Renting Points

[jltdone]

I am new to the renting of point things. In fact this will be our 1st time doing it if we do it. I would like to know what others felt and experinces were renting for the 1st time.
I am nervous, I am working 2 jobs to pay for a disney vacation, yes i know i can stay is MODS or VALUE but I dont want to my family deserves the best they are wonderful.
We are not talking a few dollars if you get scammed we are talking $$$$$$$$$$ if you get scammed.
I am just trying to look at my options to rent or not to rent. Save $$$$$$$$ renting or spend more $$$$$$$$ going right through disney.
I have read all about DVC points and how they book 11 months out and 7 months out, the no housekeeping ( which is fine ) home resorts and non home resorts. What are impossible to get and what isnt at certain time marks. Agian just curious if others felt the same way I do right now.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

We are mostly owners in this group and we are all pretty honest. We also have heard of very few real issues for those who do their diligence or use a major broker.

Do not use eBay or similar and if the price being charged is above or below market rates (check with brokers for prevailing rates) those are red flags.

 

[Ben E N]

A place like David's is your most secure option if you are worried about a scam. Your likelihood is not high going through these boards, but David's is as close to a sure thing as possible, at least in terms of not losing out on your money. In going with them, though, you prepay for the whole stay and are locked into those dates. It is not like a hotel where you can cancel or change your reservation as your needs change. I have gone through David's and loved it. Upgrading from a moderate resort made a big difference that made the other hassles completely worth it to me.

 

[jltdone]

I have looked here and have contacted a few people and I have also contacted Davids. Just a few things with davids is that yes you have to pay all 100% up front. 2. is Im looking for GF like everyone else and with them you put request in and then have to wait till they find someone that has points for there and then try to secure the booking. I was just wondering if everyone else felt the same way I do about renting for the 1st time. Thanks again this forum is awesome answers a ton of my questions and boy do I have lots of questions.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Not "everyone" is looking for GF, but depending on your dates it may be quite challenging. It can be challenging for an owner, let alone a renter, to secure studios.

 

[bwbuddy5]

My experience as a renter: https://www.disboards.com/threads/my-renter-is-booking-for-me-2-days-before-7mo-window.3643446/

 

[_auroraborealis_]

You were booking summer at 7. OP is apparently wanting VGF the first week of December. Big, big difference in terms of what an owner will be charging and the challenge of getting a booking.

 

[bwbuddy5]

You were booking summer at 7. OP is apparently wanting VGF the first week of December. Big, big difference in terms of what an owner will be charging and the challenge of getting a booking.

Agreed. And I always look at the data from drusba to get a feel for availability. It’s always good to have multiple options

 

[Ben E N]

VGF is very difficult to get as a renter. You are not only up against other renters, but owners who do not have it as a home resort. It is also very small in terms of availability.
Your best odds are BLT lake view, AKV, SSR, OKW, and maybe Poly or BWV. If you would not be satisfied in any of these places, I would not set your hopes too high.

 

[shairpdrh]

We had a very positive experience renting through the boards here (with two more stays coming up). I was nervous, too, but I decided to go for it. I asked for references and a contract that spelled out terms. I was originally looking at using David's, but we wanted VGF and BWV standard view the first week in Dec and needed a large number of points (and waiting until exactly 11 months was making me too nervous). Both of the owners I worked with walked my reservation for me and I am grateful!

 

[robinb]

Renting points is always requires a degree of trust. Even if you rent with David, the DVC member can mess up or cancel. Although you would not be out your money with David's there is a small risk that you would be out the reservation. That being said, tons of people rent with NO problems what so ever. If you rent from here, I would recommend renting from someone with an established presence here v/s someone brand new.

You have to decide if you have the intestinal fortitude to rent DVC points and if you are ready to accept the rare yet possible possibility that you might get scammed. If not, then book directly with Disney and pay more or stay in a moderate.

 

[crisi]

The bigger issue than getting scammed on a tight budget is that your plans change. DVC reservations are usually final - so if you experience a job loss or an illness or a sudden need to replace your car or furnace, you cannot cancel your trip and get your money back.

Some brokers may offer refunds for an additional fee (I think one does, I'm not sure who). Some private owners will try and work with you if they can rerent your reservation. But there is the very real possibility that you could loose thousands because the day before vacation, someone gets ill enough they can't travel.

I rented points once (wanted to do a resort switch to a high demand resort, so I rented out my own points and rented someone else's points for HHI in the Summer). My biggest fear was that we'd have to cancel the trip, not that we'd get scammed.

 

[Ben E N]

The bigger issue than getting scammed on a tight budget is that your plans change. DVC reservations are usually final - so if you experience a job loss or an illness or a sudden need to replace your car or furnace, you cannot cancel your trip and get your money back.

Some brokers may offer refunds for an additional fee (I think one does, I'm not sure who). Some private owners will try and work with you if they can rerent your reservation. But there is the very real possibility that you could loose thousands because the day before vacation, someone gets ill enough they can't travel.

I rented points once (wanted to do a resort switch to a high demand resort, so I rented out my own points and rented someone else's points for HHI in the Summer). My biggest fear was that we'd have to cancel the trip, not that we'd get scammed.

I still remember how badly I freaked out when my daughter licked a shopping cart the week before our rental was set to start. If she had contracted some nasty bacterial disease, we would have been able to reschedule our flight for a big fee, but our rental would have been a sunk cost.

 

[crisi]

I still remember how badly I freaked out when my daughter licked a shopping cart the week before our rental was set to start. If she had contracted some nasty bacterial disease, we would have been able to reschedule our flight for a big fee, but our rental would have been a sunk cost.

We had a trip where the day before we were to leave, my daughter ended up taking an ambulance from school to the hospital. She'd fallen and hit her head. She was cleared to travel - but with no roller coasters. When I was a kid, we had a family trip cancelled when my sister broke her arm the day before we were to leave. We cancelled a trip to Ireland two years ago - we only lost our deposit - when I ended up in the hospital for a week right before Christmas and wasn't well enough to travel by March when the trip was.

 

[robinb]

The bigger issue than getting scammed on a tight budget is that your plans change. DVC reservations are usually final - so if you experience a job loss or an illness or a sudden need to replace your car or furnace, you cannot cancel your trip and get your money back.

Some brokers may offer refunds for an additional fee (I think one does, I'm not sure who). Some private owners will try and work with you if they can rerent your reservation. But there is the very real possibility that you could loose thousands because the day before vacation, someone gets ill enough they can't travel.

I rented points once (wanted to do a resort switch to a high demand resort, so I rented out my own points and rented someone else's points for HHI in the Summer). My biggest fear was that we'd have to cancel the trip, not that we'd get scammed.

Good point. Most DVC rentals are non-refundable. When I rent points, I am willing to work with renters if something comes up. I had one renter who had to shift her vacation by a week and I was able to make the change without a problem, although she had to go from a standard view to a garden view. We were both lucky because even if someone wants to change, there may not be availability to do so. My contract also usually includes an option to cancel, but only if I can find another renter. There is a fee for cancellations because I have to spend time finding and vetting another renter. I recall reading on anther thread that David was willing to re-rent a NYE reservation but the renter would still need to pay $3-$4 per point even if they found the renter themselves.

 

[bwbuddy5]

Keep in mind too that there are numerous trip insurance companies in a very competitive market. A few hundred dollars extra is worth it when compared to a vacation cost of several thousand dollars.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Plan right now not to get a GFV studio. It probably won't happen.

 

[GotLabradors]

We rented at VGF for our last trip. I found an owner here on the DIS. Apparently, getting a one bedroom is easier than getting a studio which was fine for us. We enjoyed having the extra space. The owner had no problem getting our reservation at the end of September/beginning of October. I'm not sure how December availability would be. I did try to go through David's but the only resorts they had points for during our week were OKW and SSR. If you're looking for VGF, you will need to find an owner who can make the reservation for you at 11 months out.

 

[kboo]

We have rented 3x now, and each time looked at an agency first but found responsive and responsible owners on the rent/trade board here. They've set up room requests and Magical Express reservations for us, and most recently even given us some advice on buying DVC, which we did this spring. The first time, I did ask for and get a contract and paid by check, so I knew the owner's name and home address, which also showed a fair bit of trust. The last 2 times I went through paypal, without a contract, because I felt comfortable enough with the owners and with the system, and it was fine. If there's availability and you find an owner willing to rent, be prepared to pull the trigger early because high demand reservations and home resorts aren't around forever.

I do think it's a terrific option if you can abide by the risk and pay in full, nonrefundably. On our last trip, which also included a Disney cruise, we got travel insurance for the whole airfare/lodging/cruise part. It was not that much $ considering how much we were spending on the trip as a whole, and well worth the peace of mind.

 

[Disneypapa]

I am a DVC owner since 2002. I have rented out my excess points numerous times and provide a written contract to protect both myself and the renter. you should expect (demand) a written contract. As many posters have said previously, some trust is required by both parties and the main thing, is the lack of flexibility in changing once you have committed. I have not had anyone want to change their reservations, but it is all contingent upon availability, etc. when a change in necessary. Once I rent the points, they are yours and if things do not work out when trying to change dates, etc. It is at your lost.

that said, I think you will are likely to have a wonderful experience and the cost of accommodations will be worth the effort.