Ownersdirect

This company has a very odd policy if something goes wrong with your holiday. As they are a portal it is not their properties which are listed instead if someone has a holiday property to rent they can do it through Owners Direct. A good idea in principle but if you have a complaint forget it. All they do is pass it on to the owners or agents who have advertised it and then do nothing. They don’t even change the misleading ads on their site, so they simply pass the buck and wash their hands of you. Unhelpful and very unprofessional.
My family and I went to Spain in the summer of 2012. The villa was nice but we had issues with the company who we rented it through. Lots of stuff advertised didn’t happen or was just wrong. The local restaurant was listed as being 200 metres away and the house was described as being part of a gated complex. Both descriptions were stretching the truth enormously as our villa opened into a dusty street and the closest place to eat was a great deal further than 200m. The rental company (Lorena’s Property Management see elsewhere) did nothing to help us and were impossible and rude. On my return I wrote to Owners Direct who said they would put my comments to the rental company but they would not tell me the result of any enquiries they made.
The property we rented is still being advertised with the false claims about the nature of the villa and the distance to places to eat. Owners Direct did nothing beyond passing on my complaint and are happy to keep advertising details which aren’t accurate. That makes them untrustworthy and a company to avoid if possible. Lorena’s appalling attitude didn’t help but if the villa had been advertised correctly to start with my family would not have encountered the issues we did as we would never have gone there.
There are plenty of other holiday property rental companies out there. Don’t be a mug and use Owners Direct (or Lorena’s!) as it’s not worth it.

Terrible company! They are a scam. DO NOT BOOK WITH THEM, they are fast at taking your money and not giving you anything. We booked a three week holiday, lost all our money as the property did not even exist. DO NOT BOOK!

Caveat — Do your research and do not necessarily accept the reviews posted against the villas. I have found this out the hard way, and to my cost.
Remember, that they get a fee from the villa owner, and not the renter. The do say that they do monitor complaints about villas, but I am not sure many people know that this is available.
On the whole I have been very happy with the villas I have found. I have only had one that caused me problems, and it is reviewed on this site.
Also note:
They once offered guarantees free upto £3300, but this has bnow stopped and been replaced by an insuarance fee.
— — —
Owners Direct specialises in advertising privately owned holiday accommodation direct from the owner. They have advertised holiday properties since 1997 and on their web site you will find over 31,000 villas, apartments, chalets, farmhouses and cottages — all types of holiday accommodation in countries throughout the world.
In August 2007 Owners Direct became part of HomeAway Inc. which owns the largest holiday websites in the US and Europe. They continue to operate as a separate brand from their offices in Epsom, UK. The address I have put into the system is their registered office. Their Epsom address is as follows:
Owners Direct Holiday Rentals Ltd
Renaissance House
32 Upper High Street
Epsom
Surrey
KT17 4QJ