To Rent or Not to Rent

[Mouselovejess]

Has anyone rented DVC points? If so, how was it? Who did you use to rent said points? Where did you stay? Would you do it again? Any and all info would be appreciated! Thank you!

 

[mitchwebb]

We started with our first stay in 2005 renting points now we own DVC. It is addicting. A BWV studio is as low as 10 points in OCT and for $14 dollars a pont or $140 dollars you can stay at BWV. They now sleep 5. We rented a one bedroom because we like to have more space for a family of 5. It is a better bargain during low points months. We found someone on another disney forum that rented points and were lucky everything went well since i really did not do a lot of background. We rented two more times before we finally broke down and bought our own contract. If renting just make sure the person has been around on the forums for a long time and has a large thread count. There are some good info threads on how to rent.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Same here we rented points in 2003 then became DVC members and now when we have points to spare we rent them out.

 

[Mouselovejess]

We started with our first stay in 2005 renting points now we own DVC. It is addicting. A BWV studio is as low as 10 points in OCT and for $14 dollars a pont or $140 dollars you can stay at BWV. They now sleep 5. We rented a one bedroom because we like to have more space for a family of 5. It is a better bargain during low points months. We found someone on another disney forum that rented points and were lucky everything went well since i really did not do a lot of background. We rented two more times before we finally broke down and bought our own contract. If renting just make sure the person has been around on the forums for a long time and has a large thread count. There are some good info threads on how to rent.

Fantastic! Im sure the same will be for us, but do you remember who you used the first time?

 

[Mouselovejess]

Same here we rented points in 2003 then became DVC members and now when we have points to spare we rent them out.

How do you rent your points? Like a vrbo way or do you use a company?

 

[danielw888]

We use Davids DVC to rent points. You will pay slightly more than if you rent them directly from a DVC owner, but Davids have great customer service and does all the looking/booking for you.

 

[SunnieRN]

And David's is reliable. You don't pay money and end up burned!!!

BWV studios sleep 5? Or the one bedrooms? I hadn't heard of studios sleeping 5.

 

[danielw888]

Yes the BWV studios now sleep 5. They have a bed, pull out sofa, and then the dresser under the TV is actually a pull down bed also.

http://dvcnews.com/index.php/resort...9/2935-boardwalk-villas-renovated-room-photos

 

[elgerber]

And David's is reliable. You don't pay money and end up burned!!!

BWV studios sleep 5? Or the one bedrooms? I hadn't heard of studios sleeping 5.

The one bedrooms did not change, only the studios.

 

[supersnoop]

Just be aware that those 10-point studios at BWV during Food & Wine are all booked up within 5 minutes of coming available at 11 months out. You'll pay a premium for booking that far in advance, since anything past 7 months requires "home resort" points. Availability through DVC is not the same as booking a cash reservation. Basically, you need to plan well in advance if you want to rent points.

 

[Marionnette]

Just be aware that those 10-point studios at BWV during Food & Wine are all booked up within 5 minutes of coming available at 11 months out. You'll pay a premium for booking that far in advance, since anything past 7 months requires "home resort" points. Availability through DVC is not the same as booking a cash reservation. Basically, you need to plan well in advance if you want to rent points.

Yup! I own at BWV. It's very difficult to get the standard view studios during F&W thru early December (the most popular DVC times). I could be online right at the 11-month mark and still not be able to book because of demand. You need to have an owner lined up almost a year ahead of time if you want to book BWV in the fall. And they need to be willing to jump on the DVC website right when booking for the first day of your stay opens up.

 

[LJSquishy]

I rented points from a Dis member and had a great experience. We stayed 9 nights at AKL and the transaction was seamless. We paid half in advance once we agreed to book our stay through that member, and the remaining half after our reservation was booked. Our trip was amazing and I don't think I'd stay any other way now. My parents joined us on our trip but stayed at BC and they booked through a DVC Rental service (not David's, they found that David's was slow to respond so moved on and went with a different company that was wonderful). So, we both had great experiences renting points.

 

[jls886]

Add us to the list of those who used to rent points (I think we rented 4-5 times) before buying our own resale contract. We're now owners at Boardwalk and rent our extra points out when we have them. Renting points was a fantastic way to stay at a deluxe resort for about the price of staying at a moderate.

Honestly, anyone who has rented in the past, unless it has been pretty recently, isn't going to be much help as far as specific names because a lot of people aren't necessarily still renting. We used the same person a couple of times and then she was completely unresponsive when we I asked her about renting for another trip. You can go to the DVC rent/trade board to find DISBoard members who are currently renting their points.

ETA: there is some risk involved in renting points, especially compared to booking directly through Disney. The DVC member remains in complete control of your reservation, which is where the element of risk comes in. They book the reservation for you, you pay them, and then you trust that they won't cancel the reservation on you. Hence why a PP said to be sure they're a reputable member before you hand over any money. Many renters also offer references, like we have a handful of past renters who are happy to vouch for us being reputable and honest to any new potential renters who may want that added peace of mind.

 

[Sleepy425]

We rented in 2013 through David's for Old Key West the first week in December. We bought our own points in 2014 because we loved it so much.

 

[crisi]

There are things to know. Generally there is a no cancellation policy - brokers won't even let you make changes. DVC rooms are not set up like regular hotel rooms - most studios are a queen bed and a full pullout (OKW has two queens). Checkout time is strictly enforced. There are no surprise upgrades (for all practical purposes). Even with a broker, your owner can decide to cancel your reservation - with a broker you are assured you'll get your money back, but you won't have a room. This has happened - generally due to non-payment of dues or the sale of the contract. Daily housekeeping is not included - and that includes clean towels. DVC rooms need to generally be booked far in advance - especially at the popular resorts.

But if you can work with that, it can be an awesome bargain.

 

[IndyRnRfan]

There are things to know. Generally there is a no cancellation policy - brokers won't even let you make changes. DVC rooms are not set up like regular hotel rooms - most studios are a queen bed and a full pullout (OKW has two queens). Checkout time is strictly enforced. There are no surprise upgrades (for all practical purposes). Even with a broker, your owner can decide to cancel your reservation - with a broker you are assured you'll get your money back, but you won't have a room. This has happened - generally due to non-payment of dues or the sale of the contract. Daily housekeeping is not included - and that includes clean towels. DVC rooms need to generally be booked far in advance - especially at the popular resorts.

But if you can work with that, it can be an awesome bargain.

We are thinking of booking through David's rental for next June. If his web site says its $880 for the week, is that all we pay? I've read that there is a higher charge if you book between 7-11 months, is this for renters as well or only dvc members? Also, if there is no housekeeping daily, can you still get clean towels if you go ask for them and pick them up?

 

[Marionnette]

We are thinking of booking through David's rental for next June. If his web site says its $880 for the week, is that all we pay? I've read that there is a higher charge if you book between 7-11 months, is this for renters as well or only dvc members? Also, if there is no housekeeping daily, can you still get clean towels if you go ask for them and pick them up?

If David's website says that a reservation would cost you $880, then that's what it would cost you if he can match you up with an owner with the number of points needed AND the villa that you want is actually available. The calculator will automatically add in the premium price for select resorts if the reservation dates are more than 7 months from today (or whatever day you go to David's website and enter your dates). That premium price applies to anyone who wants to rent thru David's. DVC ownership doesn't get you any breaks on the price if you've run out of points and want to rent.

Guests staying on points will have no housekeepers on days 1-3 of their visit. On day #4, you will get “trash and towel service", which is just what it sounds like - they take out the trash and replace your towels. No housekeeper will enter your room again until day #8 of your stay. If you’re staying for 8 days or longer, you’ll get a complete room cleaning, including new towels on day #8. And then the cycle repeats with a trash and towel service on day #12 and a full cleaning on day #15.

If you want fresh towels before day #4, you can call housekeeping to request an "extra towel package", which costs $6.00.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

We have rented probably 6 or 7 times through the DVC rental board here and on another forum since 2011. We've never had a bad experience. Some owners are faster than others to respond to later requests such as adding the dining plan, adding a guest or giving DME flight info. I realize that planning my vacation is not the most urgent thing going on their lives but waiting 2 weeks for a reply to my emails was very frustrating. This was only once out of many wonderful experiences so it hasn't deterred me from renting in the future.
Keep in mind not all owners live here in the US. If that might make you uncomfortable, just ask up front, but honestly the one owner who was always so quick to reply was in the UK. The one slow to reply was in Costa Rica. Again, all reservations were just fine at check in.

I don't ever make any payment until I can see & link my reservation in MDE. It's not a guarantee that my res will be there at check in but at least I know they are DVC owners with points. Sure they could cancel and use the points themselves. They could lose their contract due to non-payment. I guess I'm a trusting person and believe that those situations are few and far between.

Most of our WDW stays are short pre-cruise stays of 1-2 nights so we can often find great deals on points because we don't need a lot of them. I can usually find someone who wants to unload their last 30-40 points just to be done looking for renters. A few times we've paid $9 pp, some $10 or 11 pp. The most was $12 pp which is the more recent rentals.

It still doesn't make me want to buy a DVC contract. We owned a non-DVC timeshare near WDW (Summer Bay) for 6 years and enjoyed it but it got to be a PITA to deal with when we'd want to cruise and time off at my job is not very flexible. We traded several times through RCI but in summer months it wasn't easy. We sold it and enjoy being renters without the hassle of ownership.

If you want to buy the dining plan but don't want to give your cc for the owner to book it, just buy a Disney gift card. This has worked well for us though again, no guarantees of honesty. In a way, there is probably more protection from fraudulent use in giving a cc #.

Good luck!!

 

[crisi]

If you want fresh towels before day #4, you can call housekeeping to request an "extra towel package", which costs $6.00.

If you rent a room with one or two bedrooms, there is a washer dryer in your room. We do laundry. There is also a free laundry room for studios.

Another thing to know is that the cheapest rooms at the cheapest price - there aren't many of them. You will NOT get a Boardwalk Villas Standard View room if you want to get the cheaper price - unless you are extraordinarily lucky. You will not get an Animal Kingdom Value room. If there are two price categories, do your planning assuming the most expensive....And book early. DVC is designed to run at 100% occupancy. Resort, room type, and time of year determine how fast that happens.

 

[Leelo]

I just booked a rental with DVC rental store. I heard great things about David's but the site we used does not require full payment up front and is accredited by the BBB. The one thing I kept seeing is to book between 7 and 11 months out for the best chance at getting one. We requested at 8 months out and got the reservation about 10 days later for Poly Lake view. The DVC member who owns the points and I sign a contract electronically. If something were to happen and it fall through, the rental store will either find me a replacement booking or will fully reimburse me. Booking this way was a huge savings for us! We stayed on property in 2007 and since then we have stayed at a friend's one-room murphy bed condo near Wet'n'Wild for free. Next year is our 10 year anniversary and wanted to stay on property again. The rental option was definitely super helpful for the budget! I will see as we go along how I like the rest of the process. Like another person said, you do not get daily room service. This is not a problem for me. I generally leave the "do not disturb" sign up for 3 days until we need it anyway.