For the locals...

[zaja]

Anyone know any apartments to rent that are safe and reasonable in the Disney area? Any resources to check? Thinking of moving to the area next year, so trying to do some leg-work now. TIA!

 

[PatriciaH]

I would try to stick to a larger complex that has a rental office rather than an individual. Many people here are taking rent money and not paying their mortgage so the renters wind up getting kicked out when they least expect it. I think the state/bank gives them 30 days or less to leave. Sad and scary.

Hunters Creek has some rental complexes, Celebration is close but go with a rental firm, Dr. Phillips is nice if you work in the Universal area. Winter Park is the nicest area in Central Florida. More homes than rentals though.

Now to throw even more confusion into the mix- I just heard from my parents yesterday that their friends dad was trying to rent his place here with a property management/rental company. They kept telling him no one is renting -too much on the market, etc. Finally after a few months he came down to check up on his place, went inside and there are beer cans and clothing everywhere, the place is a mess, etc. The company had been renting to kids and pocketing the rental money!!! So now you can not even trust a rental company.

 

[PrincessMama605]

Figure out which area you want to live in first, the Kissimmee/Orlando area is big and there are a lot of choices. There are some nice areas, we live near Celebration, very close to WDW. I like where we are a lot, but some people would probably be happier in a less "touristy" area.

I agree with the pp about a complex, there are a ton to choose from. Once you figure out which area(s) you want, do a search on apartments.com or forrent.com or just google it. You can try Craigslist too, that's actually how I found my apartment (and got a good deal) but make sure that it's legitimate before you send any money! There are a lot of scams out there.

I would pick a few complexes that you are interested and call them directly to get all the info. You can usually go through the application process online or have them mail the application to you. Don't forget to ask about deals! There are so many rentals right now, you may end up with the first month free or even a monthly discount.

ETA: Also wanted to mention that the cost of living is cheaper here than what I am used to. I was pleasantly suprised when I went grocery shopping for the first time. Unfortunately though, the wages here are lower too.

 

[hearts8701]

camden has nice apartments search on apartments.com or rent.com search zipcode 32821 in disney area Buena vista

 

[SandrA9810]

hunter's creek is a nice area to live in. Close enough to the parks, but not in your backyard. I can still see wishes from the road outside my complex, but i don't have to listen to it every night. Which is sanity for me.. If you plan on working for the parks, most places give discounts on deposits and app fees for being an employee.
Our place was doing two months free rent when we moved in, prorated over the year lease gave us a 200 monthly discount.