Newbie question

[clemsondisneygirl]

Hi! We are thinking about buying, but also considering renting for our next trip as a try before you buy…if you rent points do you link a confirmation to MDE like you would had you bought cash through Disney? (As I’m writing it out that seems kind of obvious) just curious about the process/timelines for a room on rented points? TIA for any info!

 

[lorie13]

Good idea to rent before you buy and yes when you rent you will receive a reservation number that can be linked to your MDE account. My suggestion is if your reservation is farther out than 30 days, make sure you receive the reservation number and are able to link to your MDE account before any funds are transferred, unless it is a small deposit for the owners time to book a room. Less than 30 days if an owner has to cancel the reservation, points go into "holding". There are two ways to rent, one is an on demand reservation, if there is availability for your dates an owner can book those dates for you. If your dates are unavailable, you will need to find a confirmed reservation. This means an owner has already pre booked those dates and is renting the reservation. Currently the demand for DVC is higher than the supply, so rooms for on demand reservations are limited unless you are looking closer to the 11 month window. For studios SSR, OKW, AKV being the largest resorts are usually the last to sell out. If you are looking for BWV, BCV, VGF, CCV those sell out closer to 11 months. 1 Bedroom are less in demand and may still be available in the next few months.

 

[ziravan]

Every owner is different. When I rent out points I normally say half payment is due once I provide you with the confirmation number so you can verify the reservation and balance due 60 days out, but that’s me.

One major difference though is Disney will only talk to the points owner about the reservation. You can get a conf number and see it on MDE but any changes will have to be made by the owner.

Most owners will not let you change the dates/location after booking without a significant penalty or outright forfeiture so dates should be considered final. That’s the biggest drawback to renting, once you pay, you’re locked in.

(My rental agreement says you’re not renting a reservation but instead, the point value itself. Within reason, I will work to change your trip if something is available - but I’m far more lenient in that capacity than most owners. For two of my renters, I made three different reservations during COVID to push their trip to a better time. All that said, I’m not currently renting out any points and have no plans to do so so don’t ask.)

 

[Sandisw]

Once you have your confirmation, it will link to MDE the same. The key is to make sure you understand the contract…insist on one even if it is just an email…the details everything.

As mentioned, all owners are different as this is a private transaction. I personally have pretty strict terms but have charged less for it,

Others allow for changes, have more generous payment terms, and even allow for a cancellation..though rare.

Be sure you and the owner are both on the same page. There are also rental sites, like the DVC Rental Store, that give a little bit more security since the owner doesn’t receive full payment until you check in…though it can cost more than a private rental,

The big thing is to understand is you are not renting from Disney and they won’t be involved at all, and that the owner can cancel the trip right up until you check in and there is not much you can do.

Good luck!