Beware of Greedy Rental Agencies

Noted real estate columnist Robert Bruss tells a cautionary tale of mismanagement of vacation homes in a recent column headlined Did rental agency cheat vacation homeowners?

He cites a case in which the manager of a rental agency apprently took advantage of absentee owners by collecting money on short-term rentals and pocketing it.

If you're renting out a vacation home, how do you stop this kind of greed? Two logical answers: do your due diligence before signing up with an agency, and read all the fine print.

But I hope Bruss offers his own suggestions in a followup column.