off property house rentals??(craigslist)

[PaDisney02]

Hi, I've been doing some research and came across alot of off-disney property room/house rentals being advertised on craigslist....has anyone ever stayed at a place like that?

Some of the homes look really nice but when dealing with craigslist u never know what is legit and what is not! What are some benefits of staying off property?

Any tips are greatly appreciated!

 

[vicki_c]

You should try your question on the Orlando resorts board below the Restaurants board. There's a lot of info to be found there on off-site rentals.

 

[Magicbus]

We live in a nice community in Kissimmee, about 20 minutes from WDW, that is about 30% vacation rentals so we actually live in a house that is very similar to the rentals. We love it. The rentals have to meet certain standards in order to qualify for renting. The exterior of the homes have to be maintained, are well furnished with 3 or 4 bedrooms, 2 full baths, garage, and a heated private pool. As I live in one, I would have no problem renting one. We do have a lot of upgrades in our home but the size and layout is identical to some of the rentals.

 

[shalom]

Seconding the advice to check the Orlando resorts board. We have friends who get a house with a private pool every year when they do Disney, and they're very happy with it. I think they get theirs off e-bay. We're in a TS points system and can generally get a better deal that way, either using our points or renting from someone we know through there. I love the Disney resorts but don't know if I'll ever actually stay in one because we can always find such a good deal elsewhere, and we're spoiled by having a full kitchen (Disney kitchens do not fit my definition of "full", at least according to the floor plans I've seen), and two bedrooms.

Maybe after the kids are grown hubby and I will stay on Disney sometime. While I'm dreaming, I think it should be the Grand Floridan.

 

[Lynne M]

I'll move this over to the Orlando Hotels and Attractions board for you.

 

[KayR]

With Craigslist, please check the credentials of the home carefully. There are many legitimate adverts on Craigslist, but it is also easy for scammers to advertise on there.

Some ways to help ensure your home is legit is to check the County Property Appraiser's website for the county the home is in, check the County tax records and see if the home is also rented through another website such as Homeaway, VRBO etc. Some rental sites say "advertiser since xxxx" showing how long the home has been advertised (longer the person has advertised, the more likely it is to be legit).

Each owner needs to be licensed through the DBPR to rent out a VR. They also may be registered to collect Sales Tax (although many owners pay the Sales Tax through their management company).

HTH

-Kay

 

[chuckml]

Check out lastminutevillas.net and/or vrbo.com. VRBO.com is vacation rentals by owners. We have rented offsite homes from both of these sites before, and have been very pleased with the prices and the security. there are many nice houses out there, and the owners on these sites will give you very competitive pricing.

In fact, we are checking on houses now for our upcoming Sept. trip. We have the GF booked, but the difference in money is making us think twice.

We have booked twice before from the same gentleman on lastminutevillas.net, but his home is booked for our dates. His personal website for the house is disneycoralcove.com. His name is Paul, and he is a very nice guy who gave us great rates and a wonderful home very close to Disney. Good Luck with your search, and feel free to PM me if you need more info.

 

[05MM08MM]

Are these deals better than staying on site even with the added cost of using your own or rented transporation? Would think yes, but figured would ask.

TIA

 

[4forMe]

Are these deals better than staying on site even with the added cost of using your own or rented transporation? Would think yes, but figured would ask.
TIA

Please check the following thread which discusses the pros and cons of staying onsite vs. offsite:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2378716&highlight=off+site

 

[TrustedTraveler]

We are really big fans of staying off-site in a rental pool home. We love the space, privacy, amenities and of course the private pool. I'm a very trusting guy, but I would not use craigslist to lease a vacation home. I'd go to VRBO or homeaway for a start.