What do I need to know when renting a town house offsite?

[jamelynn24]

We have been to Disney World about 14 times as a family over the past 10 years and have ALWAYS stayed on property.

We are considering surprising our kiddos with a vacation from Dec 26-Jan 3, but want to stay in a town home/condo so we can make most of our meals, relax, and have very little park time.

What do I need to know when renting a town house from a private owner? Any one have advice or what to ask the owner before I book? I've looked on all of the websites (vrbo.com, etc) and found one in Encantada that I like and the owner appears to be very nice and accommodating. From the pictures, it looks like a decent home with a small pool in the back. The price is VERY good for this time of year, too!

I'm very nervous about renting from a private owner, even though everything seems legit.

 

[Ksquared]

We went down last year, same timeframe as you.

We decided to rent a house and I researched tons of places and found one on Home Away that I liked.

First thing I did was read all of the reviews. The reviews on the house we chose were all very good, not only the condition of the house but also how easy the renter was to deal with.

Because our rental was not your typical saturday to saturday, I reached out to a few homeowners to see if they would rent for our specific dates.

Make sure the price you are quoted is the price in total, including cleaning fees, pool heat, etc. and make sure you read exactly what's included. Our home did not include a BBQ grill but we could rent one if we wanted and that's something we definitely did.

It's hard to rent something sight unseen and put your trust in others but we had an awesome experience from beginning to end and I would rent again in a heartbeat.

Our house was in Davenport and was 4 bedrooms. Seems you are interested in a smaller property otherwise I would give you the renter's name.

 

[jamelynn24]

We went down last year, same timeframe as you.

We decided to rent a house and I researched tons of places and found one on Home Away that I liked.

First thing I did was read all of the reviews. The reviews on the house we chose were all very good, not only the condition of the house but also how easy the renter was to deal with.

Because our rental was not your typical saturday to saturday, I reached out to a few homeowners to see if they would rent for our specific dates.

Make sure the price you are quoted is the price in total, including cleaning fees, pool heat, etc. and make sure you read exactly what's included. Our home did not include a BBQ grill but we could rent one if we wanted and that's something we definitely did.

It's hard to rent something sight unseen and put your trust in others but we had an awesome experience from beginning to end and I would rent again in a heartbeat.

Our house was in Davenport and was 4 bedrooms. Seems you are interested in a smaller property otherwise I would give you the renter's name.

Thanks for your help!! We would do a 4-bedroom, but found a 3-bed town home in Encantada. There are no reviews and when I asked why, she said it was because there are a lot of rentals in the resort and they are all the same. I checked the resort online and it gets rave reviews. I guess my biggest concern is getting down there and finding out that it was all a scam and we have no where to stay!

Was your rental through a private owner or through a resort?

Since you were there for the same week, did you visit the parks at all? I'm thinking that it will take us forever to get into the transportation and ticket center parking lot and I know all of the parks will be wall to wall people (or closed to capacity at times). We will actually be at the parks in November, so this will be more of a relaxing trip, rather than a go-go-go trip!

 

[Dave1234]

Do google searches for both the property (if it has a name) and the owner. Look for evidence of reviews/comments on the internet. That is a good check.

 

[jamelynn24]

Do google searches for both the property (if it has a name) and the owner. Look for evidence of reviews/comments on the internet. That is a good check.

That was a good idea…googled it this morning and found pictures, but no names. I found their management company, however, and send them an email asking for the names of the property owners. It's legit! Looks like we are renting ourselves a house during the most busy week of the entire year LOL

 

[Ksquared]

Thanks for your help!! We would do a 4-bedroom, but found a 3-bed town home in Encantada. There are no reviews and when I asked why, she said it was because there are a lot of rentals in the resort and they are all the same. I checked the resort online and it gets rave reviews. I guess my biggest concern is getting down there and finding out that it was all a scam and we have no where to stay!

Was your rental through a private owner or through a resort?

Since you were there for the same week, did you visit the parks at all? I'm thinking that it will take us forever to get into the transportation and ticket center parking lot and I know all of the parks will be wall to wall people (or closed to capacity at times). We will actually be at the parks in November, so this will be more of a relaxing trip, rather than a go-go-go trip!

My rental was through a private owner. Although we rented through him, he did deal with a management company in the area and if we had any issues we were instructed to call them.

We did go to the parks except for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. On NYE, all of the parks were at capacity very early. On the 30th, we spent the day in Hollywood Studios and that day all 4 parks were closed by noon. Honestly, other than those 3 days, I would say we managed parks very well and even traffic getting to/from the parks wasn't too bad. Most days we got to the parks for rope drop so that might help as well.

We spent NYE in Downtown Disney and then left by dusk when it was getting more crowded and then just relaxed and let the kids swim in our private, heated pool. The next day we slept in and then went mini golfing.

I would not hesitate to go back at that time of year again.

 

[momtolots]

we have also rented through vrbo. we stay in a resort in Davenport from Dec 19- Jan 4. this will be our 4th yr doing it and our 2nd yr in the same house.
we deal with the owners and it has always been very positive. we usually do the parks for only 3-4 days. the key is to go early, leaving and then go back at 10 or 11, which is when everyone is clearing out. when its a night the parks are open until 2am, its amazing how much you can do. we love how relaxing it is staying in a resort, with the grocery store within walking distance.

oops. I need to edit my signature!!

 

[edolee]

We have been to Disney World about 14 times as a family over the past 10 years and have ALWAYS stayed on property.

We are considering surprising our kiddos with a vacation from Dec 26-Jan 3, but want to stay in a town home/condo so we can make most of our meals, relax, and have very little park time.

What do I need to know when renting a town house from a private owner? Any one have advice or what to ask the owner before I book? I've looked on all of the websites (vrbo.com, etc) and found one in Encantada that I like and the owner appears to be very nice and accommodating. From the pictures, it looks like a decent home with a small pool in the back. The price is VERY good for this time of year, too!

I'm very nervous about renting from a private owner, even though everything seems legit.

First, congratulations on making a solid decision for your family! People always talk about the "magic" of staying onsite. My personal view is that there is very little magic in spending big $$ and staying in a small hotel room with 1 bathroom. If you have not booked the house yet there might be other options, but at the time of year you are going, you have done well to find one that is available with a communicative owner.

We have not stayed at Encantada, but it looks very nice. We HAVE stayed at Sunset lakes (right across the road), Windsor Hills, and Emerald Island resorts. These will tend to have larger homes with larger pools, I think. So you might keep that in mind for future trips. The homes in Windsor Hills are spectacular... (and it is SLIGHTLY closer to Disney) These are all gated communities, but during the day the gates are open in many cases, so you might try to get a peek for future reference.

DON"T FEAR DRIVING TO THE PARKS!! I guess since you are staying offsite, you are renting a car. If so, getting to the parks, even at this time of year is likely to be FASTER than staying onsite, if you count the time waiting for buses. There is a shortcut to the parks called "Sherbeth Road" that you will want to use. Basically, you take Funie Steed Road to Formosa Blvd, and then hook in to Irlo Bronson. In a few blocks you take a left onto Sherbeth, which connects with Osceola Parkway exactly at the Animal Kingdom Park. If you are going there you are done, otherwise, take Osceola to World Drive to get to the other parks. I would guess at that time of year it will take you 20-30 mins to get the the TTC. Particularly if you get there before rope drop. If you want to sleep in, this might not be the best time of year to go to the parks ;-) Staying offsite you can get FP+ only 30 days in advance, so there might not be much available when you try. It is a big debate on these boards.

For sure get the pool heat if it is not included. Will be too cold otherwise.

There is a convenient strip mall and grocery store at the corner of Formosa and Irlo Bronson. Publix grocery, couple of restaurants, liquor store, ups etc. It is a 5 minute drive from your resort... we have had good luck there. Restaurants waits WILL be tough at this time of year though. I hope you meant it when you said you wanted to cook.

I think after you try this you will never go back to staying onsite. Even if money were no object, it is darn tough to beat a private pool!

Have Fun!

Ed

 

[Woodview]

To Jamelynn24 & Others,

Well done on finding a villa for your stay and finding relief that it was legit.

There is another side to your thoughts ........... As an owner ( me ) of a

5 bed villa with a 14x25 foot pool on Hwy 27 .... I have the same Misgivings

of Potential " Guests " ... are they Legit & respectful of My Property

Will they pay in full ... will they " thrash " my home & leave a big repair bill?

That is why I rent mine through a Management Co.

As an aside ....... Would you be prepared & willing to pay for

electricity that you use during your stay. ?

( It is free at the moment )

 

[Bertie9396]

To Jamelynn24 & Others,

Well done on finding a villa for your stay and finding relief that it was legit.

There is another side to your thoughts ........... As an owner ( me ) of a

5 bed villa with a 14x25 foot pool on Hwy 27 .... I have the same Misgivings

of Potential " Guests " ... are they Legit & respectful of My Property

Will they pay in full ... will they " thrash " my home & leave a big repair bill?

That is why I rent mine through a Management Co.

As an aside ....... Would you be prepared & willing to pay for

electricity that you use during your stay. ?

( It is free at the moment )

As an off-site vacation home renter - no I would not be willing to pay extra for electricity, internet or phone service. These are all must-haves and would be a deal breaker for me. We found a rental in Indian Point. My initial contact was with the owner (via VRBO) but once my questions were answered and we decided to proceed all of my communication and arrangements have been made with the property management company. We have never rented a home before so we are a little nervous but so far, I'm very happy about how easy it has been.

 

[robinb]

I rented a pool home in Formosa Gardens over Christmas week 2 years ago and it was one of the BEST trips ever. We *loved* having a family room to hang out in after the parks and the pool in our back yard. MAKE SURE you get pool heat and ensure that the home has a gas grill. Some don't.

I also want to tell you that with only 7 weeks before your trip, you are in the cat bird seat for negotiations so I wouldn't go with just what's on the VRBO website for pricing. I booked my pool home on Nov 16th and A LOT of places were offering me less than their asking price when I emailed them. At this point they just want to rent their home so it doesn't sit empty for that week. When I emailed, I asked for the complete price with taxes, cleaning fees and pool heat. I saved a link to the house I was asking about in my bookmarks for future reference and then sorted the replies into email folders by price. If the house was too expensive I would email them back right away to say "no thanks" and then I put their email into the "no" email folder.

It takes some work but I got a lovely 4-bedroom house for $800 all-in Christmas week 2012 (the previous renter backed out at the last minute) and a 2-bedroom condo at Windsor Palms for $415 for Spring Break 2013 by simply emailing and asking for their best price.