DVC Rentals: Tact and Ethics by Renters

[webcs]

I would like to start a thread on renter tact and possible rules. Owners who are renting are held to a specific code of conduct on the forum but I am always stunned by the fact that renters really have no code or guidelines. It makes renting harder for everyone. I welcome you all to add to this and comment.

a. SPOUSE OR FRIEND NO NO

Nothing gets my goat more than an owner working hard, taking his time to find perfect dates and locations for someone, only to be told at the end "I have to ask my husband, wife or friends." It takes time for owners to help and not having everyone on board is not fair.

b. BE READY TO RESERVE

Same goes with this. If you know what you want and the owner finds it, then under no reason should you not then reserve. If you were not ready to reserve then don't ask until you are ready.

c. PRICE MATCHING

Owners work very hard and have to pay monumental dues to maintain their ownerships. It is not fair to pit owner against owner when a price is clearly shown in an ad. If its not shown that is another thing. If you are not happy with a price, then please goto an ad that features the price you want.

Also....it is in everyone's best interest to keep owners in the black. They are helping you so you should help them. They are saving you tons of money and taking their time for you and every price on here (no matter what it is) is fair and a deal in my opinion.

d. BE FLEXIBLE

If its December 1st and you are looking for Christmas, don't goto an owner and say I want Bay Lake Tower. Its not available. Let the owner help you by selecting options. Its simply and demand there.

e. BOOK EARLY WHEN POSSIBLE

enough said

f. KNOW YOUR POINTS

The owner has to work hard to find you a opening. Don't present the owner with dates only to then say that is way too expensive. All of the point charts are online and they should be looked up before you go to the owner and have him search and reserve.

anyone have anything else to add?

 

[Chuck S]

I would like to start a thread on renter tact and possible rules. Owners who are renting are held to a specific code of conduct on the forum but I am always stunned by the fact that renters really have no code or guidelines. It makes renting harder for everyone. I welcome you all to add to this and comment.

a. SPOUSE OR FRIEND NO NO

Nothing gets my goat more than an owner working hard, taking his time to find perfect dates and locations for someone, only to be told at the end "I have to ask my husband, wife or friends." It takes time for owners to help and not having everyone on board is not fair.

b. BE READY TO RESERVE

Same goes with this. If you know what you want and the owner finds it, then under no reason should you not then reserve. If you were not ready to reserve then don't ask until you are ready.

c. PRICE MATCHING

Owners work very hard and have to pay monumental dues to maintain their ownerships. It is not fair to pit owner against owner when a price is clearly shown in an ad. If its not shown that is another thing. If you are not happy with a price, then please goto an ad that features the price you want.

Also....it is in everyone's best interest to keep owners in the black. They are helping you so you should help them. They are saving you tons of money and taking their time for you and every price on here (no matter what it is) is fair and a deal in my opinion.

d. BE FLEXIBLE

If its December 1st and you are looking for Christmas, don't goto an owner and say I want Bay Lake Tower. Its not available. Let the owner help you by selecting options. Its simply and demand there.

e. BOOK EARLY WHEN POSSIBLE

enough said

f. KNOW YOUR POINTS

The owner has to work hard to find you a opening. Don't present the owner with dates only to then say that is way too expensive. All of the point charts are online and they should be looked up before you go to the owner and have him search and reserve.

anyone have anything else to add?

Aren't these really items that should be addressed by individual owners with a renter upon initial contact, before even checking any availability? And personally, I would never book anything that could not be cancelled without penalty, assuming you give the renter a time period to at least make a non-refundable deposit. If that renter fails to make the deposit, cancel the reservation immediately. Yes, you will be out some time but it is really impossible to make these transactions completely risk-free.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

Good luck to you, you have as much luck with this as MS as with people who call repeatedly! They don't know what they want to book nor when they want to book it or worse yet calling for availability and then not booking, only to find that what you had available is gone by the time they call to book it!

 

[BWV Dreamin]

To the OP.... I'm sorry you are having frustrations with the rental process and you do point out a few of the many aggravations that come with renting. That being said I feel you bring on many of these frustrations yourself. After having rented many many times, there becomes a pattern amongst renters that is obvious to see. The initial questions, concerns and negotiations. I address most of this during my first contact with potential clients. I set the terms, the flexibility ( or lack there of) , the direction of the rental. Things are extremely clear including contract terms before I even look for availability. This helps to manage my time as the owner. Lets not be blaming the renters here. You need to get a grip on how you rent and most of your aggrevations will go away.

 

[CarolMN]

While it would be nice if all prospective renters followed your guidelines, it's not going to happen when you offer to rent to the general public. (But in all fairness, sometimes family and friends are worse than strangers). People are people.

Many experienced owners won't even check for availability without a deposit. Those owners got "experienced" after dealing with one too many of the people who do not follow your guidelines! I've read many of their stories over the years !

 

[disneynutz]

We rent out extra points and have learned that people are people. I have worked with renters who have ended up with money problems, people who don't know what they want, people who change their minds, and some of the nicest people that you will ever find.

I have also worked with people who have told me about problems with owners not knowing what they are doing, owners who can't be contacted, owners who know little about Disney, WDW, and the DVC.

Bill

 

[GrnMtnMan]

I think many of these are unreasonable of you to ask of renters.

Renting your own DVC points, you are basically acting as a travel agent, selling your own nights at a DVC resort. You have to expect to do some leg work to earn your money.

People have to do research before they buy something, and often get firm quotes to bring to discuss with a spouse. Unless your a DVC expert, you don't truly know the cost of what you're asking until you look into specific bookings.

And I don't fault people for shopping for competitive offers. I do so all the time. And I give vendors a chance to make their best deal by telling them that I will be shopping around, are there any discounts available that we haven't discussed?

 

[myxdvz]

I think if you want to rent direct (and not go thru a broker), you need to have a "system". You want them to do their homework? You should do your homework too.

On first contact with a renter, send them a document that outlines your policies (or an FAQ if you will). A lot of renters are clueless about DVC, the risks owners take, the risk they take, etc -- so expecting that they know all this when they ask for availability is unreasonable.

This is probably why I won't rent any points directly myself. I'll just go thru the convenience of sending my points David's way. The lack of stress (except for the waiting time to be contacted) is worth the $3/pt that I might be missing on.

Disclaimer: I reseve the right to change my mind about renting points directly in the future when I have more time on my hands

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Sounds to me like OP should get out of the rental business.

This is how business works. Supply, demand and service.

 

[crisi]

However, in the many posts we ask renters to read to understand their risks, we don't have a Emily Post post, one that explains some of this and why you should, for instance, be ready to reserve and have a list of backup options (or know you will say no thanks) when establishing contact. Or that its good manners to know how many points you will be using for your vacation before you contact the owner, so that they aren't spending their time to hear you say "I thought DVC rentals were supposed to be cheap." And that availability is availability, owners don't suddenly make BLT standard view rooms show up three months out for renters, and seeing it on the CRO website does not mean that the owne is lying to you.

Most of this is pre contact manners. And not everyone will do so, but it isn't a horrible idea to add a manners post to the rental stickies.

 

[myxdvz]

Most of this is pre contact manners. And not everyone will do so, but it isn't a horrible idea to add a manners post to the rental stickies.

Is that even possible? David's already have this covered in his FAQs. And since he's a sponsor, can/we have a sticky that doesn't just redirect to his FAQ? or copy the content from there? Just curious.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

There are some renters that are very new to DVC renting and will tell you so upfront. Others who don't will quickly learn after the fourth or fifth owner they contact how the system works. I always educate new renters briefly how DVC works and encourage them to confirm my information through various websites and through other owners. Most really are not that uneducated and have some general knowlege. My contract thoroughly discusses the terms and thier obligations and liabilities. Never more than a click away. This can all be discussed at first contact and rarely takes more than a couple of emails before the renter keeps shopping or is ready to work with you.

 

[Brian Noble]

While it would be nice if all prospective renters followed your guidelines, it's not going to happen when you offer to rent to the general public. (But in all fairness, sometimes family and friends are worse than strangers). People are people.

Exactly. This is the dirty little secret of renting. It's a lot more work than it seems to rent even casually, let alone regularly.

 

[cheezNE1]

"Customers are always right..."

 

[quirty30]

This is why I only rent to a few select friends who understand the process and complete their payments well ahead of the reservations. If I had to rent to the general public, I would rip my hair out. I've seen some of the rental posts on here where the owner is very up front about expiration & availability, yet most of the replies don't even "fit" the criteria (they ask for dates after the points expire or an unrealistic resort request at a late date, etc.) I think these owners need to be very patient & understanding because most renters are not educated. An FAQ is an ok idea, but you can't force people to read it.

 

[cheezNE1]

This is why I only rent to a few select friends who understand the process and complete their payments well ahead of the reservations. If I had to rent to the general public, I would rip my hair out. I've seen some of the rental posts on here where the owner is very up front about expiration & availability, yet most of the replies don't even "fit" the criteria (they ask for dates after the points expire or an unrealistic resort request at a late date, etc.) I think these owners need to be very patient & understanding because most renters are not educated. An FAQ is an ok idea, but you can't force people to read it.

True... that's why I prefer points transfer. Let them deal with their own reservations.

 

[LSchrow]

sounds like you're asking for renters to:
a) read the stickies
b) be courteous

both of which, i agree with.
you likely have come across renters who did not do a nor b, but there a number of renters that are a pleasure to deal with. personally, i haven't rented my points out often, but the few i have dealt with were great.

there were a (thankfully) few that i informed i would not be able to accomodate.

good luck, and remember they are YOUR points....if someone is too difficult to deal with, there is always someone else looking to rent (and someone who will rent to them).

 

[dansyr2514]

I hope you don't mind me making a comment as a renter. I've been lucky enough to find someone who I can work with very well. I've done my research, she will do her best to get what I want, we have a payment system set up and she refuses to take any payment until she sends me the confirmation. I did not find her on the dis.
Speaking on behalf of a renter trying to rent on the dis rent trade forum, it's difficult. Sometimes you feel as if you have to jump on something before completely discussing it with a spouse/significant other because those points disappear before you can blink.
Unfortunately, it's a risky situation for both parties. You also have inexperienced people trying to rent their points and those who would like to rent.
Out of the 10 or so times I've tried to rent from someone I didn't know, I found 2 that worked out...one from the dis and one not.
I'm very glad the opportunity is available, because there is no way I'd be staying at the BWV for $400 a night through Disney. I just wanted to make the op aware that's it's difficult for both parties.

 

[Dean]

I would like to start a thread on renter tact and possible rules. Owners who are renting are held to a specific code of conduct on the forum but I am always stunned by the fact that renters really have no code or guidelines. It makes renting harder for everyone. I welcome you all to add to this and comment.

a. SPOUSE OR FRIEND NO NO

Nothing gets my goat more than an owner working hard, taking his time to find perfect dates and locations for someone, only to be told at the end "I have to ask my husband, wife or friends." It takes time for owners to help and not having everyone on board is not fair.

b. BE READY TO RESERVE

Same goes with this. If you know what you want and the owner finds it, then under no reason should you not then reserve. If you were not ready to reserve then don't ask until you are ready.

c. PRICE MATCHING

Owners work very hard and have to pay monumental dues to maintain their ownerships. It is not fair to pit owner against owner when a price is clearly shown in an ad. If its not shown that is another thing. If you are not happy with a price, then please goto an ad that features the price you want.

Also....it is in everyone's best interest to keep owners in the black. They are helping you so you should help them. They are saving you tons of money and taking their time for you and every price on here (no matter what it is) is fair and a deal in my opinion.

d. BE FLEXIBLE

If its December 1st and you are looking for Christmas, don't goto an owner and say I want Bay Lake Tower. Its not available. Let the owner help you by selecting options. Its simply and demand there.

e. BOOK EARLY WHEN POSSIBLE

enough said

f. KNOW YOUR POINTS

The owner has to work hard to find you a opening. Don't present the owner with dates only to then say that is way too expensive. All of the point charts are online and they should be looked up before you go to the owner and have him search and reserve.

anyone have anything else to add?

You can control much of this by being strict, fair and honest up front. I'm sure the online booking has affected this issue somewhat but historically I've told people I'd check when they were ready to commit, let them know my terms up front and do my part fulfilling my word. When someone tries to negotiate I just say no thanks and move on. If they say they can get it cheaper elsewhere, I suggest they go for it, I'm not offended unless they then proceed to badger me. Often they'll proceed anyway and so will I as long as I don't get other bad vibes. If they come back later I generally just tell them I don't have points to rent even if I do rather than being brutally honest that I don't have points to rent to THEM but this has only happened once that I can recall. I must say that the majority of people I've deal with over the years have been great people, some have become friends, a number have bought or at least explored the option and many come back for a possible rental even years later.

Having said all of that occasionally I'm reminded that there's no way to win. If you don't make sure they know what they're getting into, you're setting yourself up for a problem. Once I got the sense that an party interested in renting wasn't that versed and proceeded to give them a short summary of what they were getting into. I got back a very scathing email that I they were well aware of Timeshares and I shouldn't be so condescending. I went back and searched and found the email from 2009 and still see nothing I did that could be taken as it was though I do get the sense they were looking for a bargain and realized they weren't going to get it from me (other than the inherent DVC rental savings). I've had a couple of deadbeats that either simply welched on the terms or tried to change the terms after all was set, but my approach minimizes any risk to me and maximizes my flexibility.

 

[lilpooh108]

I think a FAQ sticky is a good idea.