Accommodations Anyone? Do your homework.

For those of you who may be in the same boat I was, looking for a place to stay in Vancouver during the Olympics and having a tough time, I wanted to make you aware of some things you should check before booking any rental accommodation.
Once I was pretty sure Mode Suites was going to be my choice for renting a condo, I had to convince myself that who I was dealing with was reputable. After all, I had found them online and they could have been anybody.
I started by asking if they were registered with a local Chamber of Commerce or the Better Business Bureau. It was a good sign when the person I had been dealing with encouraged my due diligence and happily provided me with the information they were registered with a Chamber of Commerce. The next step was to ask that Chamber of Commerce to verify this company did indeed have a membership with them, which in fact was confirmed. That office was also able to provide me with the Business License number of Mode Suites. They suggested that I contact Vancouver City Hall to see if the Business License was registered with them. It was.
From there I felt pretty good about proceeding with the booking. A couple of things here, make sure you read the contract-twice at least. If you have any questions, ask them. Do not assume anything. Make sure there is a contract that spells out payment schedules, how damage deposits will work and is very clear about what is included in the condo/house you are renting. A contract is a legal document. Do not sign it if there is something you do not understand.
If you are paying with a credit card, the company should also send you a credit card authorization form which states you give them permission to charge your card for the agreed upon fees. If there is no contract, no credit card authorization (which you do not need if you are using a different form of payment) and the company does not issue you a receipt, be leery as to what you are getting into.
The Olympics is a great event and there are a lot of legitimate companies you can deal with, but there are others who may not be. It is our responsibility as consumers to check things out. If the person you are dealing with discourages you from verifying their business, that would be reason enough for me to walk away. Any business that has nothing to hide will give you the information you need to check them out.
A special thank you to the West Vancouver Chamber of Commerce and Vancouver City Hall. Both organizations were very pleasant and helpful to me with all my requests.
Good luck in your search. I can't wait to see everyone in Vancouver. Its approaching fast!

Mode Suites to the Rescue

It looks like I'm going forward with booking a unit from Mode Rental Suites. They are a company that does long term rentals in the Vancouver area. They are making some of their units available to people like me who need a place to stay during the Olympics. We'll be in a very cool part of Downtown Vancouver and walking distance to some of our events! What could be better?
Flight will be booked soon. Looks like everything is a wrap. Just need to start paying for it all!
Now that is all done, I'm on the lookout for Canadian Olympic gear. Stay tuned. That post coming up shortly.

Vancouver Links

I found a link on the Tourism Vancouver site for information on accommodation in BC for the Olympics. Here you go. Hope you find these helpful:

Tourism Vancouver
2010 Destination Planner
Access Vacation Group
Breakaway Vacations

I have been in contact with Paula from Mode Suites. Mode is a company that provides long term accommodation to business travellers in the Vancouver area. They are opening up their inventory to people needing places to stay during the Olympics. There are a variety of units available at a variety of costs. Paula managed to find me a great unit located close to downtown that is actually within my budget! You can contact her through a general email address located on their website. Good luck all!