Considering Renting from a DVC Member?

[robinb]

Recently I saw a recommendation that a person renting points "stay in touch" with their member. Now, I don't rent my points - don't have enough to rent, have friends who will use them if I don't, and to me an ordinary rental seems like a lot of bother for very little money. If I did rent points, I'd almost certainly not respond to "stay in touch" emails and phone calls on my answering machine to "stay in touch" would not be returned. $10 or $12 a point is worth maybe three phone calls in total to me - two initially to set up the reservation, one to add ME and/or dining - and no "stay in touch" phone calls - I have too much other stuff happening in my life to hand hold someone through their bargain at the expense of my time. (Maybe my rental contract would need to have a "stay in touch" surcharge.)

Gee .... how long does it take to email: "Everything's still OK!" to a "stay in touch" email? Maybe a minute?

I have rented my points out a number of times and I have no problem with "stay in touch" emails. In fact, I send them to my renters myself! Especially ones who rented in the 11 month window. Renting points requires some work on the part of the DVC owner and it has been well worth it to me. Renting of extra points has helped pay for my dues and has reduced the purchase price of AKV by $4 per point over DVC's discount offer when I rented my developer's points. I will gladly put in maybe 1-2 hours of my time for $400!

Obviously, the effort is not worth it to you ... and never has been as you have always been a voice against renting DVC points.

 

[crisi]

Gee .... how long does it take to email: "Everything's still OK!" to a "stay in touch" email? Maybe a minute?

I have rented my points out a number of times and I have no problem with "stay in touch" emails. In fact, I send them to my renters myself! Especially ones who rented in the 11 month window. Renting points requires some work on the part of the DVC owner and it has been well worth it to me. Renting of extra points has helped pay for my dues and has reduced the purchase price of AKV by $4 per point over DVC's discount offer when I rented my developer's points. I will gladly put in maybe 1-2 hours of my time for $400!

Obviously, the effort is not worth it to you ... and never has been as you have always been a voice against renting DVC points.

I'm just not GOOD with that sort of thing. I don't email my friends back if its a stay in touch email. I hate talking on the phone. It isn't my thing.

And I haven't been a voice against renting DVC. I think its great the way you rent your points, for instance. You describe yourself as doing a really good job for both yourself and your renters - I'm really impressed by what you say you do (not that I'd do it, but that's me) that works for both you and the people you rent to. My point in posting that was in saying that some members are you, and some are me - and if I were to rent my points (which I'm really unlikely to do) - I probably wouldn't be the most responsive member to "stay in touch." That would probably cause a lot of people stress, but any renting I'd do would be under distressed circumstances - not something I'd be doing as a business. And I think renting can be a great option for many people, I'm just concerned that a lot of people go into it was insufficient understanding - one of the insufficient understandings is that some members are not going to want to "stay in touch."

 

[robinb]

Crisi, thanks for the clarification. You are right about how different expectations can really mess things up. If a renter expects a DVC owner to be at their beck and call like CRO and the DVC owner is more laid back or doesn't check their email twice a day there will be trouble in "Deluxe For Moderate Pricing" paradise. I have yet to have a high maintenance renter (*knock wood*) but I try to head that off at the pass with a written rental agreement.

but any renting I'd do would be under distressed circumstances - not something I'd be doing as a business.

Just a clarification ... it's not a business for me either and my renting days are probably over. I sold my 230 OKW points to buy 100 at AKV (and stash away the remainder for CRV) but I am now down quite a few points from my high of 430. I even borrowed some points from the 2008 Use Year . I have always been a banker in the past.

 

[crisi]

I didn't mean to imply that you were a (gasp! the horror!) "commercial renter." Nor would I respect you less if you were. I just remember that you've done multiple rentals over a period of time, seem to have a great system for handling it, are knowledgable, and seem to take pride in having a great relationship with your renters, handling the transaction with integrity. If I had confidence that every renter would get someone like you as a member, and that all members would get the sort of renters you've had, I'd sound a lot more positive about the whole thing. But alas, I suspect there are a lot of members less knowledgeable and more indifferent than you out there (if I had to rent my points, I flatter myself that I might be indifferent, but at least I'd be knowledgeable) - and a lot of renters who don't do their homework - creating the "perfect storm" that can lead to disappointment - fortunately, it doesn't seem to happen often.

 

[robinb]

Now I'm blushing and feeling like a total snark-bucket.

 

[crisi]

Now I'm blushing and feeling like a total snark-bucket.

Don't. I know I come across as negative, pessimistic and snarky myself - and I don't think people really understand that I compartmentalize my intellectual analysis from my emotional beliefs a lot. So I sound "judging" and I'm not. Whether thats renting or financial stretching to afford DVC or DVC being less than perfect.....

 

[mermaid08]

learned a lot here

 

[mermaid08]

If someone has recently joined the DISboards and their first or second post is an offer to rent points, I would steer away from that. That's why I said "Don't rent from any “member” who has only made a few posts on a rental board. It could be an indicator of a scam. Review past posts for the person you are working with so you can get an idea what type of person they may be."

Some DVC members may take exception to my statement that "You are more likely to have a miscommunication with a DVC member who is renting their points for the first time". I'm not saying don't rent from a member that has never done it before; just be aware that the member might not be aware of the issues that might arise regarding cancellations or a change in plan.

I understand it and agree it. But after asking many people, only one guy with few posts had some points left and contacted me, What can I do for this?

 

[Deb & Bill]

I understand it and agree it. But after asking many people, only one guy with few posts had some points left and contacted me, What can I do for this?

It's up to you. You can take it or leave it.

 

[JimMIA]

I understand it and agree it. But after asking many people, only one guy with few posts had some points left and contacted me, What can I do for this?

As I said above, a low post count, by itself, would not disqualify an owner for me. IMHO, being able to search posts and get a sense of a person is a plus, but to rule someone out because of a low post count is just plain silly. It's a sign of laziness, not caution. There are many other ways to determine whether you are comfortable with a person...you just might have to work a little harder.

I have more than 15 years of very high level fraud investigation experience, and in my experience, people who rely on ONE simple test make very easy targets if someone is out to rip them off. There is no ONE thing that will ensure success or consistently predict failure.

To me, there are two key elements I would require to do business with anyone. One, I'd have to be satisfied that the person was a decent, honest person -- and there are many ways, not ONE way, to determine that. And two, I would want to feel confident that the person I was dealing with and I both had a clear understanding of all of the terms of the transaction.

If I were renting a reservation from an owner, there would only be one thing that would be a deal-killer for me. I would never rent from someone who was renting from another person's account. If you are renting from someone who does not control the account, there are just too many things that can go wrong. I'm sure others will disagree, and there are folks who use that as a business model, but that's a path I would not go down.

 

[mermaid08]

It's up to you. You can take it or leave it.

Thank you for you guys' reply.
In some point of view, I can choose. But if I still want to make use of this website and rent points, I have no choice. I decide to come to Disneyworld at the last minute and no one else have points for me.

 

[crisi]

Thank you for you guys' reply.
In some point of view, I can choose. But if I still want to make use of this website and rent points, I have no choice. I decide to come to Disneyworld at the last minute and no one else have points for me.

If you are truly going last minute, that's another "red flag" DVC doesn't tend to have rooms available last minute, sometimes, but not often - so either you've gotten lucky and found someone with a reservation they can't use, or gotten lucky with a time when there are last minute points - or you are dealing with an owner who doesn't know enough to not promise points that aren't available. The first two are as probable as the last and this could be fine....or it could be something that's going to fall through.

 

[UConnJack]

I don't rent much, but I have rented both from DVC members and to non members on a handful of occasions.

Whenever I rent from someone, for me, the most important first step is verifying that the person is who they say they are. For better or worse, in this internet age you can find out a lot about a person. Whenever I am considering renting from someone I ask for their name, address and phone number. I also glean any info I can from their email address (i.e., is it a work address that I can verify where they work or what they do, does the internet company provide service where they say they are from, etc.) I then go to a people finder website (either the simple white pages, or even a paid site if they are unlisted) and verify that they live at that address with that number. I then request that I call them at home to discuss rental details. I also check whether they are a DVC member listed on the Orange County website and review their posting history here on DIS to get a feel of who they are. Lack of posts is not a deal killer for me, but it makes the other steps I take more important.

When I rent to somebody, I try to give them as much information about me upfront as possible and suggest how they can verify who I am so they can do the same due diligence that I require. I also have no problem keeping in touch with the person I am renting to, giving them unsolicited email updates on the reservation or even passing along any Disney or travel information I may run across that they may find useful.

 

[YoMickey]

I have family members interested in coming down to Disney with us.

I will have to borrow points for this to happen. You better believe I will be explaining to them that they will own these points outright and I will make little or no effort in renting them to someone else should they have to cancel. Considering the great deal I plan to give them I will require the payment in full when we hang up the phone from member services the day we make reservations.

Is this how it should work??

You may ask why are you charging family members....well they're in-laws and there are a lot of them. A free trip for one group would mean a free trip for all of them and I 'd never see Disney again.....or I'd have to buy more points.

 

[CarolMN]

I have family members interested in coming down to Disney with us.

I will have to borrow points for this to happen. You better believe I will be explaining to them that they will own these points outright and I will make little or no effort in renting them to someone else should they have to cancel. Considering the great deal I plan to give them I will require the payment in full when we hang up the phone from member services the day we make reservations.

Is this how it should work?? ......

It is, if you don't want people backing out on you at the last minute. Be sure to tell them that it is a non-refundable deal - be very clear that they don't get their money back if they cancel so they need to be sure before you make the reservation.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I have family members interested in coming down to Disney with us.

I will have to borrow points for this to happen. You better believe I will be explaining to them that they will own these points outright and I will make little or no effort in renting them to someone else should they have to cancel. Considering the great deal I plan to give them I will require the payment in full when we hang up the phone from member services the day we make reservations.

Is this how it should work??

You may ask why are you charging family members....well they're in-laws and there are a lot of them. A free trip for one group would mean a free trip for all of them and I 'd never see Disney again.....or I'd have to buy more points.

So why make the reservation for them? Why not just give them the number to call? Then they can't leave you hanging.

 

[Jamiethegirl]

This is a great place to find information about renting a DVC villa. Its been really helpful. I'm a newbie here and am trying to educate myself as much as possible before attempting to rent next year. This will be our first trip to Disney with our 2 kids. Last year we rented a house in Cape Hatteras and got spoiled with all the room it provides.

I'm looking to rent a one bedroom in OKW next May (2009) so I'm assuming that I can't start posting until June for an 11 month reservation. Do these things really fill up that quickly? I'm wondering if I reallly need to rent this far in advance? Any helpful information would be great.

Jamiethegirl

 

[UConnJack]

This is a great place to find information about renting a DVC villa. Its been really helpful. I'm a newbie here and am trying to educate myself as much as possible before attempting to rent next year. This will be our first trip to Disney with our 2 kids. Last year we rented a house in Cape Hatteras and got spoiled with all the room it provides.

I'm looking to rent a one bedroom in OKW next May (2009) so I'm assuming that I can't start posting until June for an 11 month reservation. Do these things really fill up that quickly? I'm wondering if I reallly need to rent this far in advance? Any helpful information would be great.

Jamiethegirl

May is not a particularly busy time at WDW or for DVC, although it is my personal favorite time to go. Also, one bedrooms are usually the last units to go since studios (couples, or point savers) or 2-brs (families) usually get booked first. It is unlikely you will have a difficult time finding a 1-br for rent in May, especially at OKW. To be safe, you could certainly set up the rental as early as 11-months, but you could definitely wait until 7-months, and even still be pretty safe at 4-5 months. If you were willing to stay at SSR, I'll bet you could even get a 1-br a month or two out. Another benefit to May is that point costs are relatively low for that low demand time of year.

Is there a particular reason you want OKW? It’s a great resort, the rooms are a little bigger, and point costs are lower, but if you’re going in May, you could probably find rooms to rent at any of the DVC locations if you think they may suit your trip better.

 

[Jamiethegirl]

Thanks for the info. We are thinking of May because its supposed to be quieter then. I have heard that it can still get crowded in May with people from abroad. We were thinking of OKW because of the low points required. We will have our car and it looked a little more convenient to park right outside the building and only have a couple stories. I realize its the oldest resort and probably a little more run down than some. To tell the truth, we are from Maine and The Wilderness Lodge looks exactly like LL Bean which we live near. We would kind of like to feel like we're in Florida.

Does anybody have any more information about OKW?

 

[robinb]

Does anybody have any more information about OKW?

Look here:
http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/resorts/okw.htm

and here:
http://www.allearsnet.com/acc/faq_okw.htm