DVC T &C Personal Use - Only Thread to Discuss.

[mkatsy]

Reposting again as my prior post appears to be caught in the crossfire, though it did not violate the rules set forth above:

While it may be true that DVC rules also prohibit people from running (non-rental) commercial enterprises out of someone’s DVC unit, the majority of lawyers on this thread also read them to place limitations on some level of rental reservations as well (though exactly level that can be prevented is clearly up for debate).

Further, the only opinion that matters is Disney’s (unless someone is willing to sink six figures into challenging it) and the new update to online (and call in) bookings, where you have to agree it’s personal use (which is defined more or less as “for self and family/friends”), makes clear that Disney is focused on commercial renting, not running other non-rental businesses in your time share unit.

Could it be both and we just aren’t aware of it? I know there are make up artists that do the knock off bibbidi boppidi sessions, and there are chefs that will deliver you an entire Ohana style meal … have they been working out of villas?

 

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

Could it be both and we just aren’t aware of it? I know there are make up artists that do the knock off bibbidi boppidi sessions, and there are chefs that will deliver you an entire Ohana style meal … have they been working out of villas?

I mean, DH and I both do remote work (for our non DVC-headquartered employers, lol) while staying at DVC resorts, but pretty sure cracking open your laptop is not commercial use of the unit as viewed by DVC.

True story: my husband has a hilarious video of me holding my phone over my head with the teams meeting screen clearly displayed as I shoot out of the tube on the Aulani water slide because I cut a meeting time too close and miscalculated the length of the line.

 

[Cyberc1978]

I mean, DH and I both do remote work (for our non DVC-headquartered employers, lol) while staying at DVC resorts, but pretty sure cracking open your laptop is not commercial use of the unit as viewed by DVC.

Should I ever attempt that myself I would be in violation, not to any DVC rules but since I’m a foreigner I guess immigrations laws.
That’s why I never bring anything work related to the U.S. Why should I? I’m on vacation not a work/vacation type of stay.

I respect those that can separate business and pleasure. I just never been the type of person to do that. I’m the type of person who works to be able to live not live to be able to work. The less I work the more vacations I’m able to take, the more vacations the family and I take, the happier I am

Sorry I got sidetracked - will stay on topic now

 

[Kingkonig]

I respect those that can separate business and pleasure. I just never been the type of person to do that. I’m the type of person who works to be able to live not live to be able to work. The less I work the more vacations I’m able to take, the more vacations the family and I take, the happier I am

Sorry I got sidetracked - will stay on topic now

Oh for sure. I think there’s just a different mentality in some people.

For me, if I don’t at least do some work on vacation (scan emails, maybe attend a critical meeting or two), then things are so much worse when I get back. Not that I’d necessarily be in trouble with my boss, but that it would take me 2-3 days to catch up!

 

[Sandisw]

I mean, DH and I both do remote work (for our non DVC-headquartered employers, lol) while staying at DVC resorts, but pretty sure cracking open your laptop is not commercial use of the unit as viewed by DVC.

True story: my husband has a hilarious video of me holding my phone over my head with the teams meeting screen clearly displayed as I shoot out of the tube on the Aulani water slide because I cut a meeting time too close and miscalculated the length of the line.

We know though this is not the type of commercial use of rooms they are talking about….people working on vacation.

I do think though it’s helpful for any owner in understanding the contract what each section is talking about…even if it’s only tangentially relevant,, that DVC has two different types of commercial they address.

Of course, it may have been less confusing if they had use different terms!! lol

 

[drusba]

What stops Disney from taking the Ford Pinto approach? If the bean counters decide that this rental market costs Disney X million a year more than the potential cost of settling any lost litigation? Logic dictates that the only renters with enough funds to litigate in the court system would likely be self admitting to their crimes by suing. Someone said it well in another thread- it’s one thing to say Disney is violating the terms of your contract, it’s another thing to prove it in court. I dislike corporations throwing around their legal power like this, but enemy of my enemy and all.

What you mention is a possibility but there are reasons that potentially make it unlikely to occur.

The association for most of the DVC Resorts is the entity that can pursue members for violation of the DVC rental rules. DVCM, the resort management company, would have that power as to CCV and Riviera as it is given the power to deal with rental issues in the DVC Membership Agreements for those resorts.

Those entities, and BVTC, have fiduciary obligations to the members as a whole. As to any actions they take as to members, they are acting as fiduciaries of the members as a whole and must act for the benefit of the members as a whole, . They may pursue rental claims against some members to protect the members as a whole. However, they cannot pursue such claims for the purpose of helping the rental industry of the Disney companies who deal with the Disney hotel rentals in general. And I do not assume it would be common for the association and its board members (or DVCM or BVTC) to actually pursue doing adverse things to members designed to help the Disney hotel business in general, knowing that such would be a violation of their fiduciary obligations.

In all the years I have been a member since the 1990s, I have not witnessed the DVC entities purposefully doing acts as to existing members designed to help make the Disney hotel side of the business make more money. DVD has taken steps that one can guess are partly designed to make Disney more from the rental of DVC rooms but those have been steps designed into the sale process of resorts, e.g., (a) the creation of many hugely point expensive cabins at CCV and bungalows at Poly for which most of those extra points were sold to members purchasing to get smaller rooms, particularly studios, resulting in the cabins and bungalows being readily avaialble for rent even at many times at 60-days out while the studios are sometimes subject to an 11-month out reservation issue; and (b) the periodic increase of the price per point to purchasers which, over the years, has increased prices well beyond any rate of inflation and have helped to create like increases of rental rates for the rooms.

What DVC is trying to do now is the same thing it attempted in the mid-2000s -- respond and take some action to deal with what has become a lot of complaints about rentals. It is well aware that it has historically construed the rental terms in the declarations to allow a member to do many rentals. It is also well aware that targeting professional renters who do large numbers of rentals, including spec rentals, is its best target because those are likely responsible for the majority of questionable rentals and would have little to no defense to being stopped from doing rentals. To also spend money (none of which is specifically covered by dues) going after small players who do some rentals for legitimate purposes, such as to recover some dues, may be an outside possibility but it could be a disastrous decision. You are correct that a member's pursuing litigation over any such adverse decision would be expensive, but DVC may want to avoid that outside risk because the result could be disastrous, i.e., a specific case finding that the terms of the historical declarations allow any member to do a large number of rentals.

 

[Brian Noble]

I'm super amused by the accounts that were registered for DISboard after this thread started, post primarily on the DVC boards, and have strong opinions about how this is a doomed effort and Disney should just give up thinking about limiting rentals in any way.

Like, super amused.