What to ask and look for when renting an offsite home?

[Nixie]

We are really thinking about renting an offsite house for our up and coming vacation. What kinds of things should we look for? What questions should we ask? What areas or housing additions should we look for? What is a fair price for a 4 or 5 bedroom home for the first week of April? Any words of wisdom for us? This will be our first stay offsite.

 

[mguedes]

When comparing your options you should ask:
- if there are other fees like credit card fee, cleaning fee.
- prices with tax included?
- new home? when was the last time it was renovated? Carpeting may be an issue.

Just to give you an example of how it is important to ask about "hidden" fees.

Tax 13%
Credit card 3%
cleaning fee US$100 (that is 9.5% for a 7 day stay at $150/day)
That is a 25% difference! That's an awful lot!


I paid around US$150 (tax and fees included) last April for a townhome. I believe it is a fair price.

 

[Itinkso]

We rented a house for Spring Break week in 2011 in the Highgrove Area on the 27. We paid $775 total for a four bedroom villa with game room and screened pool for 7 nights.

It's best to look on vrbo.com to get an idea of rental prices. When you call, ask about deposit amounts and when full payment is due. Also ask to make sure it is a non-smoking and no pet home. If there is a pool, make sure it is enclosed with a screen - this deters gators.

Also ask about who to contact in case of problems etc. We fund a house thru vrbo and dealt directly with the owner. Have fun searching!

 

[Ali]

I rented a house once in Windsor Hills. It was a home with 2 Mickey Mouse themed bedrooms and "luxury linens" throughout. The Disney sheets were so threadbare and holey I didn't want my family sleeping in them. I know if you advertise Disney themed rooms you have to have Disney things but seriously, but some new sheets!!!! The other linens were horrible, scratchy, ripped, hole filled messes. I may be a bit picky but we sleep on pure cotton sheets at home because of sensitive skin. So I called the rental agency and complained because we didn't pack sheets because they assured me the Luxury Linens were good quality. So the rental agent went out to walmart, bought some 120 thread count poly cotton sheets and brought them to us. Not cool.

This is not something people think about, but I always think about it now.

Oh, and it was April, and we had a pool but it was freezing cold in the water. We called on the first day to get the pool heat turned on and maybe because of lack of sunlight. The pool never heated up so I called to ask about it and they said it takes 4 days to get the temp up. So be careful if you pay for pool heat and make sure it is turned on days before you get there.

And there was 1 roll of toilet paper in the 4 bathroom house. No video games, even though they said they were there, the internet didn't work, and no one seemed to care.

Its not always better to rent a place offsite. We haven't done it since. Buy your mileage may vary!

 

[tina Jucius]

Make sure to read the reviews others have written, like on TripAdvisor. People do write things about how bad the beds were, etc.
Make sure you ask about things that are important to you before signing on.
Always get a total quote..it can be hard to comparison shop as some will have taxes included, and the cleaning fee, or non-refundable insurance deposit.
And most charge for use of a BBQ grill and pool heater extra. Up to $25 per day for the heater and some require you pay up front, even if you don't know if you'll need it, and even if it's touted as being solar heated!
If you are willing to stay 15-20 mins away, the prices can be much lower.
I just snagged a 3 bedroom with screened in heated pool with a lake view and grill for $600 total with all of the above fees in Oct.
It did take me many hours to work through it all, and now I'm hoping everything is perfect when I get there!

 

[spiceycat]

make sure that what you want is there.

if you intend to use the grill - verify that one is there.
same with other stuff.

would ask if the pictures on the site are recent - if they are not - that may be a problem.

since this is your first time would go thru a broker not an individual (unless you know them) just in case the home you picked was not up to your standards.

a broker can get you another place.

 

[khanna]

This is our first time staying off site next Apirl/May. We are renting a 6 bedroom home in Windsor Hills. I have spoken to the owner twice--he is super nice, responsive and took time to answer all my questions. His house is through All Star Vacation Homes--yes, you will pay more--BUT the service is supposed to be better, quality of cleaning better, professionally cleaned linens--no holes. this is what is expected of us using this management company.
The house we are renting is Castle Disney--6 bed, 4 bath. You may not need one this big--but there others. I would go to the All Site vacation homes site and look at them. We are very excited and I think you will be too once you see the quality. Also, Windsor Hills is 10 min to WDW. Good luck!

 

[rt2dz]

I always ask for an "all inclusive" quote to include cleaning, taxes, pol heat, etc from the owner. No surprises that way. I ask to look at the contract before sending a deposit to make sure all is there. I read through the reviews on VRBO and also Google for "hidden" reviews. I check out neighborhoods. I also go through what each place offers very carefully. If you are unsure about anything, ask questions of the owner/property manager. I love VRBO's filters. For Disney, come here and look for reviews too.

Prices will vary based on a variety of factors. I've rented over thanksgiving week + a few days a 4 bedroom, 2 bath house with a great game room, heated south facing pool minutes from Disney and paid $800 inclusive. No disappointments here!

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