Renting From Private Owner--I'm Scared!!

[Christine]

Okay, so I'm attempting to book a private home and I've found a very nice looking one at Indian Creek that has availability. I've contacted the owner. Everything *seems* on the up and up but, to be honest, I'm freaked out by sending a check to the owner and hoping it all works out.

I've checked the county real estate records and the house is owned by the same people who have listed themselves as owners.

Is there anything else I can do?

 

[daemom]

Okay, so I'm attempting to book a private trip and I've found a very nice looking one at Indian Creek that has availability. I've contacted the owner. Everything *seems* on the up and up but, to be honest, I'm freaked out by sending a check to the owner and hoping it all works out.

I've checked the county real estate records and the house is owned by the same people who have listed themselves as owners.

Is there anything else I can do?

I'm in the same boat--I came here looking for advice!!

 

[Christine]

I need to make my decision fast. It is for next week.

I meant to add to my post that I have rented a vacation home before but I went through a management company and it all went well.

 

[sympatico]

Ask the owner who his management company is and contact them and ask about the home.

 

[JANNYANS]

1 Don't panic- the vast majority of private rentals go smoothly -in fact there are more stories of companies gong bust -letting people down than there are of individual owners.
2 Check the official record of the county the home is in -this will tell you if there are any underlying problems such as liens or such like that may be a problem.
3 You can check the tax collector site but even if they are in trouble with mortgage payments the mortgage company will pay the taxes so it doesn't really tell you much.
4Make sure you have something in writing as to terms of rental and a receipt for the money
5 Keep talking to your owner -ask them questions -they should be ok with answering any amount .
6 Relax and get n with planning your trip-if you want to insure it all try www.insuremytrip.com

7 Have a great vacation.

 

[MinnieForMe]

Hi:
I felt that way too but it worked out beautifully! Is there a clubhouse on property or any membership type fees associated with their property? You could always call and ask if they are up to date with their fees. I did that at Windsor Hills and the clubhouse manager was great about reassuring me that the owner was on the "up and up".

I also did a google search on the owner's name to see if anything came up.

 

[TrustedTraveler]

We've rented in Indian Creek and across the road in Rolling Hills. We always book directly with the owners and have had great vacations.
If you take the basic precautions, and the owner is responsive, then I don't think you have anything to worry about.
These are great neighborhoods, as are all the neighborhoods in the Formosa Gardens area: very close to Disney, safe, quiet and with needed amenities (shopping, dining, medical) close by.

 

[Detailor]

Renting from an owner, whether it be a vacation home owner or the owner of a timeshare week or points, basically requires faith in the other party - for both the renter AND the owner. Those who that route - and it's thousands of people who do it every year - don't know the people on the other end of the transaction for the first time that they do business together so it's not unusual for there to be a bit of trepidation. But that high anxiety is usually all for naught.

About the best that you can do is to perform as much research as you can and as long as you've verified ownership of the property and you're being offered some type of contract, or at least an email message that states what the owner is providing to you for your money, then I'd say you've done about as much as you can. If that doesn't calm your nerves then maybe this just isn't the right type of transaction for you.

Hope that you figure it all out.

Dick Taylor

 

[7165red]

I have rented directly from owners from UK & US and have always had a great time. I rented 4 villas. The renters usually call a short time after arrival to see if everything is alright. You can go to www.orlandovillas.com and on the top right side of the page click on to the discussion forum. Many owners answer any and all questions. Don't worry, I am sure ever thing will be fine. I look forward to booking my next villa.

 

[maganda]

I've rented from private homeowners on my last three visits and each experience was fine. It does take a good amount of trust on both sides. Don't be afraid to ask a lot of questions. Does their website feature guest reviews? I find my rentals at homeaway.com; the reviews can be reassuring. I generally don't inquire with homeowners who don't have reviews or who don't post their rates (some say to call about rates and I don't have the time to do this).

On my most recent stay I rented from a CM who was fantastic. Very good at answering questions, checked in on me when we arrived and provided a nice guide to the parks and the area.

 

[swilshire]

Do you have a rental agreement signed by both parties? I've rented out my timeshare weeks a few times and always make sure all the terms and conditions are clearly stated in the agreement. At least that gives you legal standing if something does go wrong.

From a consumer standpoint, if it makes you as nervous as you say, just don't do it. Pay more and rent from a resort or hotel. It's not worth making yourself crazy to save a little money. Everyone has a different level of risk they are willing to assume. It's silly to go past your own limit.

Sheila

 

[aubreysmom09]

We rented a 4ndrm, 3 bath townhouse w/hottub in April at Coral Cay in Kissimmee. We really loved it. We went back and forth to Disney even in mid day. Our DD is 2. Never any issues. Their was a lot of room. We had 5 adults, and the DD. the place was incredibly clean. I was very nervous also, but was relieved once we got there and opened the door. No check in just had the key code it was really simple. We had a rental agreement, and a $300 security deposit which was given back to us via PayPal promptly the next week. Here is who we went through http://www.*****************.com/ Our rates were really reasonable. We are going again in November, and would have stayed their, but Disney had the free dining plan. I want to stay at Disney once..lol. He has many places even houses with private pools. He answers questions very quickly if you have any that arise, and has a management company in Orlando if their is an issue while there.

 

[Christine]

I ended up renting the home and will be arriving this coming Friday. I have had several e-mails with the owners and I am 100% at peace with my decision. Thanks!

 

[cousinorville3]

For future use I recommend using airbnb.com for private rentals. They handle the transaction so you don't have to send off a check to some stranger. Also the money isn't released to the owner until 24hrs after you check in. That way if there is any issue with your rental you can contact airbnb and stop the payment.

 

[auger]

Can anyone give me the sites that you can go to for checking property ownership, up-to-date on taxes and such, etc?
I saw a post a few days ago - can't remember if it was a recent post or if it was on a search - but there were 3 sites listed.
I can't for the life of me find that post now!!

Help?!?!

 

[sympatico]

Can anyone give me the sites that you can go to for checking property ownership, up-to-date on taxes and such, etc?
I saw a post a few days ago - can't remember if it was a recent post or if it was on a search - but there were 3 sites listed.
I can't for the life of me find that post now!!

Help?!?!

This is the site for Kissimmee which is in Osceola County:
http://ira.property-appraiser.org/PropertySearch/
There's a link when the owner's page comes up to the tax collector site.
There's also a court site: http://osceolaclerk.com/

 

[auger]

This is the site for Kissimmee which is in Osceola County:
http://ira.property-appraiser.org/PropertySearch/
There's a link when the owner's page comes up to the tax collector site.
There's also a court site: http://osceolaclerk.com/

PERFECT!!!
THANK-YOU, THANK-YOU!!
I will be sure to save those this time!!

 

[LILJAN59]

We rented a condo at Windsor Palms for 2 months until March 5th 2010, I think. We enjoyed the Flower and Garden Show on March 2nd and returned to our condo to find a flood. The water heater in the unit above ours went out. To make a very long story short, we ruined a laptop computer, printer, had lots of wet clothes, suitcases, etc. We had to find another place to stay the last nites and went to Saratoga Springs to sort, wash, and repack all of the wet or ruined stuff.

Here is the real Kicker, Windsor palms was not responsible, the people we rented from were not responsible, the people above us with the water heater in cracked pan, and not connected to an outside drain were not responsible, our insurance said we would only wind up with $49.00 after our deductible and rate increase, and, even better, our travel insurance only covered flood loss from natural causes and not from plumbing problems. FIVE insurance companies did not help us. We are senior citizens with knee problems and there was no help to just get out as fast as you can!!!!

I found the condo manager we had very difficult to understand and deal with, and we had words. He was from the UK.

I did not have a problem with renting from a private party, but be very careful and make sure you have very good travel insurance with flood coverage from plumbing, and also fire. They had had a fire in the building we were in, above and in back of us and they were repairing that while we were stying there.

 

[Christine]

Just wanted to let everyone know that we are back from our trip and all went well. The house was fine and there were no problems with it and the owners were pleasant to deal with.

 

[Detailor]

I think it's great that you took the time to come back and report on your positive experience - (you'd be surprised how few people actually do that after their vacations). So glad that you had a good experience and a good time!

Dick Taylor