A "safe" home rental?

[utahkennedys]

I was contemplating booking a 4-5 bedroom home for my DH's sibling reunion next year, but now I am nervous after reading some reports about foreclosures, rentals that aren't honored, deposits not refunded? Does anyone think there is a safe place to rent homes from, or should we just abandon that route?

 

[WhateverLolaWants]

We rented from Florida Five Star Vacation Rentals last December. http://www.justfloridavacations.com/ We stayed in "Platinum" and absolutely loved it. Excellent customer service. We are a family of four so really only needed 3 bedrooms. We inquired about one house and then kind of dragged our feet because we had never rented a house before. When we finally decided to go for it, the company said they had rented it out to someone else. Bummer, right? Well, they then offered Platinum for the same price they quoted for the 3 bedroom. The house and neighborhood were nice and very close to the parks. Our only complaint is that the thermostat is on a timer of some sort, so we'd wake up in the morning freezing our butts off.

 

[Brian Noble]

My sense is that the vast majority of these transactions are still just fine.

If you want an extra layer of protection, going through one of the more established management companies (such as All Star Vacation Homes) might help put your mind at ease. They have a large portfolio of homes, and represent many owners, so that if the particular house you rented ends up in foreclosure, etc., you potentially have more options. It will cost a little more to go this route, but maybe that's okay.

Looking into available trip insurance coverages might be wise, as well.

It's hard to replicate the experience of a larger home when you're thinking about a reunion. Getting 2-3 condos just isn't the same.

 

[isla bonita]

There are many great homes and you can get fellow disers to give you their personal experiences with many of them.

There are ways to ensure you have a solid home. Look up owner, ask many questions, ask about the man/co and so on.

Good luck.

 

[Frothy]

Agree with Brian. We have always rented from Florida Leisure and they are just great. They keep in touch with us with a newsletter when we aren't there, they make sure we have a great time when we are and although they aren't the cheapest we have always had a wonderful vacation. I guess you pay for what you get.

 

[JANNYANS]

Once you have a home in mind you can check out the owners on the appropriate county website and see if their taxes etc are up to date .The official records will show any outstanding liens on the property.
Once you have the info ask as many questions as you like of the owners .See if you think they are renting at a fair price as low rates may spell trouble in the offing.

 

[tednvon]

Hello, would like to chime in as a former owner of rental home in Kissimmee and total believer in staying off site in one of the beautiful homes or condos in the area.
Positives of this have been discussed at length but include so much more room for folks to spread out, pvt baths, pvt pool, and we guarantee that you will get from the front door of your home to the park entrance as fast or faster than on site Disney buses. This is especially true at closing when there is a mad rush for buses. This is all at price that is a huge bargain compared to most hotels in the area or at Disney.
As far as trust, here are my thoughts:

1. 95% of homes on www.vrbo.com www.vacationrentals.com www.greatrentals.com and the other major "by owner" sites are legitimate. It costs a lot of money to be on these sites and if there were lots problems they would be kicked off the sites as the reputation of the "by owner" web site is at stake. I would stick with 3 or 4 of the biggest by owner sites as they have been in business for a long time and quality control of their owners is essential to repeat business. I assume "by owner" sites that are linked to one developement like Windsor Hills or Emerald Island are closely monitored and any properties involved in fraud or deception are kicked off the sites.

2. Companies like Florida Leisure Homes or All Star Homes are excellent but price is usually higher than by owner. If price of a condo or home is very low, I agree with Jannyans that it may spell trouble, but if you get the price a month or so before you go as a last minute deal, legit owners will make great deals just to fill the units. Afterall, top of line hotels do this all time with Priceline. Again, some renters may not want to wait this long to secure a home, but in this market, it could be a plus to both owner and renter as bills need to be paid.

3. Times are tough all around. If I was looking to rent, I would use sites like this to check on particular homes or condos and if someone here says they have had a recent "great experience" at a specific home or condo, that says a lot.

4. I agree with Jannyans that you can check records. My gut is that this is a hard for some renters to do and is step that is not always a comfortable one.

5. For the sake of all good owners, I would hate to see a post or two every few months about a bad situation cause a panic response to renting from owners. Sites like this run at least 20 to 1 positive about individual owners or rental companies.

6. ONLY my opinion, but owners of just one or two homes are likely to be much more invested in keeping it going, taking care of the home, and if in forclosure probably not as likely to still have it actively marketed. Frankly, I would ask the owner directly, "IS YOUR HOME ANYWHERE IN THE FORECLOSURE PROCESS?" I know people can lie right to our face, but I would think the owner of just one or maybe two homes would be less likely to lie than someone trying to protect a business or without a major stake in the property itself. Just a thought.

These are thoughts from one who has been there and still rents by the month in the area. As I travel around, I still the vast majority of homes well kept, lawns mowed and watered, and ready to rent.

Peace...Ted



6

 

[JANNYANS]

When you find a home you like one question you can ask the owner is how many times a year they visit .Once a year is not really enough to make sure the home is in tip top condition and the little jobs that the man co miss or doesn't have time to do soon grow into big ones .IMO an owner needs to visit 3/4 times a year .

 

[Hasil72]

All of the previous posters have great advice. That being said, we've always used All Star Vacation Homes in the past with fabulous results. We are, however, renting direct from an owner for our upcoming trip in November to cut costs just a bit. ASVH was going to cost about $1000 more for the same size home in the same development. It is peace of mind though and their customer service was wonderful.

Good luck!

 

[utahkennedys]

Thank you everyone, I posted a request on the Windsor Hills website and have had quite a few good options that I will now need to research just for some peace of mind. I think my husband's family would enjoy a pool home more than a 3BR timeshare.

 

[mickeynut1]

We've rented with All Star Vacation Homes (allstarvacationhomes.com) twice and both experiences were great . The staff is very professional and they are there to answer any questions that you might have. The homes are beautiful and what you look at/choose online is exactly what you get . We will definitely go through them again should the need arise for us to rent another vacation home . Good luck and happy planning .

 

[chrisw127]

That's one of the reasons we went through an established company (AllStar Vacation Homes). I know we paid more for it, but the peace of mind was worth it to know that they had a reputation to uphold. As it turned out, there was a slight problem with our rental and they fixed it immediately.

I have to agree with the PP about AllStar. They were very professional and friendly.