Which dvc company to rent from

[JonT36]

Just wondering if it really matters other than preference which company to rent dvc points from? Is there an advantage over renting from one or another?

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Each company will have a different "inventory" of owners willing to make reservations on behalf of renters. In general, the companies that are cheapest for you are going to have fewer owners with premium points (resorts like Poly, VGF, BCV) because they also pay owners less, and owners are pretty rational.

Different companies have different payment terms.

 

[JonT36]

So if one company doesn’t have an owner with availability then it’s possibly another company does? That is basically the difference?

 

[Denise W]

So if one company doesn’t have an owner with availability then it’s possibly another company does? That is basically the difference?

Yes. Owners generally rent their points through one company.
Denise

 

[JonT36]

Is there one company that has a larger inventory of owners or is mentioning companies not allowed on the board?

 

[Denise W]

Inventory is unknown, you should google for a list of names. Then you can call them and ask how big their inventory is. I am sure it fluctuates daily. You can start with the company that sponsors this board.
Denise

 

[rwdavis2]

Is there one company that has a larger inventory of owners or is mentioning companies not allowed on the board?

We are not allowed to mention DVC renters other than David’s DVC.

 

[crvetter]

I will add that the waitlists (for near park resorts) are long at all major DVC rental brokers (and no matter what the broker spins it isn't really a first come first serve system). Essentially the demand for DVC rentals far far outstrips the current supply, especially when looking in the 7-11 month window. If your requested room and resort remains available to the 7 month then odds are higher that an owner would be available to book it (since SSR and OKW owners come into play at those near park resorts). However, at 7 months availability disappears quickly for the rooms people want to rent (studios) and when they want to rent (fall, spring, winter).

 

[JonT36]

Ok we were looking for a 2 bedroom for 10 months out close to either park Epcot or mk. I read somewhere that studios at poly are usually still available at 7 month mark since that’s all they have other than bungalows. Is this true?

 

[crvetter]

Ok we were looking for a 2 bedroom for 10 months out close to either park Epcot or mk. I read somewhere that studios at poly are usually still available at 7 month mark since that’s all they have other than bungalows. Is this true?

Depends on the time of year. We can't give availability out on the DIS as it changes minute by minute. However, Poly Studios are easier at 7 than most because it is all studios so people trade out of Poly means more than likely a studio opens (after all the bungalow points leave the resort). But Poly Studios can be hard at 7 months if looking during mid-September to mid-January simply because most of the studios and 2 bedrooms on property book up fast during that time (cheaper per nigh point wise and lots of festivals and experiences in the parks).

The other issue with Poly is it has a huge waitlist to rent there.

Your best bests for a 2 bedroom near Epcot or MK would be BLT-Lake View, BRV, or potentially CCV (depending on time of year). Epcot with BWV and BCV being popular rental places finding an owner can be harder. BCV has dedicated 2 bedrooms whereas BWV has 2 bedroom lockoffs only so once studios disappear then 2 beds do. But BWV Pool Garden has decent availability outside of the mid-September to mid-January timeframe, even during that time frame you can get lucky. BCV does book up quick in studios and 2 beds during that window.

Here is a good thread for you to get a general idea on availability
https://www.disboards.com/threads/p...-bd-charts-september-2019-2-bd-added.3689931/

 

[dansdad]

edit

 

[_auroraborealis_]

10 months out from now is November, which is the darkest heart of DVC high demand season. Every broker is going to have a waitlist of renters waiting on points for units near MK and Epcot that have been in play for a month already. I would rate your chances of getting prime units as so-so, regardless of broker.

And for MK and Epcot resorts, you will want to look at the brokers charging you most, as they will be paying owners most. DVC owners at those resorts know that they are high demand and need not accept cut rates.

Beware anyone who PMs you on DIS offering a rental. There are several scammers at work doing that. Note that PayPal offer zero protection for timeshare rental scams.

 

[nkereina]

So if one company doesn’t have an owner with availability then it’s possibly another company does? That is basically the difference?

In addition this, I also wanted to emphasize that payment terms and insurance offerings are different between the brokers as well. One broker requires a pre-payment up front when requesting a reservation, but its refundable if they are unable to fulfill your reservation. This broker also requires full payment at time of booking. Another broker requires only a down payment at time of booking with balance due closer to the trip. They also offer a cancel for any reason insurance that's an option add on. Just review the FAQs and terms of each broker before proceeding, because the rentals are non-refundable no matter who you use.

 

[danc18]

10 months out from now is November, which is the darkest heart of DVC high demand season. Every broker is going to have a waitlist of renters waiting on points for units near MK and Epcot that have been in play for a month already. I would rate your chances of getting prime units as so-so, regardless of broker.

And for MK and Epcot resorts, you will want to look at the brokers charging you most, as they will be paying owners most. DVC owners at those resorts know that they are high demand and need not accept cut rates.

Beware anyone who PMs you on DIS offering a rental. There are several scammers at work doing that. Note that PayPal offer zero protection for timeshare rental scams.

I was really interested in trying the DVC route but this post ( if true) makes me not want to bother. Looking at AKL early November and would only entertain Davids. Is it others experience that despite the notion that requests are generally answered within 24 hours, they mostly come up empty and are waitlisted?

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Is it others experience that despite the notion that requests are generally answered within 24 hours, they mostly come up empty and are waitlisted?

They are responded to, but you are unlikely to immediately get a booking in early November.

If you're looking at AKV Value, they're long gone for ALL of November, as well.

There is a waitlist for owners with points to book the resort. DVC rental is not a secret any more, and demand is far higher than supply of owners not using their own points.

 

[nkereina]

I was really interested in trying the DVC route but this post ( if true) makes me not want to bother. Looking at AKL early November and would only entertain Davids. Is it others experience that despite the notion that requests are generally answered within 24 hours, they mostly come up empty and are waitlisted?

Renting DVC points is still worthwhile to look into, but its imperative for people to have a back-up plan in case it doesn't work out. Last time we rented DVC points was for Aulani in Hawaii, and we had booked a cash reservation that we held onto until our DVC booking was confirmed. I would recommend doing the same for anyone attempting to rent DVC points. Also, being flexible with dates, room views, and room types is helpful too.

When you're between 7-11 months out, only owners of the specific resort you're interested in are able to book there. Because its relegated to owners-only, the brokers are at the mercy of those owners' points which sometimes can be a small pool. Because of this, people are waitlisted. Also, this is why you pay a premium with the brokers during this timeframe. At the 7 month mark, any owners' points can be used to complete the booking, so its easier to secure the points but resort availability can be an issue at that point.

All that said, AKV is not the most difficult resort to book generally speaking, but I would still say try to stay flexible.

Why only David's? There are other reputable brokers out there as well.

 

[Lynne M]

We definitely don't restrict discussion of DVC rental companies to DVC by Request (David's); look around a bit and you'll see other agencies mentioned. There are some companies that we don't allow to be discussed here, which is why we require that when you post the name of ANY business on the DISboards, you must use the full URL. Not just a name, and not a nickname. In other words, dvcbyrequest.com. This allows our site filter to catch and remove mentions of banned businesses.

 

[Lynne M]

There are a couple of factors that determine how likely you are to find the DVC rental you want:

1) Availability of the room.

This is driven by the season, the desirability of the resort and room type, and the number of rooms of the resort/type that you want.

- DVC's busiest season is mid-Sept through the end of the year, peaking in December, so reservations in those time periods can be tough to get.

- Rooms with low point cost tend to go quickly; BWV standard view is an example. Some DVC resorts have a relatively small number of rooms (VGF and BCV come to mind), so are harder to get than, say, SSR, which has about a thousand rooms. There are a handful of BWV grand villas, and only a few AKV club level rooms, so they're always tough.

2) Availability of owners with the points you need.

Unlike resort availability, this isn't predictable. Most owners use their points most of the time. They'll put their points up for rent when they don't want to use points, or can't. Someone's ill and the family can't go that year. They want a vacation they can't get through DVC. That sort of thing. And on top of that, there's no predicting which rental agency they'll choose to rent through.

I guess you could game things a bit by choosing one of the more active rental agencies, like David's. They handle a lot of rentals, and a lot of owners like to use them - but they're also well known, so a lot of renters have requests in with them.

This was all a long-winded way of saying that there's a lot of luck involved in securing the rental you want. You can improve your chances by being flexible: if you're only willing to take a BWV grand villa in October during a school holiday period, your chances are a lot slimmer than if you have some backup resort choices and your dates are flexible. Probably the most important way to increase your chances is to start the process EARLY. DVC owners can book their home resort at 11 months out, and other resorts at 7 months out. If's best to be in contact with an agency before the 11 month booking window opens.

 

[firefly_ris]

Good thread. This is something I've just started researching as a possibility for a 2022 trip and just trying to wrap my head on just how likely it would be to secure a studio reservation somewhere at 11 months out. The pricing for the studios is generally not bad, especially since the rack rates on moderates seems to have made a hefty jump.

If I'm contacting a rental agency, would you say it's better to have flexible dates, OR is it better to be flexible with the resort -- as in, I'd send them my top three choices and I'd take any they could get? I'm also wondering if they ever try to set up split stays if resorts are only available for part of the stay.

 

[nkereina]

If I'm contacting a rental agency, would you say it's better to have flexible dates, OR is it better to be flexible with the resort -- as in, I'd send them my top three choices and I'd take any they could get? I'm also wondering if they ever try to set up split stays if resorts are only available for part of the stay.

IMO, its easier for them if you have flexible resorts. At 11 months out, their issue will be owner availability rather than resort availability. As mentioned, from 7-11 months out, only owners at the resort you want can book there. So if you want BLT for December 12-20 (for example), and they don't have enough owners with enough points for BLT, they may have owners from OKW or SSR that can accommodate your dates if you're flexible on the resort.

Resort availability is what it is - all DVC owners and brokers are subject to the same pool of availability. If you're dead set on BLT (again, for example) but totally flexible in your dates, it doesn't really matter if they don't have enough BLT owners with enough points available to accommodate your request. Also keep in mind that others who submitted requests for the resort before you will come first as well.

If you want to secure something right at 11 months, the best way to do that is to be flexible on the resort. At 11 months and at any resort, I don't think you'd have to worry about doing a split stay because of lack of availability.