Question for Renters of DVC...

[KiKiDisney]

I would like to hear from people who have rented from DVC owners, but who aren't owners themselves. Of course, anyone is allowed to chime in...

1. How did you feel about doing a transaction for such a large sum, in most cases, so far in advance?
2. Did you rent DVC because you were considering owning or was it just the right deal/size or another reason?
3. Once the deal was done, either in whole or part, did you have to cancel/change dates and how difficult/easy was that?

We're heading to Disney for 2 wks next September and are considering DVC for at least part of it (5-7 days). Traditionally, we have stayed at AoA, but our kids have outgrown it (physically - I hope they never outgrow anything Disney in any other way ). DH and one DD get excited just thinking about see fireworks from BLT, I lose sleep over how much this might cost .

Any thoughts and opinions will be appreciated.
Have a lovely day!

 

[lostpro9het]

We did a good bit of renting before we became members and still occasionally rent if we exhaust our points or need to get into a tough room, i.e. Grand Californian.

1.How did you feel about doing a transaction for such a large sum, in most cases, so far in advance?

Admittedly a little nervous but the member was well known here, had excellent references, and was johnny on the spot with communications.

2.Did you rent DVC because you were considering owning or was it just the right deal/size or another reason?

In the beginning it was a cost savings measure for us then it turned into us vetting out properties to decide where we wanted our home resort to be.

3.Once the deal was done, either in whole or part, did you have to cancel/change dates and how difficult/easy was that?

Never had to reduce nights but did we did, on a couple occasions, want to add a night , #vacationcreeep, and the member was excellent to work with.

For a week in September at BLT you will want to shop those rooms earlier than later if you're looking at a studio.

 

[nickys]

In general, modifications are not possible. This is because of the way points work and availability, not because DVC members are mean.

If you have been lucky and managed to rent a week beginning 7th November at the Boardwalk, and want to change it to the first week in December, there are two main problems:

1) The chances of there being availability for the new week are slim to none. This is peak time for DVC (Sept/Oct through to end of Jan).

2) The points could actually expire before the owner can rent them out again; depending on the use year they may have less than a month to do so. If a reservation is cancelled within 30 days, they then have to be used within 2 months or they expire. If you can’t go in that time, or there is no availability then tough - you lose them, without exceptions.

So there are multiple ways in which those points may become useless if the reservation is cancelled. A broker’s contract will have an absolutely no cancellation policy, a private owner may be willing to try to change but may not be successful. Or simply not have the time to do so. You should take out insurance to cover you in case you need to cancel.

 

[yaksplat]

How did you feel about doing a transaction for such a large sum, in most cases, so far in advance?

I was a litter nervous. But i looked the individuals up and made sure that they were actual owners and checked out references.

Did you rent DVC because you were considering owning or was it just the right deal/size or another reason?

I'm considering buying into the DVC, and i thought we'd try out a vacation in the room where and see how it worked for my family.

Once the deal was done, either in whole or part, did you have to cancel/change dates and how difficult/easy was that?

[/QUOTE]
I added another day by renting points from another individual and getting a one day reservation. Combining the reservations was no issue at all and I just let the desk know that the two reservations were both mine so I the bands wouldn't stop working on the transition between reservations. One you book thought, there's no changing the reservation and no refunds.

 

[wdisney9000]

We pretty much took the same route as @lostpro9het and rented to save money but ended up buying a DVC because it just made sense for us.

How did you feel about doing a transaction for such a large sum, in most cases, so far in advance?

I believe this is biggest concern most people have when they first rent (and rightfully so). If you are not going through a contract place such as Davids, you have to verify information on your own. Most renters will gladly give their information so you can verify it on the Fla Comptrollers website, but it would not be that difficult for a scammer to simply go on the comptrollers website and get information to use. Referrals could also be faked. The best way to know for sure the person is not a scammer is for them to call the DVC Guest Services and allow you to be on the call. Not all renters will be willing to do this though. Another way is to ask if they will allow you to mail a check to their home address, which you can match with the information on the comptrollers website, but occasionally they have moved to a new home and not updated their contract info. And many renters are hard core about using paypal. I had an experience once where the renter got very rude with me for asking to simply verify their home address to look up their info. Obviously I did not rent from them. In the end, do your due diligence and verify as much info as you can.

 

[KiKiDisney]

In the beginning it was a cost savings measure for us then it turned into us vetting out properties to decide where we wanted our home resort to be.

Renting DVC definitely seems to be a cost savings measure - renters just have to be sure to do their research. I have been taking lots of notes and making some spreadsheets. I have a certain figure in mind and if I can rent for that number or less, I will definitely jump at it. I don't think we are at all close to considering buying in, but getting to know the resorts and system helps.

For a week in September at BLT you will want to shop those rooms earlier than later if you're looking at a studio.

I think the 4 of us might lose our minds in a studio. I say 1 bedroom, my DH says 2 bedroom. I am concerned with the cost, he just wants to see fireworks and the castle at sunrise from his room . It would be nice, but it won't be the end of the world if we stay somewhere other than BLT this next year.

I added another day by renting points from another individual and getting a one day reservation. Combining the reservations was no issue at all and I just let the desk know that the two reservations were both mine so I the bands wouldn't stop working on the transition between reservations.

I had NEVER even thought of combining reservations! This opens a whole new window for me!

Thank you everyone so much for your thoughts and opinions. You all have helped me a bunch!

 

[yaksplat]

I had NEVER even thought of combining reservations! This opens a whole new window for me!

Someone on Mouseowners.com mentioned that one to me. It was a great idea.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

We've rented points two ways. We rented from a member who we knew a couple of years ago. I just rented for the first time for my February trip from DVC rental store.

How did you feel about doing a transaction for such a large sum, in most cases, so far in advance

We were okay with it when we rented directly from the member. We knew the member personally, so we didn't mind. We also know that we could have paid it off in chunks with her if we had needed to.

For my most recent trip, I'm a little weary of my credit card bill. The nice thing is that DVC rental store has you pay off $11 per point when you purchase and then the remainder at 45 days. David's lets you use PayPal Credit, which means you can pay it off within a six month period.

Did you rent DVC because you were considering owning or was it just the right deal/size or another reason?

My parents are already owners, so when we rented from the member, it was simply because we needed more points.

My friend and I are going the first week of February. Because of the cheer competitions, we wanted to stay at a deluxe so we're not around the riff raff. We did this purely to save money, and also because with the high demand, I'm not expecting a good AP rate. I'm already familiar with DVC having grown up with parents as members, but I'm not in a position to be buying myself any time soon.

Once the deal was done, either in whole or part, did you have to cancel/change dates and how difficult/easy was that?

You can't change the reservation other than maybe adding time if available. David's and DVC rental store let you know this up front. DVC rental store offers a point protection program for $1.75 per point so you can cancel for any reason, no questions asked. I recommend adding this. David's recommends purchasing travel insurance, but they do not have a point protection program.

I think it's been nerve racking because I've never done this before. On the other hand, David's and DVC rental store are both accredited by the Better Business Bureau, and I can clearly see my reservation on my MDE account. And I like that it will be paid for before I go, so the trip costs will be spread out a bit. Also, we're staying at Saratoga for Moderate resort rates.