?? Too soon to think about renting DVC points for May 2017?

[Bubbles41]

Hi, new to the world of DISBoards but I've seen some very helpful info already. Excited to start planning our first WDW trip!! We were hoping to go two years ago but had to put it on hold. Is it way too soon to consider asking about renting DVC points in May 2017? Are most rentals "pay in full at booking" or are owners ok with payment plans? Would we be allowed to use trip insurance as a back up in case of unexpected changes? Would love to stay at Bay Lake Towers, the upfront cost of a two bedroom villa for our family will be worth the cost of food savings and comfort for 5-7 day window we are considering. Plus we'd save quite a bit renting points rather than going rack rate for the resort/room we would like. Thanks for any tips/advice!

 

[rnorwo1]

Rooms can only be rented 11 months out if it's the owner's home resort, 7 months out for any owner. Yes, they require payment in full. Trip insurance may help if you need to cancel, but ive read many reviews about them not paying in many circumstances. Go to the DVC boards here to find a great deal more info. You can also look at David's DVC (a broker) rather than renting from an individual owner. You have a lot of time, so you can also consider whether you want to take the risks Of renting, vs just saving to have a refundable room. We own a small dvc contract, and I've rented before to get bigger rooms, and we have had no problems. But there are risks, so research a lot!

 

[wendow]

Too soon to think about it? Nope!! Too soon to actually secure the renting of points? Yep.

The way renting points works is that you either go through a broker (like David's) or through an owner directly. I have done both and saved by going directly through an owner but I highly recommend David's, especially for a first time renter. If the points are owned at that resort, then dates can be rented 11 mos out. If the owner owns somewhere other than BLT (in your case), then they can only rent at that resort 7 mos out.

BLT books up fast, especially at certain times of the year. And there are not a ton of 2 bedrooms. So, in your case, I would go through David's or find a BLT owner on the DVC rent board. You may start watching that board to get a feel for the process.

Good luck! We have stayed at BLT 3x (on rented points) and it is one of my favs!

Oh, yes, payment in full is the norm. Also nonrefundable. Also like pp said, trip insurance doesn't cover many, many instances that might cause you to cancel. SO, kind of risky to rent points but huge savings if you are willing to deal with those risks.

 

[bridgemanva]

Not all owners require paid in full. Check references, use paypal and review rental contract in advance, there should be one for any transaction. Also the owner can buy the point rental insurance through DVC it doesn't cover full cost but it's about half of avg rental cost. also, some owners allow rebooking based on availability and use year of points that have been rented.

 

[crisi]

You may or may not get a standard view room at BLT even booking right at eleven months. So have a backup plan.

 

[tasha99]

I rented out my dvc at Grand californian this year. I took a down payment non refundable) and the rest 60 days before the trip. I don't think payment in full is necessarily the norm.

 

[Marionnette]

I rented out my dvc at Grand californian this year. I took a down payment non refundable) and the rest 60 days before the trip. I don't think payment in full is necessarily the norm.

It definitely depends on what route you take to rent the reservation. If you're going through one of the companies that acts as a go-between, then you're going to have to pay in full at the time of confirmation. And some owners will require full payment long before that 60-day mark so that they don't end up in a situation where they are unable to rent out the reservation or bank their points into the next use year.

IMO, the OP should education themselves about the way DVC works and the whole rental process over the next few months. Then, if BLT is their dream location, they should probably begin looking for an owner in the beginning of May of this year so that the owner will be ready to make the reservation as soon as the booking window opens in June.

 

[starry_solo]

Not too soon to think about renting in May 2017! I've already secured a DVC point owner (used him when I went a few years ago) for my trip in May 2017

 

[Jfsag123]

I have rented at BLT twice from private owners, both times with payment plans. There is also one rental company that lets you do a payment plan as well.

 

[itdjbw]

I've rented my points and have done full payment and payment plan depending on use year and what is booked. I have repeat renters that contact me which is great so I work with them to make great memories etc.

 

[3 DD love princesses]

no planning for 2017 is not too soon. I own at BLT and I'm glad they posted the 2017 point charts that depends on how many trips we take this year if we want to go in 2017 or wait and go in 2018. never too soon to plan vacations

 

[Bubbles41]

Thanks to everyone for their replies, definitely some great information and advice! Will watch the boards and consider all options so I'm well prepared with information come May/June when we are ready to start booking.