Monthly rentals

[katallo]

Any suggestions for monthly rentals (probably February - March)? Vrbo site has tons of rentals but most list weekly rates. I was hoping for a site that offered monthly rentals in Orlando.

 

[tednvon]

Good Morning, we rent for 3 months and have done so for 7 years in the Disney area. We have helped several folks to find monthly rentals and happy to give you a few hints.

Plan A. Use VRBO and search communities and homes that appeal to you. Be sure to put in your full one or two month dates at the top and if just the two of you I would put in two bedrooms plus. Then in the first home that you want to contact put a message in the box that introduces you to the owners and give them a budget for your month. I suggest a note like this: you can substitute relationships and number of guests as appropriate.

"Hello, my spouse and I recently retired from our careers in XX city and state. We love the Disney area are looking to spending a warm 2 months in your area. There will be just the two of us and we will treat your home like it is our own. The benefit for you will be minimal utilities, minimal wear and tear, and no cleaning costs.
Our budget for the two months is $XXXX per month to include all utilities and tax. Thank you for your time."

I would not hesitate to send this to all the 2,3, or 4 bedroom homes that you find. One huge caution. This is very late in the rental process for this year, there will be very few homes available that do not have at least a few weeks rented in this two month period. For great results next year, use this model starting in March or April for the next winter season.

So, it will be rare right now but you might get lucky. The web site should filter the homes that are not rented for the full time but you might get a note back from an owner whose calendar was not correct.
As for budget, I would suggest putting in about $1500/month. That is reasonable, includes everything, and is not what the owner gets by the week but is sure better than nothing. My only concern is the quality of home you may find this late in the process. If you get some offers, I would ask for references from recent renters.



Plan B would be to go through a real estate company or management company but I guarantee you the prices will be higher. This might be your only option this late in the year. I really have no recommendations for a good company to do this. Maybe someone else on this board will have a suggestion.

Plan A is a lot more work on the internet than just contacting a management company but usually is much better deal financially...

Good Luck, Ted

 

[Lilliputian]

We've rented houses in Windsor Hills for 4-5 weeks at a time when my husband worked from home. It's a great way to get a fantastic deal in the off-season.

We just went through VRBO. I emailed people with a reasonable weekly rate and asked what they'd charge for the period we needed. Many came back with fabulous rates. A few just sent me back a quote that was 4 times the normal weekly rate, and those went straight to my trash folder. You're saving them a lot by having 4 full weeks booked with no gaps between visits in the low season, not to mention what would probably be 4 or 5 extra cleaning visits if the house was being turned over normally during that time period.

Have fun! My husband has taken a regular job in an office, and we really miss our long WDW vacations. Our last trip was for almost 2 full weeks, and our kids kept talking about how hard it was going to be to do everything we wanted on a tiny 2 week vacation.

 

[katallo]

Thanks so much for the advice. I will begin exploring VRBO. I saw so many weekly rentals and wasn't sure if they considered monthly rentals. We are planning this for 2016. I should have mentioned that

 

[chefmb]

While I've never done this, I have done a little searching because I hope this will be a possibility in the next few years. I did a search for Snowbird, Florida. A few sites should pop up that show monthly rentals for people in your situation. There's no need to contact the owner and make a deal, so to speak. It seems like $1500 for a 2 bedroom is very reasonable. Good luck!

 

[Judyat]

Would love to find a deal at one of the resorts for the month of March. Grand Villas, Cypress Pointe, Westgate Blue Tree area would be great. Has anyone rented from one of these places or some place similar near DTD for around $1,200 - 1,500? Like to be able to walk to restaurants and grocery store etc.