Another vote for Paypal or Moneybookers. Give the owner a call and try to impress upon them the hassle and cost of an international bank transfer.

BACS is a common way to pay for things like this when dealing directly with owners - mainly because it's easy, free, relatively quick, and most people in the UK are familiar with the process. I've done it several times paying (British) owners of property in Spain.

But for international transfers, it's a right pain in the arse.