To refuse to give the apartment owner more money ?

[plantarflexion]

Yesterday I booked an apartment in Croatia using an international booking agency , HostelTraveler.com . I was given confirmation of the reservation , a deposit was paid and I was advised that the balance was to be paid to the owner directly , which is the usual system .
I then found the owner's email address and contacted him to see if my reservation had been made . He told me that the agency I used had made an error in the price they offered. He admitted that he had given them a low rate for all months of the year , not just the Winter months so it sounds like his error .
He said that I would have to agree to pay him 80 euro more than what had been agreed . To be fair , it was a very low rate of 67 euro per night , versus 120 euro for the same place with several other agencies . He has asked me to compromise on 99 euro a night . I am unsure what my rights are , impossible to see in the T and Cs of the ( American ) booking agency . Can they confirm a price and and owner just ask for more ?
On the other hand I do not want him to refuse to honour my booking and maybe I should do as he asks ?
WWYD ??

YANBU - but I dont know why you had to contact the owner when you booked through an agency. The agency should honour the price they are advertising, if he has a problem he needs to take it up with them and not you.

The reason was that I was still seeing the apartment being advertised elsewhere for my dates and I wanted to check that he had my reservation. I have heard of people booking hotels with even well known agents eg Expedia and turning up and hotel having to knowledge . Plus I had a gut feeling as the rate was so low .

Sorry , typo. Having no knowledge of the reservation .

Contact your booking agency for advice.

I would speak to the booking agency and get them to advise/sort out as it was between them and the owner. For all you know the owner might be trying to pull a fast one without the agency knowing. Although as you say you had a feeling the rate was low it probably was a genuine mistake by the owner. I would be tempted to tell the owner you will be speaking to the agency to see what they suggest as you made the booking through them.

If you only booked the apartment yesterday, of course it was still going to show as available through other sites! i think you have muddied the waters by contacting the owner direct. Go back to the agency and get them to sort it out.