Enquiries for rentals can come from anywhere in the world. As a rough indication, about half of all Orlando-area rentals that are distributed through villa rental sites will have originated from outside the USA, the majority of these from the UK. The same situation will apply if you work independently through your own web site. The internet is fundamentally global, so if you have your own web page or web site that you use to attract enquiries, it is likely that these enquiries will come from all over the world.

Someone who lives in the UK will be comfortable dealing with a UK-based owner. They will be dealing in the same currency and using the same banking system, using local mail, and able to communicate quickly and easy by phone whenever necessary. Exactly the same is true for US renters dealing with US owners. Canadian renters may have to deal with some minor financial complications when renting from a US owner, but Canadians are well used to this.

Difficulties can arise if the owner is in the UK and the renter is in the US, or vice versa. Imagine a UK family planning a vacation in Florida. If they rent from a UK owner, it is all very straightforward. If they receive a rental offer from a US owner, on the other hand, things get more complicated. They are not so likely to want to communicate internationally by phone, so direct contact is less easy. They will be expected to pay the deposit and the rental charge in US dollars. This involves effort, uncertain exchange rates, and bank charges. They will have to mail their payments overseas. They will have to wait for any return documentation to be mailed back.

There is also the uncertainty factor. Someone in the USA does not have the same local credibility as someone back home. Does the rental home really exist? Will their booking be honored, or is the whole thing an internet scam? The same is true, possibly even more true, for US renters dealing with a UK owner. Many Americans have little experience of communicating overseas, and are going to be uncomfortable doing so.

One of the first questions you will be asked by prospective renters is can we phone someone in Florida to make sure that the villa is really there? It sounds strange to those of us who work through the internet every day, but we must remember that most people are still coming to terms with the internet. They have not yet learned to trust it, or to trust transactions that are carried out through it.