Unverified Renting

I am renting a timeshare from a posting here and wondering what I can do to verify the legitimacy of it. I am getting e-mailed confirmation of guest name changes but what else should I do to make sure that I am all set and this isn't a scam?

Simple. Call the resort directly to verify that your name is now on that reservation in the resort files; a mere email message from the advertiser means NOTHING. Whenever I rent out a week that I own, I openly encourage the tenant-to-be to call the resort directly for their peace of mind to verify that their name is now on the reservation.

If you have been told (by nothing more than a email message from the advertiser) that the reservation has now been placed in your name but the resort cannot confirm that claim to you, that's a bright red flag and a real problem.

FWIW, I believe that (unlike sites like Craigslist where the ads are free and the people are anonymous) RedWeek has very little "scammer" activity, if any. It costs money to place RedWeek ads and it takes a credit card to pay for doing so. Scammers never want to spend any money to work their game --- and they most certainly don't ever want to be easily identified (and traced, if necessary) by the paper trail always left behind by credit card use.

The primary risk I see on any site (including RedWeek) is people trying to rent out weeks that they don't actually even own in the first place, but have instead obtained as an "exchange" from either RCI or II. Both of those exchange companies specifically prohibit the renting of "exchanges" and violation can mean membership termination for the would-be landlord (as well as an innocent would-be tenant potentially being turned away at check-in), if caught.

I don't know why anyone posting a RedWeek rental ad which involves multi-hundreds of dollars wouldn't just pony up the extra $14.99 to get their ad "RedWeek Verified" to give prospective renters some advance peace of mind. It's their personal choice and prerogative, of course, but it's just "Penny wise and pound foolish", in my personal opinion.

I have just posted my unit, and I already have someone interested in renting. I keep getting the message that my posting is being verified. What does this mean? What are my next steps?

In order to "verify" your listing, RedWeek has to first definitively confirm your ownership and the accuracy of details you have posted in your ad regarding the resort, size of the unit, number of bedrooms, etc. RedWeek should have already asked you for some form of proof of ownership (e.g., a copy of your deed, or a copy of a recent maintenance fee bill, etc.). If they haven't yet done so, they will.

Some cooperation from the resort is also obviously required to verify ownership info and unit details, so it's clearly not an "instantaneous" process to become "RedWeek verified". In my opinion and experience, it's always worth spending the extra $14.99 to get "RedWeek Verified". It gives people who are nervous or inexperienced (or both) about renting some reassurance that you are "on the up and up" and it saves wasting the time and effort of repeatedly proving the same thing over and over again to different people who might inquire about your advertised rental.

Hi what is the the difference Between unsigned or TBD

Assuming that you mean unassigned, there is really no difference between unassigned and "to be determined" (TBD).

People who own deeded fixed weeks own access to the same known, specific unit(s) for their week(s) each year. However, people who own "floating" week(s) can reserve a week, but do not have guaranteed access to any specific unit in any given year. The unassigned / TBD unit for that reservation is often not "determined" or assigned until actual check-in or, in some cases, shortly before the check-in date.

lauraw501 wrote:

Hi what is the the difference Between unsigned or TBD

Please note: Red Week does NOT provide verified services to points weeks. My membership/ownership DOES allow me to purchase a guest pass for such weeks.

Rick: That depends on the type of points you own. RCI does not allow any week obtained through their system to be rented, which includes weeks obtained with RCI points. Therefore we are unable to provide full-service or verification of any RCI week. Other point systems, such as weeks booked with Marriott points, can be rented and verified.