vaction home rental

[lynniepooh]

Check out floridadreamhomes.com We stayed in a home rented by them and really loved it. They have homes up to 6 bedrooms!

 

[FlLeisure]

Hi all !
My advice to you all is to check out the management co. that you are thinking of booking with. Make sure that they are members of at least 3 of the following, preferably all :

Better Business Bureau

Central Florida Property Managers Association

Chamber of Commerce

Orlando/Orange County & Visitors Bureau

Kissimmee-St. Cloud Convention & Visitors Bureau

Most vacation homes in the area are to a high standard and run by reputable companies....just do a little homework before hand and you will be fine.

Some management co's do have 6 and 7 bedroom homes and whilst scarce, are usually available at excellent prices. You will need to book early to secure one though.

 

[SimonV]

That is excellent advice, folks. Please do your homework first, as I do still hear a lot of tales of people being ripped off in this area. If you get an offer that sounds too good to be true, the chances are it is, and you should steer clear.

 

[wdisneyaholic]

FLeisure,

How do I find out if a mangement company is a member of any of these? How can I get some numbers for these.

I am in the process of renting an 8 bedroom house for a company based out of the UK. I am a little leary but everything sounds to be ok. The owner of the house is listed with them and with vrbo.com, I have been contacted by him directly and he said just to go ahead and book with the rental company. I spoke with the guy from the rental company and he sounded very knowledgeable, was very nice and not pushy. We are renting an 8 bedroom home for $2500 for a week, which I think is a fair price. It is located in an upscale gated community. The man from the rental company was very willing to give me any information that I requested, like a reference of someone who has rented from them and the mangement company. This is my first time rented any type of vacation home and especially off of the internet. I am trying to do as much research as possible, their website seems very professional and the contract seems to be what I would expect. The deposit is not too much and we are booking for 2003.

The man from the rental company explained that they have just become incorporated, whatever that means, and they are moving to Florida in November of this year to run the state side part of the company. Everything to me sounds legitimate but I still get a little nervous. Do you have any other suggestions for me? or does this seem to sound legitimate to you?

Anyone have any advice?

 

[FlLeisure]

The last thing I want to do is cause you any concern but this seems a little odd to me.
For a start an 8 bedroom house has to conform to hotel code. The Department of Business & Professional Regulation have told me that any home over 7 bedrooms must have a sprinkler system fitted and various other items that a 2-7 bedroom house does not need.
If you are renting in Polk county then no more than 12 people are allowed in the house. 6 bedrooms is the maximum down there.
Moving on to your other points; seems to me that this is a new company(the incorporated part of your post tells me they in the process of setting up a US business) and that they are starting things from new. Hopefully they will prove to be good but it does mean they are relatively new to the vacation homes business. If I was to guess, I would say that you are renting in Formosa Gardens which is a great location, near Rolling Hills and 5 mins from Disney if you know the right road to take.

I have to say that I am a little nervous of this....if you email me, I can talk more frankly and let you know the type of question you should be asking. Also , if you can let me have as much info as possible I can tell you about the individuals concerned, assuming I know of them.

To check out a management company call the Department of Business & Professional Regulation, and all of the other bodies I mentioned above. Ask the companies who they are affiliated to and make sure they are !!

 

[linden's mom]

shayna- can you tell me which owner you got that great deal from?

I called around to get some referrals and here is what I came up with so far:

-Agents won't tell you anything because they don't make a commission on these rental homes-so they were no help.

I called the BBB and Chamber of Commerce- they won't refer...just tell you if there were any complaints that "haven't been resolved". That tells me nothing because usually complaints are resolved one way or another but I don't want to have the complaint in the first place!

Finally- I got the number of the Inspector of the vacation homes for the state licensing board...she wasn't happy to hear from me because as you can imagine she doesn't want to be inundated with calls...so I promised not to give out her #. But she said that she has had complaints from people who stayed a t Elite and Families First (lots). She said Premier was the best. She kept the call short but it's so far the best info I could get.

We mad res. with Premier even tho they asked for $15 a nite more. We only need 2 BR but they promised us an upgrade to a 4 BR what they call "Executive" home (better decor and a jacuzzi). We really love the idea of a Jacuzzi and the smaller homes don't have them.

We are still worried. After seeing all these post for vhbo I am wondering if I can't keep trying and get an even better deal. Sometimes peace of mind- however fragile- is better than $15/nite savings. Any thoughts??

 

[Bear I.T.B.B.H]

As someone mentioned earlier in the post you do get what you pay for!! nothing more nothing less. Having just bought a 3 bed home my advise would be to forget about Management/Rental companies, then there is 1 less person taking a cut of your precious money!!!
Do a search for what you are looking for and then try to contact a "private" owner, they may or may not do you a "deal" but you will know that their home will be cared for.
Alternativly just e-mail me for my rates!!!! (lol)
Good Luck.

 

[FlLeisure]

In reference to management companies.......not all management co's are poor. In fact some are very good and do have the local knowledge that can make or break a vacation.

Also, management co's provide an essential service to homeowner's. They look after the lawns, pools, housekeeping, maintenance and also provide supplemental income to whatever an owner generates through their own efforts. In most cases the management company knows more about a house than the owner !

In my view, management co's more than earn the money they make. Booking with an owner has it's plus points but that owner will undoubtably be biased towards his own property. A management company has more homes and will offer a better choice of home. If you require anything extra, a management company usually has these items available for rental.