBM, we were told that MACs were a gift from the devil, so I never learned anything about them. %26lt;smile%26gt;

For the devilish Mac users (like myself!), click Apple+F and you can do the same thing! :)

Thanks for the link!

In case you didn%26#39;t notice, the list is sorted by street name. Strange, but true.

from keratosis pilaris