Counter Deposit for Vacation Rental

[crispnclean]

I've been looking to rent a vacation home using Homeaway.com and the place I would like to stay says that they accept payment via counter deposit at a certain bank. 

Forgive my ignorance, but I've never heard of this method of payment before on such a site...does that mean I am just going to their bank and making a deposit straight into their account?

Is this like the wire transfer scam of Craigslist and I'm going to be screwed out of money and a place to stay? 

The rental has about 6 reviews over a 2 year period of time, so I want to think it's legit, but I don't want to get screwed.  Is there anything I can do to protect myself in this situation?  It's my understanding that Homeaway provides no guarantees or protections.

[crispnclean]

Thanks for the tips. After you suggested contacting Homeaway, I looked around at homeaway's site a little bit more and it looks like I can also buy rental protection for about $40, which is totally worth it for my peace of mind.