Renting from a DVC

[Lil Davy]

Well, I'm fairly new to these boards and I have seen a number of posts that mention "try renting from a DVC...". What does this mean? How much can this save as compared to staying at the resorts.

 

[Disneyfan1977]

You can save a lot of money. My DSIL saved approximately 500.00 on her reservation.

 

[magicaldisney]

Pop on over to the DVC forums and you'll find a lot out there.

 

[Lil Davy]

Pop on over to the DVC forums and you'll find a lot out there.

Thanks, will do.

 

[Lil Davy]

Wow, there's a lot of info on those DVC boards. So much, not sure where to even start. Can anyone just give me a "quick and easy" explanation of renting from a DVC? What it entails, etc?

 

[goofy4tink]

Basically, you find someone with points to rent that fit your vacation time. Then, you come up with a way to pay for those points, that is agreeable to both you and the DVC owner...a contract of some sort. Then, the DVC owner will call Member Services, and book your vacation for you. You will end up getting a much nicer place to stay for a lesser price. But...it takes a certain amount of trust between the two parties. I own DVC and don't rent out my points.
You, even after paying for the trip, can not make any changes or call to check on it. The DVC owner is the only one who can do that...you are not allowed to call Member Services..only a DVC owner can do that. So....again, there's that trust issue.

 

[eliza61]

Hey Dave
Here is the quick version with some warnings.

You are renting your room from a private owner (dvc member). You can save quite a bit of money, anywhere from 30% and up off of prices disney ask for.
Dvc Member will set the price (right now btwn 10-15 per point). So if you need 150 points for your stay, your cost at 10 buck/point would be $1500

Remember, this takes a bit of trust on both sides. Disney will not get involved whatsoever. I rented 2x before I decided to buy.

We don't get daily maid service, you can purchase it if it's important to you.

A wonderful poster name dvc mike has a really complete quick and easy guide to renting. I'll try to dig it up for you.

 

[eliza61]

Aah I found it.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1669863

This is a very easy read and pretty complete.

 

[G's mommy]

To give you an idea of the savings, we are renting points at the Beach Club Villas, a studio for 5 nights (Sunday - Friday) May 25th - 30th for a total cost of $715, or $143 per night (no tax involved). I paid $11 per point. Weekend nights are about double the points, so we move to a value or mod resort for those nights. As you can see, this is a substantial savings over booking through Disney. You can also add the dining plan (with or without purchasing tickets) and pay for it upon check-in. I worked with a great owner for this trip, flexible payment and got my confirmation in the mail promptly. This is an awesome way to check out the DVC deluxe resorts without paying those deluxe prices.

 

[Lil Davy]

Great, thanks for all of the info. I'm going to check into that link now.

But , essentially, a DVC owner "owns" a Disney Villa, let's say at the Boardwalk. He/she can then rent it out on a "points" basis, where I, the renter, would pay for the points to the DVC owner. Is this correct?

 

[BuzzandAriel'smom]

Yeah, they have already paid for it and you are paying them to use their points. People rent them out if they are not going to be able to use their points for the year and it usually pays for their maintenance fees.

If you click on DVC on the top of the DIS home page you will find a "points calculator", you put in your dates and what kind of room you want at which location you want. Then you can post a Reservation Wanted message on the Rent/Trade board (read the posting rules first). Owners will respond to you and let you know what they have available and what price they are asking.

It requires alot of trust on both ends of the deal. I look for someone with more than 100 posts to their name and then always get their "real name" and address so you can look it up on the florida real estate website to make sure they are legit and really own DVC.

When you decide on an owner you agree to their terms and payment method. They send you a confirmation that the reservation is in your name and then you are all set.

I hope that helps. We saved quite a bit for our upcoming vacation by renting.

 

[logan115]

To give you an idea of the savings, we are renting points at the Beach Club Villas, a studio for 5 nights (Sunday - Friday) May 25th - 30th for a total cost of $715, or $143 per night (no tax involved). I paid $11 per point. Weekend nights are about double the points, so we move to a value or mod resort for those nights. As you can see, this is a substantial savings over booking through Disney. You can also add the dining plan (with or without purchasing tickets) and pay for it upon check-in. I worked with a great owner for this trip, flexible payment and got my confirmation in the mail promptly. This is an awesome way to check out the DVC deluxe resorts without paying those deluxe prices.

We got almost as good of a deal, we're paying about $150/night (again - no tax) to stay in a studio at SSR for Sun-Fri. At the time we would've paid about $100/night at POP, with tax and everything else it would be closer to $120-$130, and while we LOVE POP (staying there when we check out of SSR for a few days), paying the extra $25/night to stay at a DVC is well worth it, IMHO.

Chris

 

[eliza61]

Great, thanks for all of the info. I'm going to check into that link now.

But , essentially, a DVC owner "owns" a Disney Villa, let's say at the Boardwalk. He/she can then rent it out on a "points" basis, where I, the renter, would pay for the points to the DVC owner. Is this correct?

You got it.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Here are some of the downsides.

Members usually make their reservations 11 months out, so you can't wait until three or four months out and get a reservation as easily as you can with CRO. Especially if you want anytime from Oct 1 until mid Jan. Or Spring Break and Easter. Very popular times with members. If you want these times, you need to be talking to a member a year ahead of time.

Cancellation may be impossible. Think of it as a priceline type reservation. When you have it, it's yours and you can't change it. Plus, if you can't go, you might not get any refunds if the member can't do anything with the reservation.

For seven nights or fewer, you will get your towels replaced and trash removed on day 4. If you stay 8 nights or more, you get a full cleaning on day 4 and trash removed and towels replaced on day 8. Studios and one bedroom villas sleep 4 (except for the non-Value AKV one bedrooms that sleep 5). Two bedrooms sleep 8, grand villas sleep 12. Even with all the space you get in a villa, occupancy is strict. DVC will not provide rollaways or extra bedding. Studios and one bedroom villas get four bath towels, two hand towels and four face cloths. Two bedrooms (that times two). Grand villas (that times three). If you want more, you have to pay for them.

DVC will not allow late checkouts. 11AM is it. And DVC checks in later - after 4PM (and many times it can be as late as 5 or 6).

If you are not the member who owns the points used for that reservation, you cannot call Member Services for any reason. They will not talk to a non-member. So you won't be able to confirm your reservation with them. You might be able to confirm the reservation with the hotel about two or three days before you check in, but some people have reported calling the hotel and were told they didn't have time to talk to them.

Renting a DVC reservation takes a lot of trust. There are a few cheaters out there (and they are not necessarily DVC members either). So be careful.