Honest Opinions on Renting DVC Points

[gatormom2tots]

Interesting to see someone recommending the fb rental groups in view of this very recent thread https://www.disboards.com/threads/help-was-scammed.3876388/ which details how easily a scammer set up so called references & also how that fb group admin.s let the scammer continue to offer rentals despite being alerted to issues.
I’ve never rented points - before I bought my own points I did a Disney cash reservation for a 1 br. which thanks to the discount Disney was offering at the time, cost about the same as renting DVC points privately.
For a honeymoon for a couple who prefer club stays a DVC rental does not seem like a good fit. There are no club DVC villas except a couple @ AKV Jambo which OP would have about a .00001% chance of getting for the dates they want.

Yea....I saw all that onfold on fb. That was an awful situation and further complicated because the guy actually had some valid reservations he made which resulted in people vouching for him. Thankfully that situation is the exception and not the rule. This scammer did get through the cracks

Bottom line, whether you rent via fb, ebay, disboards, broker ,etc. you MUST do your due diligence because they will figure out a way. I do wish the admin of that fb group would have taken more action quicker.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I agree with others that the red flag is that you generally stay Club Level. That option simply does not exist for DVC. You cannot "add on" Club Level to your DVC room. As a renter, you won't be able to book one of the 5 total Club Level units in all of DVC.

Would you feel like having a toaster in the room is a good replacement, or would you feel like you were stepping down? How important is the cost savings to you? On your honeymoon? (It might be very important depending on the other expenses! I get it! But you have to be honest with yourself about the trade off.)

 

[luvthatmouseinohio]

I’ve rented via eBay and these boards and have been very happy with my experience. I will add, however, that I did lose all the money on a reservation that I had when Covid hit. I think it would have been nice if the owner would have split the loss with me, but he was under no obligation to do so. To me, it’s worth the risk. I could absolutely never afford to pay the rack rates to stay at a deluxe resort.
I keep my room pretty clean anyway so no housekeeping isn’t a factor for me.
Look for owners who have a contract. Do your homework. I personally would never rent off Facebook, but that’s just me.

 

[Yinn]

Check in the boards here too. There’s a good number of folks on here who rent out, and have adopted some sort of cancellation clause.

Mine for example typically allows cancellation up until my banking window for bankable points. For those that aren’t bankable, I make it known up front that the cost may be cheaper but it’s non-refundable.

Good renters should also have a book of referrals.

There’s a lot more flexibility going with a person than a company in that regard, but it is a bit more hassle.

On that note, while I didn’t have the cancellation policy until COVID hit, I also haven’t had anyone ask for a cancellation since I’ve implemented it.

 

[miTnosnhoJ]

In general, DVC is a good deal. In general, renting is a good deal.

But I think in the aftermath of Covid, we have to be much more aware of the possibility of “Black Swan” events. As a renter, what happens when you can get no refund and yet the parks are shut down? (Due to a resurgence of Covid or some other natural or man-made disaster).

 

[BeachClub2014]

I have a contrarian view on renting points for a resevation: never hand over money to a stranger for something you then do not possess or control. I do recognize that there are many, many successful rental transactions between individuals, but those require an extraordinary level of trust. Way too many scammers in the world for us to go that route.

I'm sure that I will get lots of feedback from folks here that are active in the rental trade, both as a supplier and a consumer, suggesting how wrong I am, but it only takes once to get burned. The only sure way to avoid being scammed is to not give your money to strangers.

 

[Best Aunt]

I have a contrarian view on renting points for a resevation: never hand over money to a stranger for something you then do not possess or control. I do recognize that there are many, many successful rental transactions between individuals, but those require an extraordinary level of trust. Way too many scammers in the world for us to go that route.

I'm sure that I will get lots of feedback from folks here that are active in the rental trade, both as a supplier and a consumer, suggesting how wrong I am, but it only takes once to get burned. The only sure way to avoid being scammed is to not give your money to strangers.

I think that's a perfectly valid point of view. Renting points from someone is a risk. Everyone has a different level of comfort when it comes to risk.

 

[suebeelin]

Title says it all - looking for honest opinions on renting DVC points to stay in the deluxe villas.

A little background:
My fiancé and I always stay at a deluxe resort when we go to Disney (usually club level). We are planning our honeymoon in Disney next year and are considering renting DVC points to stay in a studio or one bedroom at one of the deluxe villas. We've been looking into the pros and cons and are looking for some feedback from people who have rented points before!

Is the hassle worth the money we would save? (i.e. non refundable, working through a third party, etc.)
Is the lack of mousekeeping a deal breaker?
Does it still feel like you're staying in a deluxe resort?
Do you feel disconnected from the rest of the resort?

Any and all feedback would be great - thanks!

Here’s an idea …. Buy dvc points (resale or direct) as your wedding present to yourself! You obviously love Disney!

My friend did that for his wedding- he bought enough points to host his family for his wedding 13 yrs ago (I missed it bc I was pretty preggie).

He still has most (maybe not all) of his original dvc points. He said he saved $$$ bc the points vs the cash price either was the same or less at the end of the day.

Just a thought!

 

[suebeelin]

I’ve rented via eBay and these boards and have been very happy with my experience. I will add, however, that I did lose all the money on a reservation that I had when Covid hit. I think it would have been nice if the owner would have split the loss with me, but he was under no obligation to do so. To me, it’s worth the risk. I could absolutely never afford to pay the rack rates to stay at a deluxe resort.
I keep my room pretty clean anyway so no housekeeping isn’t a factor for me.
Look for owners who have a contract. Do your homework. I personally would never rent off Facebook, but that’s just me.

I re-booked the room, then ultimately re-rented the points at a small loss for my renter bc of COVID.

As an owner, I think it’s just a nice thing to do.

Do unto others….

 

[crisi]

Just to clarify something about the "no refunds, no changes" issue:

Points have an expiration date. I'm not sure guests renting points always realize that. So if a reservation is made for you using points, and something bad happens so you want to make a change -- it's possible that the owner can't help you, even if they want to, because the points are expiring.

The other thing is that DVC rooms can book very quickly and have very limited availability....so the combination of points coming up against their expiration date AND increasingly limited availability as you move closer to a travel date can make it impossible to move a reservation - or for those points to be used at all. Sometimes stars align - you are working with a flexible owner and availability is there. Don't count on it - even with a flexible owner.

Also be aware - it appears that right now there are a lot more people looking to rent than there are people who own looking to rent out their points. Most DVC members bought to use their own points and will rent only if they don't intend to go to Disney that year (or for several years). And most people who bought a Disney timeshare are going to Disney at least every other year. Meanwhile, there are a lot of people who want to rent points to make their vacation more affordable. You may find its more hassle than you are looking for to even find points to rent.

I certainly wouldn't rent DVC if you are like club rooms and are going on your honeymoon.

 

[MickeyMice]

everyone else here has spoken at length about the relative risks of renting already.

i would browse the confirmed reservations listings from several brokers (forum sponsor plus others) to see what fits your travel plans. you might find something that fits close enough, especially if your travel plans are a little flexible, or your willing to split stay with a cash reservation to fill out any extra days.

i wouldn't count on requesting a very specific reservation and having that filled perfectly.