renting an apartment or villa?

This isn鈥檛 necessarily a Chicago question, but one in general. Has anyone tried renting an apartment or villa before, and if so, do you make payment then receive the contract for said apartment or villa, or do you receive the contract first?

renting an apartment or villa?

I鈥檝e rented an apartment here in Chicago for a week and the lessor wants the money up front before the contract is delivered to sign, is this normal operating procedure

renting an apartment or villa?

No way would I do that. I%26#39;ve rented private homes on a couple of occasions and never paid a cent until the contract was signed. I%26#39;m an attorney, and I%26#39;m not giving you legal advice, but I sure as heck would never advise my client to do what this person is suggesting. Sounds very fishy.

By the way, we%26#39;re staying at the Chicago Guesthouse in a few weeks and everything has been very much above board so far. Their website is www.chicagoguesthouse.com.

The answer to you question really depends on where you are renting the apartment/villa. In some places it is customary and acceptable to pay 1/2 upfront and the remaining balance upon arrival. I have done this several times when traveling and renting private apartments in Europe. From my experience sending some form of payment in advance seems to be the norm when renting private accommodations in many places. Of course you need to use common sense such as using a reputable website when looking for an apartment and find out the norm in the area/country where you are looking to rent the apartment. Also, not that it really matters, but I am also an attorney and have entered in these type of transactions without hesitation. Obviously I%26#39;m not saying that your particular situation is legit but sometimes situations such as this can be on the up and up.