DVC Points Rental Question

[Porsche4]

So I am trying to rent DVC points though a reputable company recommended by many forums. I want to stay at the new Disneyland Hotel DVC in a Deluxe Studio. The company says there is availability but they have to wait and find someone to buy points off. Has anyone had any experience with this process and have an idea how long this might take. I am thinking I should book some back up accommodation as our stay is for the first week of December which I know is popular and they may not be able to secure the points for us. I am also worried that by the time they do secure the points the availability will be gone. This is the first time I have tried this and I am really stressing out about the whole experience. Any input would be welcomed.

 

[Chuck S]

The first week of December is a popular time for DVC Members at WDW, so I assume it is also at Disneyland. However, this early, when reservations have JUST opened for December and there is a lot of availabily, especially at a new resort that is still in the sales phase. I think your odds are good.
But I agree, if you can make a cash reservation that you can cancel without penalty as a backup, it would be a good idea, and give you peace of mind while waiting to see if a DVC Reservation comes through.

Good luck.

 

[Best Aunt]

OP, just want to make sure you understand (and maybe you already do):

1) It sounds like they checked availability on the DVC Member website, and saw that there are vacancies for the dates that you want and the type of unit that you want.

2) But they need to have a DVC member who:
a) wants to rent out their points
b) wants to use that company to rent out their points
c) has that resort as their "home resort" if you are trying to make a reservation more than 7 months ahead
d) has enough points to cover the reservation.

If it were me, I would make a refundable reservation someplace else in case the point rental doesn't work out.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

There's no real answer as it all requires them to have a VDH owner who wants to rent points thru them. I don't know for certain but my gut says CA properties use a broker less than other locations but it's absolutely just a guess. A new property with new owners doesn't have that big of a pool looking to rent either. Again, just my guess, but you probably would have better luck renting elsewhere. DL 1st week of December isn't quite as popular as WDW but the 1st full weekend is very popular due to the CP processional. VGC is sold out for those dates but VDH is larger.

 

[CraigInPA]

As this resort just opened, the new owners there are likely going to use their points at their new purchase the first year. Availability of owners at VDH for the 11-7 month period is likely to be low, and demand is likely to outstrip supply.

Choosing to go the first week of December, which is the busiest week of DVC, means that many of the studios will be gone before the 7 month booking period opens.

When you hit the 7 month period, anyone with direct or grandfathered points can book there, and whatever availability remaining is likely to be gone in moments.

If you really want to stay there the first week of December 2024, you should probably book directly through Disney, and hold the request to book through member points from a broker as a "remote possibility". Because of Disney's liberal cancellation policy for directly booked rooms, this is the route I would suggest.

 

[crisi]

Also, point rental companies don't necessarily work first come first serve - its vaguely first come first serve, and your chances are certainly better with an early request. When I rented by BWV points, I wasn't looking for the first reservation the broker sent me I could make. I was looking for a reservation that met my needs (i.e. the number of points I wanted to rent in a single reservation and one that I could make when I had time to make it - which due to life, turned out not to be the first week I told the broker I had points available. I also didn't want to make a reservation during the last quarter of the year - when a lot of members travel, and I didn't want to bother with a high demand room type, that might be gone when I logged in - I wanted one and done on my own terms). I passed on a dozen reservations because they didn't fit into what I wanted - the renter was looking at the wrong time of year, or didn't want to use the entire allotment I wanted to rent, wanted a BWV standard view, or I was contacted to rent when my project at work had blown up and I didn't have the capacity to think about making DVC reservations. At that point in time, for the resort I was renting, I was getting three or four offers a day from the broker - so I could afford to be picky.

As Kat and Craig pointed out, VDH just opened, there won't be that many owners looking to rent their points as most owners who buy want to use their own points - they aren't buying to be in the business of renting. I'd make other plans - cancellable in case something does come through.

EDITED: Also, if this is stressful, it isn't worth the bother. Because renting points through a private owner DOES carry risk, and that risk, for some people, creates a level of stress that isn't worth the savings. Vacations should be enjoyable, and while planning them isn't always and there is always some level or risk and stress, there are ways to keep stress in check - renting points instead of booking a cash reservation isn't one of them.

 

[Porsche4]

Also, point rental companies don't necessarily work first come first serve - its vaguely first come first serve, and your chances are certainly better with an early request. When I rented by BWV points, I wasn't looking for the first reservation the broker sent me I could make. I was looking for a reservation that met my needs (i.e. the number of points I wanted to rent in a single reservation and one that I could make when I had time to make it - which due to life, turned out not to be the first week I told the broker I had points available. I also didn't want to make a reservation during the last quarter of the year - when a lot of members travel, and I didn't want to bother with a high demand room type, that might be gone when I logged in - I wanted one and done on my own terms). I passed on a dozen reservations because they didn't fit into what I wanted - the renter was looking at the wrong time of year, or didn't want to use the entire allotment I wanted to rent, wanted a BWV standard view, or I was contacted to rent when my project at work had blown up and I didn't have the capacity to think about making DVC reservations. At that point in time, for the resort I was renting, I was getting three or four offers a day from the broker - so I could afford to be picky.

As Kat and Craig pointed out, VDH just opened, there won't be that many owners looking to rent their points as most owners who buy want to use their own points - they aren't buying to be in the business of renting. I'd make other plans - cancellable in case something does come through.

EDITED: Also, if this is stressful, it isn't worth the bother. Because renting points through a private owner DOES carry risk, and that risk, for some people, creates a level of stress that isn't worth the savings. Vacations should be enjoyable, and while planning them isn't always and there is always some level or risk and stress, there are ways to keep stress in check - renting points instead of booking a cash reservation isn't one of them.

Thanks for your detailed explanation. As I live in Australia the exchange rate is really bad for us at the moment. Unfortunately I could never afford to stay at the Disneyland Hotel on a regular booking as it is just way too expensive, thats why I thought I would give this route a go but now that I understand more about how it all works looks like my plans will have to change. I really had my heart set on staying here but I guess from what people are saying given that it is such a new property I may not have much luck. Thanks again.

 

[starry_solo]

Never say never! If they can’t find a VDH owner, then they have to find a regular DVC owner who is willing to use their points and attempt to book at 7 months…. So you’re going to have to wait to find out until April

 

[Porsche4]

Never say never! If they can’t find a VDH owner, then they have to find a regular DVC owner who is willing to use their points and attempt to book at 7 months…. So you’re going to have to wait to find out until April

Thanks for the pep talk. I think I am going to book at a hotel somewhere not sure which one yet and have that as a back up plan just in case all this falls through. I shall pray to the Disney Gods.

 

[CarolynFH]

Thanks for the pep talk. I think I am going to book at a hotel somewhere not sure which one yet and have that as a back up plan just in case all this falls through. I shall pray to the Disney Gods.

 

[DisTravels]

Never say never! If they can’t find a VDH owner, then they have to find a regular DVC owner who is willing to use their points and attempt to book at 7 months…. So you’re going to have to wait to find out until April

Thanks for the pep talk. I think I am going to book at a hotel somewhere not sure which one yet and have that as a back up plan just in case all this falls through. I shall pray to the Disney Gods.

Great point that the broker may be able to book you at the 7-month mark, although they can check inventory for you at any time so they can give you an update if avalialibty disappears (although it sometimes reappears as people change plans).

Moving it's a great option, but may also think through if part of your stay is available at the new Disneyland Hotel, do you want to move.

 

[Porsche4]

Great point that the broker may be able to book you at the 7-month mark, although they can check inventory for you at any time so they can give you an update if avalialibty disappears (although it sometimes reappears as people change plans).

Moving it's a great option, but may also think through if part of your stay is available at the new Disneyland Hotel, do you want to move.

I'm going to book 7 nights at the Disneyland Hotel and 7 nights at the Tropicana just in case the DVC booking falls through. Then I can rethink things through at the 7 month mark and reassess what are finances are like and what we can afford. Maybe I might be lucky and they might release a discount offer that covers our booking dates. Guess I'll just have to wait and see.

 

[jaydis208]

We have some other plans filling up next year, and are considering renting cxxxxxx. Availability has been interesting and overall a lot more open than we had expected (i.e. NYE was up there for awhile which surprised us). We're just not sure we can get a decent number renting since the broker numbers seem pretty low.

Details removed so not to be seen as an offer.

 

[MickeyMouseLove]

Hello. I am considering renting/staying at a DVC for the first time. I have a request in at one of the brokers, but they currently do not have the points for the property I want (9 months out). I see on the rent/trade page that there is someone offering points at the property I want, but I am a little nervous to go that route. I read all the mandatory posts about rules and advice, and I tried to look at the profiles of those renting out points, but the ones I am looking at only have posts with rental listings and I see hardly any interactions with people who have rented from them. Am I missing something? Is there somewhere where people post reviews of their experience renting from particular people? Thanks for any insight!

 

[Chuck S]

Hello. I am considering renting/staying at a DVC for the first time. I have a request in at one of the brokers, but they currently do not have the points for the property I want (9 months out). I see on the rent/trade page that there is someone offering points at the property I want, but I am a little nervous to go that route. I read all the mandatory posts about rules and advice, and I tried to look at the profiles of those renting out points, but the ones I am looking at only have posts with rental listings and I see hardly any interactions with people who have rented from them. Am I missing something? Is there somewhere where people post reviews of their experience renting from particular people? Thanks for any insight!

No, we do not allow review/feedback type posts like ebay and Amazon, as they are too easily forged. I won't say there have NEVER been problem with our Rent/Transfer board rentals, but they are few and far between here. Basically, if you aren't comfortable trusting and dealing with an individual, you'll likely want to go through a broker. Renting is a matter of trust on both sides, the DVC Owner makes a reservation and trusts you to not tear up the room AND to pay them in accordance with their offer. You trust them to not cancel the reservation and skip out with your hard earned money. When I rented points, as long as the desired reservation was at least 45 days out, I made it totally in the name of the renter, and provided the reservation number so they could plug it into the MDE app, and verify the info. Then I expected 50% down, with the remmaining 50% due 45 days prior to travel, or 45 days prior to the end of my DVC use year banking window (which ever occured first) so I would be able to cancel the reservation and bank the points if necessary. Ireceived the payments through PayPal, and the transactions went smoothly. Be sure the owner gives your their full contact info, email, address, phone, etc. and you need to give them your. If you are still concerned, request that you exchange a text message confirming at least the cell numbers.

Good luck with your decision...

For your convenience, here is a banking chartm which varies by the owners DVC Use Year.

 

[MickeyMouseLove]

No, we do not allow review/feedback type posts like ebay and Amazon, as they are too easily forged. I won't say there have NEVER been problem with our Rent/Transfer board rentals, but they are few and far between here. Basically, if you aren't comfortable trusting and ealing with an individual, you'll likely want to go through a broker. Renting is a matter of trust on both sides, the DVC Owner makes a reservation and trusts you to not tear up the room AND to pay them in accordance with their offer. You trust them to not cancel the reservation and skip out with your hard earned money. When I rented points, as long as the desired reservation was at least 45 days out, I made it totally in the name of the renter, and provided the reservation number so they could plug it into the MDE app, and verify the info. Then I expected 50% down, with the remmaining 50% due 45 days prior to travel, or 45 days prior to the end of my DVC use year banking window (which ever occured first) so I would be able to cancel the reservation and bank the points if necessary. Ireceived the payments through PayPal, and the transactions went smoothly. Be sure the owner gives your their full contact info, email, address, phone, etc. and you need to give them your. If you are still concerned, request that you exchange a text message confirming at least the cell numbers.

Good luck with your decision...

For your convenience, here is a banking chartm which varies by the owners DVC Use Year.

View attachment 854605

Thank you so much for responding and explaining all this. You've made the process more clear to me! And made me feel more confident about renting.

Another question, just so I am totally clear: if an owner cancelled a rented reservation, would the renter be notified of that by Disney? Or does all communication from Disney go directly to the owner only? Is the renter at the mercy of the owner the entire time from the initial agreement to the check-out day? Or does putting the reservation in a renter's name give any control/rights/abilities to the renter?

 

[Chuck S]

Thank you so much for responding and explaining all this. You've made the process more clear to me! And made me feel more confident about renting.

Another question, just so I am totally clear: if an owner cancelled a rented reservation, would the renter be notified of that by Disney? Or does all communication from Disney go directly to the owner only? Is the renter at the mercy of the owner the entire time from the initial agreement to the check-out day? Or does putting the reservation in a renter's name give any control/rights/abilities to the renter?

The DVC Owner always has control of the reservation. DVC will not communicate with a renter, and will not become involved in any disputes between a renter and an owner. I think that is likely true of every timeshare. The rental agreement is between you and the DVC Member, not you and DVC. I've never used a rental broker, but my understanding it they release some (maybe half) the money to the owner, when the reservation is made, and then the balance on the check-in day. They sort of act like an escrow company trying to be fair and protect both parties. That is the onre thing that is different renting directly from the owner, that bit of protection isn't there. As I said, renting dvc is a matter of trust, think of it like renting someonne's beach home for a weekend getaway, there isn't a lot of actual protection for that either.

I have heard that renter CAN purchase travel insurance through an outside company, but I don;t know what exactly it covers...I don;t know if it covers the renter in the case of a scamming owner or if it just covers the normal travel stuff, like flight delays, illness, etc.

As I've said, we have had a couple of issues over the years, but I would say 99.9% of the rentals here go off without a hitch of any kind. And be sure to get the full contact info of the DVC Owner. We also stress to NOT do business with anyone with whom you did not initiate contact. For instance, someone could be browsing the web, see your post about wanting a reservation, and send you a Private Message, and they may not even by a DVC Member. Respond to them ONLY if you posted a reply in their rental thread (or contacted THEM by Private Message) first.

 

[eMoneyBug]

Rare that vgc or vdh members would use a broker. Of course there are some that just don’t have time or patience to deal with private rentals but for the longest time and still some that did not payout well for vgc members which those are the highest demand in all of dvc due to the small # of rooms possible, so in all honesty definitely have a Plan B and/or engage a private member. Even here on disboards you’ll see some posters that own there.

 

[MickeyMouseLove]

The DVC Owner always has control of the reservation. DVC will not communicate with a renter, and will not become involved in any disputes between a renter and an owner. I think that is likely true of every timeshare. The rental agreement is between you and the DVC Member, not you and DVC. I've never used a rental broker, but my understanding it they release some (maybe half) the money to the owner, when the reservation is made, and then the balance on the check-in day. They sort of act like an escrow company trying to be fair and protect both parties. That is the onre thing that is different renting directly from the owner, that bit of protection isn't there. As I said, renting dvc is a matter of trust, think of it like renting someonne's beach home for a weekend getaway, there isn't a lot of actual protection for that either.

I have heard that renter CAN purchase travel insurance through an outside company, but I don;t know what exactly it covers...I don;t know if it covers the renter in the case of a scamming owner or if it just covers the normal travel stuff, like flight delays, illness, etc.

As I've said, we have had a couple of issues over the years, but I would say 99.9% of the rentals here go off without a hitch of any kind. And be sure to get the full contact info of the DVC Owner. We also stress to NOT do business with anyone with whom you did not initiate contact. For instance, someone could be browsing the web, see your post about wanting a reservation, and send you a Private Message, and they may not even by a DVC Member. Respond to them ONLY if you posted a reply in their rental thread (or contacted THEM by Private Message) first.

Thank you, again, for more valuable info and insights. You have really helped me understand everything so much better than I did.

 

[crisi]

The DVC Owner always has control of the reservation. DVC will not communicate with a renter, and will not become involved in any disputes between a renter and an owner. I think that is likely true of every timeshare. The rental agreement is between you and the DVC Member, not you and DVC. I've never used a rental broker, but my understanding it they release some (maybe half) the money to the owner, when the reservation is made, and then the balance on the check-in day. They sort of act like an escrow company trying to be fair and protect both parties. That is the onre thing that is different renting directly from the owner, that bit of protection isn't there. As I said, renting dvc is a matter of trust, think of it like renting someonne's beach home for a weekend getaway, there isn't a lot of actual protection for that either.

I have heard that renter CAN purchase travel insurance through an outside company, but I don;t know what exactly it covers...I don;t know if it covers the renter in the case of a scamming owner or if it just covers the normal travel stuff, like flight delays, illness, etc.

As I've said, we have had a couple of issues over the years, but I would say 99.9% of the rentals here go off without a hitch of any kind. And be sure to get the full contact info of the DVC Owner. We also stress to NOT do business with anyone with whom you did not initiate contact. For instance, someone could be browsing the web, see your post about wanting a reservation, and send you a Private Message, and they may not even by a DVC Member. Respond to them ONLY if you posted a reply in their rental thread (or contacted THEM by Private Message) first.

The brokers will usually guarantee that you will get your money back if anything goes wrong with the reservation. You are still standing at the resort check in desk, trying to figure out where your family will stay, but at least you aren't out all your money.

And when things DO go south, I think most renters figure it out because they are looking at MDE, where the reservation is linked, and the reservation disappears from MDE...but that's just me putting pieces together, I may be wrong.