Rebooking DVC Rental

[kellyyfisherr]

Hello! I rented DVC through a user on these boards for a trip this week, but unfortunately just got COVID and cannot attend. The person I booked with is not answering me. Do I have any options for canceling or rebooking or do I need to do it through that person? I really don't want to lose the money.

 

[bluecruiser]

What does your agreement with the person you rented from say? Some may allow rescheduling or name changes, some may not.

If you rented from an individual, that's the person you have to work with about your rental.

 

[kellyyfisherr]

We didn't sign any agreement and he hasn't been seen on this site since november. If I can't get in touch with him do I just lose the money? or can i resell and put a different name on the reservation?

 

[bluecruiser]

The only person who can make changes on your reservation is the member themselves.

At this late date (you said the trip is this week) it could be difficult to find someone to take the reservation. Beyond that, the member's points would go into holding if they cancelled the reservation, which means they might lose the ability to re-rent the points at all (depending on when their use year is). Sorry I couldn't give you more hope.

 

[Sandisw]

The owner is the only one who can do anything as they control the reservation.

If you don’t hear from that person, then unfortunately you are out of luck.

You mentioned not having a contract but did you at least discuss what the terms will be?

Most are non refundable but some will allow changes,,but some do not.

Sorry you are sick and can’t go.

 

[Marionnette]

Hello! I rented DVC through a user on these boards for a trip this week, but unfortunately just got COVID and cannot attend. The person I booked with is not answering me. Do I have any options for canceling or rebooking or do I need to do it through that person? I really don't want to lose the money.

We didn't sign any agreement and he hasn't been seen on this site since november. If I can't get in touch with him do I just lose the money? or can i resell and put a different name on the reservation?

DVC does not allow non-members to make changes to a reservation. Only the member who rented to you could do that. Without the ability to change the names on the reservation, it would be impossible for you to sublet it.

Did you purchase travel insurance? You might be able to recover your money that way.

 

[Brian Noble]

Do I have any options for canceling or rebooking or do I need to do it through that person?

Often, renting a reservation from a DVC member is non-refundable and can't be modified, because of the way DVC works. You may know this already, but for others reading: DVC Members own an annual allocation of points, and they use those points to reserve rooms. Unlike cash, points have an expiration date, after which they are useless. It is likely to be the case that the points used for your reservation now have a very limited "shelf life," and that combined with the overall low availability of DVC rooms means that the Member might not be able to re-book that room for some other dates, even if they wanted to.

This lack of flexibility is why a DVC Member will typically rent a reservation for a discount vs. what Disney charges. There is more risk in renting a reservation from a DVC Member vs. booking the room through Disney.

Unfortunately, there's not much we can do to help. You will have to contact the Member and see what, if anything, they are willing to do for you. Without a contract or some other agreement terms in an email, etc. you don't have much recourse. Again, for those reading, this is why folks on DIS usually recommend having a contract signed by both parties, so that expectations are clear.