Beware of DVC rental scammers

[carlbarry]

A few days ago I tried to post points for rent. I have been on DIS for over 10 years, have over 1000 posts, and have previously listed points for rent.
My posting was turned down on the basis that I haven't posted enough during the last 6 months.
So that seems to be one way to crack down on recently opened accounts' renting out points as a scam.

 

[RobDoc]

A few days ago I tried to post points for rent. I have been on DIS for over 10 years, have over 1000 posts, and have previously listed points for rent.
My posting was turned down on the basis that I haven't posted enough during the last 6 months.
So that seems to be one way to crack down on recently opened accounts' renting out points as a scam.

The full responsibility for ALL rentals is due diligence on the part of the person renting a reservation from someone else - especially if they do not personally know the other party. Reviewing recent and past posts is one suggested means to get a sense of who you may be working with, but there are also many other suggested tactics for renters to follow (checking county records for DVC resorts to verify ownership, asking for (and checking) for references, getting enough personal information ( phone number, home address ) from the member to be satisfied they are a responsible party you're comfortable with enough to send them your money.

Very, very, very few 'recently opened accounts' are 'renting out points as a scam' and a very, very few established posters are 'renting out points as a scam'. Over the past 20 years we've had very, very few problems with rentals here on the DIS but those have come from both recent registrations and from long established accounts. The burden falls on the renter in all cases BEFORE sending any money.


Both DVC Members wanting to make/rent reservations for others and potential renters might want to review the thread stuck near the top of the DVC Rent/Trade Board - ALL NEW THREADS MUST BE APPROVED!! - **How to use this Board** - PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING . There is information in that thread about the rental process with suggestions for both members and potential renters. The thread also explains the process for DVC Members to be able to use the Rent/Trade board and for potential renters to seek reservations from DVC Members. We are constantly amazed at the number of new threads we must reject every day from both DVC Members and potential renters for not following the policies in place in order to have a thread approved.

 

[carlbarry]

Very, very, very few 'recently opened accounts' are 'renting out points as a scam' and a very, very few established posters are 'renting out points as a scam'. Over the past 20 years we've had very, very few problems with rentals here on the DIS but those have come from both recent registrations and from long established accounts. The burden falls on the renter in all cases BEFORE sending any money.

When I wrote that "So that seems to be one way to crack down on recently opened accounts' renting out points as a scam" what I meant was that this approach would discourage scammers, not that scammers were operating on the DIS.

 

[Deb & Bill]

But people who don't meet the posting requirements on the R/T Board still respond in private messages to people wanting to rent points there. So it's good that warning is there, too.

 

[Minnie0920]

Wow. This is so awful. I actually just got back on the boards today to try and rent DVC points for the first time and this is the first thing I see. I am now reconsidering my decision!

 

[Matty B13]

Wow. This is so awful. I actually just got back on the boards today to try and rent DVC points for the first time and this is the first thing I see. I am now reconsidering my decision!

If you check references from DIS you will probably have no issues.

 

[Minnie0920]

If you check references from DIS you will probably have no issues.

Any suggestion what what type of references I should ask for? I just had someone send me emails from people who just rented from them?!? Not what I was really thinking, but is a normal “reference”? Thank you!!

 

[Matty B13]

Any suggestion what what type of references I should ask for? I just had someone send me emails from people who just rented from them?!? Not what I was really thinking, but is a normal “reference”? Thank you!!

Ask for a DIS username to check with if they have rented to a fellow DIS member. That way you don't need an email address you can just look up the DIS members username.

Or if you are feeling really worried about just go through David's Rental Site.

 

[GotLabradors]

Wow. This is so awful. I actually just got back on the boards today to try and rent DVC points for the first time and this is the first thing I see. I am now reconsidering my decision!

Don't be afraid. The majority of people looking to rent their points on the DIS are legit. We found our VGF rental through the DIS. I am sure there are many DVC owners here who be more than happy to help you look up deeds and such to see if your owner is an actual owner.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Any suggestion what what type of references I should ask for? I just had someone send me emails from people who just rented from them?!? Not what I was really thinking, but is a normal “reference”? Thank you!!

It helps if you are the one to initiate contact with the person offering you their points. If they contacted you first, I'd avoid them.

 

[Minnie0920]

Ask for a DIS username to check with if they have rented to a fellow DIS member. That way you don't need an email address you can just look up the DIS members username.

Or if you are feeling really worried about just go through David's Rental Site.

I think I am going to give it a try. However I have one question. Is it normal to expect a rental contract like when you rent a vacation property? The person I am talking with does not use one. I contacted them in response to an ad they posted and have checked this persons deeds, googled name and address, talked on the phone and even got them to send me a photo of their drivers license (yes I am paranoid ) I have my reservation number and I am about to pay. I would really like to avoid the pay pal fee at this point do you think that would be safe? Thank you!!

 

[Matty B13]

I think I am going to give it a try. However I have one question. Is it normal to expect a rental contract like when you rent a vacation property? The person I am talking with does not use one. I contacted them in response to an ad they posted and have checked this persons deeds, googled name and address, talked on the phone and even got them to send me a photo of their drivers license (yes I am paranoid ) I have my reservation number and I am about to pay. I would really like to avoid the pay pal fee at this point do you think that would be safe? Thank you!!

Were you able to load the reservation number into your MDE account?

I have rented points out to fellow DIS members with no contract, and had them pay me with personal checks.

 

[kboo]

I think I am going to give it a try. However I have one question. Is it normal to expect a rental contract like when you rent a vacation property? The person I am talking with does not use one. I contacted them in response to an ad they posted and have checked this persons deeds, googled name and address, talked on the phone and even got them to send me a photo of their drivers license (yes I am paranoid ) I have my reservation number and I am about to pay. I would really like to avoid the pay pal fee at this point do you think that would be safe? Thank you!!

Were you able to load the reservation number into your MDE account?

I have rented points out to fellow DIS members with no contract, and had them pay me with personal checks.

I have rented a few times before buying - it varies. I had an owner who used a rental contract, but who also took personal checks. to his home address. He wasn't the most communicative. Other times I have ended up emailing back and forth, been satisfied with the exchange, seen the reservation in MDE, and paid by paypal instantly. Maybe I've just been lucky, but the owners I dealt with were very friendly and also answered a lot of my questions about DVC generally (as we were considering buying already).

 

[Minnie0920]

Were you able to load the reservation number into your MDE account?

I have rented points out to fellow DIS members with no contract, and had them pay me with personal checks.

Yes! It brought up our information. I’m sure it is all fine. I guess from here you just have to trust and cross your fingers that you will still have a reservation waiting or you! Thank you for your reply!

 

[Matty B13]

Yes! It brought up our information. I’m sure it is all fine. I guess from here you just have to trust and cross your fingers that you will still have a reservation waiting or you! Thank you for your reply!

You won't know for sure until you check in, because an owner can cancel up to the day before the check-in date. It takes quite a bit of trust, especially if you got your whole family with you. But I think most of the time it works out pretty good for everyone, renter and owner.

 

[Dean]

I think I am going to give it a try. However I have one question. Is it normal to expect a rental contract like when you rent a vacation property? The person I am talking with does not use one. I contacted them in response to an ad they posted and have checked this persons deeds, googled name and address, talked on the phone and even got them to send me a photo of their drivers license (yes I am paranoid ) I have my reservation number and I am about to pay. I would really like to avoid the pay pal fee at this point do you think that would be safe? Thank you!!

I don't use a rental contract when I rent, IMO it doesn't offer any true benefit to either party. And I don't use PayPal because it's against their rules to do so for a timeshare rental. What I do, that a rental contract should, is to simply be clear about expectations.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I think I am going to give it a try. However I have one question. Is it normal to expect a rental contract like when you rent a vacation property? The person I am talking with does not use one. I contacted them in response to an ad they posted and have checked this persons deeds, googled name and address, talked on the phone and even got them to send me a photo of their drivers license (yes I am paranoid ) I have my reservation number and I am about to pay. I would really like to avoid the pay pal fee at this point do you think that would be safe? Thank you!!

Were you able to load the reservation number into your MDE account?

I have rented points out to fellow DIS members with no contract, and had them pay me with personal checks.

I don't use a rental contract when I rent, IMO it doesn't offer any true benefit to either party. And I don't use PayPal because it's against their rules to do so for a timeshare rental. What I do, that a rental contract should, is to simply be clear about expectations.

Many don't use a rental contract so that's not unusual however if I recall correctly our DVC documents do state that we are supposed to if we do a rental.

 

[Dean]

Many don't use a rental contract so that's not unusual however if I recall correctly our DVC documents do state that we are supposed to if we do a rental.

It does but then it goes on to say if you don't certain stipulations.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I think I am going to give it a try. However I have one question. Is it normal to expect a rental contract like when you rent a vacation property? The person I am talking with does not use one. I contacted them in response to an ad they posted and have checked this persons deeds, googled name and address, talked on the phone and even got them to send me a photo of their drivers license (yes I am paranoid ) I have my reservation number and I am about to pay. I would really like to avoid the pay pal fee at this point do you think that would be safe? Thank you!!

DVC requires that members have a contract for any point renting. It's in the Public Offering Statement.

 

[.landry]

We rented before we bought in. Just read the listing here about what to look for. It is solid.
Depending on how the owner handles it, it can take a little trust on both sides. The person we rented from sent us a basic contract, we signed it, they booked the res and sent us the number immediately. I checked it to make sure it was legit. Then we sent him a personal check for some percentage (i dont remember the exact split) and we had to pay the rest by 90 days out. In that case, the owner is making the rez without payment trusting that Id pay. Then I pay trusting that the rez will stay intact. Then he waits until 90 days out (which would have ended up being just outside his required banking window) and trusts that Im going to make good on the final payment. Then I make the final payment and trust that the rez will be there. (I kept checking along the way for peace of mind)
I was very happy with my experience. It was smooth and he was good about making the process simple and easy to understand.
If you follow the guidelines you should be fine. If anything doesnt pass the sniff test of those guidelines dont do it.