How about renting?

solomr wrote:

I wanted to know what can be done for people who want to rent a unit but its less than 60 days for protection. If a person asks you to pay either by check or paypal, how can you really protect yourself. Also, is there a system here where you can rate the owners, kind of like eBay where the person who rents or buys can leave feedback. I am feeling very cautious about renting and want to feel secure. Thanks for any advice!

A clear and specific rental contract should be executed and it should spell out all details pertaining to the timeshare rental, including cancellation / refund terms. Never conduct a rental on the basis of exchanged emails alone ---and get verification is either the actual owner or an authorized agent handling the rental for the actual owner. If you don't like the terms of a rental contract, don't conduct the rental. Some contracts very clearly state "no refunds in the event of tenant cancellation", but you can always acquire your own trip cancellation insurance to protect yourself against loss in such instances. Some cancellation terms may be more liberal up to a certain point but, understandably, no owner wants to go too far out on a financial limb for an unknown tenant.

It's smart to be careful, but remember that a legitimate timeshare owner attempting a rental also has plenty to lose too. He / she will have to pay their annual timeshare maintenance fees, with or without a successful rental. The tenant is certainly not the only one at risk in a timeshare rental transaction.

There are no "ratings" avenues for timeshare rentals. That's just as well (at least in my opinion), since there would always be phony shill "endorsements", as well as baseless complaints by disgruntled people "blaming" the owner for things completely unrelated to the rental and completely beyond the control of the owner (such as bad weather, sick kids, delayed flights, rental car problems, etc.).

If you want 100% security, you can often rent the same week directly from the resort --- but you will pay lots more money for that "security" than you'd pay in a private owner rental, plus state and local taxes. Ultimately, it's your personal choice and decision.

I sometimes rent out my timeshare weeks using RedWeek and I have also rented from others on RedWeek. I have never had a problem being on either side of a rental transaction with a RedWeek member. Due diligence, a clear, solid contract and good communications are critically important.

P.S. You can always consider purchasing travel / trip cancellation insurance if you are worried about losing your rental money in the event of a unexpected cancellation at your end as the tenant, even if the owner has a clear "no refunds" policy in the rental contract to which you have agreed.

solomr wrote:

I wanted to know what can be done for people who want to rent a unit but its less than 60 days for protection. If a person asks you to pay either by check or paypal, how can you really protect yourself. Also, is there a system here where you can rate the owners, kind of like eBay where the person who rents or buys can leave feedback. I am feeling very cautious about renting and want to feel secure. Thanks for any advice!

Although we do not vouch for or recommend any person using our website, you can send us the posting number you are inquiring about and we will let you know how long they have been a RedWeek member and if we have and complaints on their account: Contact Us (support@redweek.com)

Good answer, and information. Thank you

My rental week is 7 days away and I have an inquiry. How do we handle deposits and payments since it’s too late for online booking? I’m brand new! Is there a basic agreement and what terms do we set up?