Originally posted by eculmone
We will be renting and my big question is While I understand trust is required on BOTH parties, I fail to see how DVC member can loose??
Depends on the terms of the deal, and how patient the member might be if a problem arises. Most deals I've seen require a sum of money at the time of booking and the remainder due about 45 days before check-in. Our ability to use points is VERY limited if a trip is cancelled less than 30 days before check-in, and/or if the points are near the end of the Use Year.
Let's say you want to vacation in November. You happen to rent points that have a December Use Year, meaning they must be used by November 30th or are lost. In mid-October, you discover that you cannot go on the trip for some unforseen reason. While your deal may dictate that the initial deposit is non-refundable, the DVC member would obviously not be able to collect the rest of the money you had committed. And, he/she is then faced with trying to re-rent the points on 30-60 days' notice or losing them altogether. It can be very difficult to rent points out under those circumstances because you're battling the natural desire for people to plan their
Disney vacations months in advance, not to mention limited availability at the resorts.
That's just one example. I could easily think of other scenarios where the member could be placed at a disadvantage by an irresponsible renter.
Points committed to trips which are cancelled less than 31 days prior to check-in go into a Holding account. These points can only be used to book a stay 60 days (or less) prior to check-in, and must be used by the end of the Use Year.
In my previous example, if you'd have cancelled less than 31 days prior to check-in, there would be virtually no chance of rebooking.
Could I somehow have 3rd party hold all monies until we r sure we have the place?
You could suggest it to the member. I don't know how many would be willing to go that route. And, you would most certainly have to pay any fees associated with the escrow company. If it were me, I'd probably make you pay a little extra on the transaction simply because my money would be sitting in someone else's bank account for up to 11 months.
Or can a DVC member cancel and I'm out thousand's of dollars?
Functionally, yes, that can happen. The DVC member retains full control of his/her points.
Is there a way we can both feel safe about renting i.e. renter and rentee?
That's a question only you can answer. Personally, I'd recommend the following:
- Speak to the person on the telephone rather than relying on fairly anonymous email messages.
- Make sure you have a written contract to protect BOTH parties, and that you fully understand its terms.
- If you're going to find someone via these boards, look for someone with a high post count. Such a person would be much less likely to "fly the coop", IMO.
- Ask for references. Some people have rented dozens of times, and should be able to provide you with contact info of another individual who can confirm that the transaction went smoothly.
I'm sooooo excited. This is the first time DH has consented to "consider" DVC. Hopefully We'll be members by our 10th Wedding Anniversary
Hey does anyone know if on your tenth anniversary gift is "paper"? That would be cool.
)
I'm re-married going on 10 years now and we've seen all the 
Disney is so clean and the tropical feel just surrounds me with the safety of knowing I'm on US soil (just in case dd 6 yrs old gets sick or something).
