What the rules mean:
1. You can rent by simply agreeing to make a reservation in someone else's name. That is not a "transfer" of points as defined by the official documents. Thus, as long as someone rents from you at least one actual total night stay and you make the ressie in their name, you can still rent without a transfer.
2. Points are deemed to have no monetary value in the official documents; it is instead your actual real estate interest that has a value; points are designated as symbols that represent that interest for the purpose of making reservations. The rules thus prohibit transfering points for monetary value. However, that does not prevent one from renting his interest for value and then requiring a transfer of points to complete that rental; it is simply a matter of how you phrase the rental agreement.
3.
DVC's going back to the one transfer per year rule (which actually was the rule until a few years ago) does provide somewhat of a barrier to rentals because now you cannot so easily just get a few points to add to your own so you can make your own ressie. However, it will not eliminate rentals.
4. The official documents prohibit one from engaging in a "pattern" of rental activity for profit. That is a purposefully chosen vague term. Its main purpose is actually to protect DVC companies and management. Under Florida law, someone who engages in the business of renting resort property is required to collect and pay the applicable room sales taxes (the usual 12% or so that Disney charges regular guests). That law is also somewhat vague but basically if you own a vacation place that you actually use and then rent it out once a while to defer costs, make a little money, etc., you are not deemed to be in the business of renting resort property and thus are not responsible for the tax. However, if your principal purpose for owning is to rent the property then you can be deemed to be covered by the law. The DVC pattern rule is one that protects DVC, which manages the properties and basically controls membership rules. They know that a member who does engage in the business of renting is not likely going to charge and collect the required taxes. With the pattern rule, DVC cannot be accused of approving activities that amount to tax evasion because it can assert it officially prohibits a member from engaging in the business of renting his DVC interest.
5. With the latest announcement, DVC may actually be intending to start taking steps to prevent those who just rent from doing so, OR it could just be a reiteration of policy that protects itself and acts as a little scare tactic with the hope that the reversion to the one transfer rule will actually have an impact. In any event, the owner who uses his points but rents once in a while when he cannot use some or to help defray dues is not the target of DVC's rule.
)
