Can anyone recommend a good home rental co to rent from?

[bullet875]

I am considering renting a 3-4 bedroom townhouse or house for my next Florida trip. I have been in touch with All Star Vacations (which I have heard excellent things about), but was wondering if there are any other companies that may be just as reputable out there to rent from. Does anyone either know of a reputable firm or even perhaps a reputable owner or two?

Thanks in advance!

 

[MYDISNEYHOUSES]

I know that my managment company is very reptuable.

www.oasisvacationhomes.com

They are members of the Better Business Bureau.

 

[deejay-55]

There is always an element of trust when you rent direct - you are trusting the owner to rent you his property, and he/she is trusting you to respect their vacation home. Usually it works out fine - but if you are concerned, a management company like AllStar or Global will take good care of you.

 

[CoralCayTownhome]

Hi,

There are many reputable owners and as deejay-55 says there is an element of trust on both sides. Many owners will have a management company that you can book direct with aswell but it will usually cost a bit extra.

If you find a resort you like you could always book through the MC instead of owner to give you piece of mind but you will not know exactly which property you are getting and how far from the resort facilities you will be etc.

Good luck with your search.

Tracey

 

[GinnyFavers]

We've stayed in two rental homes, one from an acquaintance of ours, elegantfloridavilla.com, and one we found on VRBO.

Our friend's house had plenty of stuff, the one we found off VRBO, it seemed like the management company's cleaners must strip the place because there wasn't one shred of extra toilet paper, laundry detergent, coffee filters, salt, etc. there.

I saw after where the rental instructions said not to count on any supplies being provided, but really, it was odd. Most rental places you would think would get a pile up of the same stuff everyone buys and can't finish using.

I'm sorry that I didn't write down the name of the management company. They have a giant white building on west 192, though.

I would rent the elegantfloridavilla again, next time we need that much space. It was nice dealing with someone we know.

 

[isla bonita]

We've stayed in two rental homes, one from an acquaintance of ours, elegantfloridavilla.com, and one we found on VRBO.

Our friend's house had plenty of stuff, the one we found off VRBO, it seemed like the management company's cleaners must strip the place because there wasn't one shred of extra toilet paper, laundry detergent, coffee filters, salt, etc. there.

I saw after where the rental instructions said not to count on any supplies being provided, but really, it was odd. Most rental places you would think would get a pile up of the same stuff everyone buys and can't finish using.

I'm sorry that I didn't write down the name of the management company. They have a giant white building on west 192, though.

I would rent the elegantfloridavilla again, next time we need that much space. It was nice dealing with someone we know.

As an owner it is illegal to leave any open containers in the home. All supplies that are there such as a roll of paper towels or tissue is complimentory and as a rentor you are to provide the rest.

 

[GinnyFavers]

As an owner it is illegal to leave any open containers in the home. All supplies that are there such as a roll of paper towels or tissue is complimentory and as a rentor you are to provide the rest.

I get the feeling the regulations and fees and such that have been put on rentals down there are, to put it nicely, insane.

There was a piece of paper that the company was obviously pleading with us to fill out and sign with our home address and how many days we were in the area and our signature or some such, or they/we'd be fined such and such amount of money.

There was a very alarming page in our welcome renter book about boiling water that spooked my 71 year old mother in law because it made it sound initially like such a thing was in effect, which of course it wasn't, but I'm sure that was required to be in there some regulation, too.

I don't have a lot of patience for people who think there needs to be laws to protect people from themselves, when it starts hampering my freedom to act... like to leave some laundry detergent for the next renter.

I can tell you what, if that's the atmosphere down there, it makes me want to seriously reconsider buying a vacation/retirement property in whatever counties think they have to be up everyone's *** with a microscope and a tax bill.

LOL sorry, I'm just so over our paranoid rules and regulations and taxation minded American culture. We all talk about freedom and living in a free country, and then do this kind of thing to ourselves. It's our government, I don't understand why people let local officials get away with this kind of craziness.

 

[5mins2disney]

Hi,
If you find a resort you like you could always book through the MC instead of owner to give you piece of mind but you will not know exactly which property you are getting and how far from the resort facilities you will be etc.

That's not necessarily true...our MC is also Oasis Vacation Homes - www.oasisvacationhomes.com - and being a smaller, personally run business, you would definitely know which home you're getting and you could certainly ask which home you're in, how far it is from the clubhouse, and any other questions you might have! This is why we like them so much, they haven't lost their "personal" touch, so another vote for Oasis here!

 

[5mins2disney]

I get the feeling the regulations and fees and such that have been put on rentals down there are, to put it nicely, insane.

There was a piece of paper that the company was obviously pleading with us to fill out and sign with our home address and how many days we were in the area and our signature or some such, or they/we'd be fined such and such amount of money.

There was a very alarming page in our welcome renter book about boiling water that spooked my 71 year old mother in law because it made it sound initially like such a thing was in effect, which of course it wasn't, but I'm sure that was required to be in there some regulation, too.

I don't have a lot of patience for people who think there needs to be laws to protect people from themselves, when it starts hampering my freedom to act... like to leave some laundry detergent for the next renter.

I can tell you what, if that's the atmosphere down there, it makes me want to seriously reconsider buying a vacation/retirement property in whatever counties think they have to be up everyone's *** with a microscope and a tax bill.

LOL sorry, I'm just so over our paranoid rules and regulations and taxation minded American culture. We all talk about freedom and living in a free country, and then do this kind of thing to ourselves. It's our government, I don't understand why people let local officials get away with this kind of craziness.

You're pointing out the negative aspects of the rules and regulations, but there are MANY positive aspects to the rules! Florida is one of the few areas of the US where vacation homes are regulated like a hotel industry. In other areas of the country it's not even legal to rent your home out STR, parts of Hawaii and California (Big Bear) are considering banning it altogether, and vacation homeowners are outraged over it! As an owner I'd much prefer it being legal and regulated!!

Some of the "good" rules include things like mandatory fire extinguishers, at least 2 towels per guest, safety fences around pools, etc. They also insure that you pay the required taxes, and inspect homes to make sure they are safe and in full compliance with these kinds of regulations. Sure, there's some silly looking signage in some of the books, but that's there for a reason too, it may not seem like it at first glance, but it is! When you hear stories about people checking into homes that don't have adequate towels, supplies, safety gear, etc, and then find out it's a requirement, it's a good thing actually. I'd rather that they hold the entire vacation rental industry up to a higher standard, similar to hotels, than let people get away with renting out "shoddy" homes...which would give all of us who work really hard at it a bad name!!

Worse yet, go buy a home in a place like Big Bear, then have the city council vote to ban short term rentals altogether because some neighbors complained about it! Ouch...there goes your expensive investment overnight!
At least Florida recognizes it as a legitimate business model and openly encourages it...so much so that there are entire resorts near Disney that are 99% built for short term rental use!

 

[ajcolorado]

We stayed in a wonderful 3-bedroom / 2 bathroom condo at Windsor Hills, near Disney World. It was right off Hwy. 192 and could accomodate up to 8. The master bedroom had a king bed, TV, and its own full bathroom . The second bedroom had a queen bed & TV. The third bedroom had 2 twin beds. The living room had a pull-out sleeper sofa. There was a full kitchen with placesettings for 8 people - everything matched. The kitchen also came with pots, pans, cooking utensils etc. The dining room table could seat 6. The condo was on the 3rd floor and had a screened in balcony but no real view. It was an easy walk to the pool, which was very nice. No extra charge for parkng. It is a gated community and felt very clean, new, and safe. The rental rate was very reasonable - we paid $85 per night, plus tax. We got a "last minute" deal as we rented from him about 2 weeks prior to arrival. I think the usual rate for late May / early June was closer to $100 per night.

Windsor Hills contracts with a shuttle company to transport people to Disney World but the price is really high - $10 per person, per day. The shuttle schedule is not that great either so you really do need a rental car when staying here.

We stayed in unit 301 but the owner has two other units.

Here's the link for the Windsor Hills units: http://www.tonylopes.com/wh.htm


I've tried to be very specific but let me know if you have any other questions about the fascilities. Oh! You do have to pay a $6 deposit for the key card that lets you into the pool area. The deposit is refunded when you return the keycard to the Windsor Hills office at the end of your stay.

I don't think we took any photos of our own but the photos on the website accurately depict the units, furniture, appliances etc.

I hope this is helpful.

 

[WebmasterJohn]

Don't forget Dreams Villas of Orlando - http://www.DreamsVillas.com - they are a sponsor of the DIS Boards and have terrific Villas that are extremely well equiped.

Thanks
John

 

[CoralCayTownhome]

That's not necessarily true...our MC is also Oasis Vacation Homes - www.oasisvacationhomes.com - and being a smaller, personally run business, you would definitely know which home you're getting and you could certainly ask which home you're in, how far it is from the clubhouse, and any other questions you might have! This is why we like them so much, they haven't lost their "personal" touch, so another vote for Oasis here!

It's good to know some of these companies still exist - the personal touch is so often lost

 

[angel365]

Hi Bullet,

Did u checked the site springvacationrentals.com in which they are many properties displayed and we generally book homes through this site and we get a good deals through this so i would like to reccommend u to check the site that would help u and think abt it.

 

[lasmickey]

Has anyone ever used loyaltyusa.com? We have found several nice homes on this site that seem to be lower in cost that some of the other companies. The homes I have found are in Indian Ridge Oaks. Anyone familiar with this area?

 

[Princess_Michelle]

We are using Florida Sun Vacation Homes. I just sent my last payment and so far, the ladies that I have talked to were very nice and I am very pleased with the rate we got. We are staying in the Treasure Cay Condo at Windsor Hills, which is 3 BR/2B, and its right next to pool I absolutely CANNOT wait b/c it looks awesome!! I'll take plenty of pictures and post them when I get back

 

[bullet875]

Hi all!

I will check all of these out!I also foundout that AAA does vacation home rentals and will be seeing what they can do for me as well. This is our first off-site, non-WDW trip and I am a bit nervous...I will admit that I'm 44 (as of yesterday...lol) and have never been anywhere else but on-site WDW!

 

[Atotty]

We stayed at one of the romancingthemouse.com houses and we had a great vacation this past June. The house was wonderful. They do lots of extra things for you....fresh muffins or cookies when you check in, fresh flowers, choclolate covered strawberries when you leave, free pool heat and grill, 100's of DVD's and playstation games to choose from for free,...etc.

If you have any questions, just ask away.

 

[mike256]

Hi prince,

Have a pleasent stay.....