Can rentals go wrong?

[Ursula J]

Hi! We're planning on renting DVC points through David's or DVC rental (we're using an agency because our credit card gives us travel insurance if we go through one, but not if we go direct to the owner). Are there ever situations where this falls apart or there are problems? Is it as safe as reserving a hotel, or can an owner/agency cancel the reservations for some reason?

 

[Sandisw]

Going through an agency can help, but there are big differences between rentals and booking directly with a hotel.

Your renting a private reservation made by an owner. The brokers just act as a go between

Most are non refundable and non changeable You want to be sure you understand them.

They can be a nice savings but there are risks thst you don’t have with booking directly.

For example, this past week, those with Disney reservations were able to cancel with no penalty and get money back.

But those renting who were checking in any day but yesterday would have been stuck.

Ultimately, the owner does control it until you check in, but that is why brokers don’t pay full amount until you do.

Just be sure to read the contract carefully

 

[_auroraborealis_]

And some staying in rented points discovered they would have to pay cash to stay on through the storm and couldn't extend on points they don't have.

 

[Best Aunt]

Make sure you understand that travel insurance. When does it pay out? If you cancel for any reason, or just for certain medical reasons? Are you covered if you don't want to travel, or only if you can't travel? In the past few years, we have seen DVC resorts closed due to the Pandemic. We have seen Disney not allow guests to check in due to a hurricane. We have seen airlines cancel flights. We have seen airports close. We have seen people who technically could travel but decided that they were not comfortable doing so.

In general, when you rent points you are locking in your dates. With one agency: no changes, no cancellations. With the other agency: you might get some credit with that agency if you cancel, but I don't think you get your money back.

The agency never controls the DVC reservation. The agency merely finds an owner who is willing to use his/her points to make the reservation. The owner controls the reservation until you arrive at the hotel, so it is conceivable that the owner could cancel it on you. The owner gets 70% or 75% from the agency up front; an evil owner could decide that is a big enough amount that they pocket that money and then cancel the reservation.

 

[Matty B13]

You are saving almost 50% over rack rate for the same type of room at Disney, there is going to be some risk. Make sure you read your contract.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

As others have said, rentals definitely have risk as, whether you use a broker or go direct, there's a single person on the other end of the line that could breach the contract and mess up your reservation. It's very unlikely, especially with a broker, but not impossible. You also have none of the flexibility that Disney direct reservations afford

Having rented twice directly using these boards, I'm clearly of the opinion that the savings are worth the risk. Most recently, I was at Boardwalk with my family of 5 for less than the cost of the cheapest 5 person room in the booking system, which would have been a moderate. I also always buy travel insurance for these transactions, as I acknowledge that my options for cancelling/rescheduling are extremely limited.

 

[Brian Noble]

Can something go wrong? Yes. But, is it likely to go wrong? No. Even when renting directly from an owner, the vast vast majority of these transactions go off without a hitch. When you are going through a broker, you have a few additional things in your favor.

My sense is that there are many other things that could go wrong that are more likely than your reservation disappearing. It is much more likely that something changes in your plans, and that’s the part I usually caution people about when renting DVC reservations—they usually cannot be canceled or changed for any reason.

 

[Robber Baron]

We've rented multiple times both ways, private and broker.

We have never had a problem.

I guess things can go wrong, but 99.9% of the time it's smooth sailing. (Totally made up statistic.)

 

[Frederic Civish]

An awful lot of the potential risk of renting has to do with WHO you are dealing with. Make sure you go with someone who has a fair amount of experience doing it, and make sure they are "engaged." Ask for recommendations. Maybe we should start a board where people can go and talk about their experience with certain Rentals with certain people. I know people tend to COMPLAIN a lot more than PRAISE, but it could still be a useful tool, I think. Then, if you want to rent from someone, you could take a quick look and see if anyone has anything to say about them.