Windsor Hills - just saw the property we are renting is for sale

anne60

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jan 20, 2001
Hi - Looking for advice or anyone who has had this happen. The property we are renting the first week in December has just been listed for sale. I've contacted the owner who has confirmed this. She says that they are "hoping" to sell to someone who will honor the bookings. I've requested my deposit back but I am totally not confident that I will get it back. The remainder is due to be taken out of my credit card on 9/19. Any ideas on what my options might be???? Thanks in advance!
 
That’s Crazy! You can’tbe forced to Guess whether owner will even own her place, never mind “hope” that a new owner will honor a previous rental.
If it were me... I’d make copy of the for sale listing.
I’d immediately send written letter indicating you deposited $xxx in good faith for such n such week. That you ve now found out ( on ur own? Was owner gonna Not tell you? Take ur money n leave u high n dry?) that unit is for sale and that Owner can not guarantee that unit will even be owned by her. I’d state that you are looking for a Full Refund of all monies paid to date and that No further money will be paid to her. Tell her you expect said full refund within the next 5-7 business days or you will take those steps necessary to protect your investment.
I’d cc the Association and BBB ( though you don’t necessarily have to send to them at this point)
I personally would not delay nor correspond via phone.. Document date/time of ur call where she Confirmed she is selling and she does not know if she will own her unit
I’d start looking for other arrangements as well.
Sorry ur having to deal with this.. I think imho, it’s Underhanded to take ur money Knowing she was gonna sell unit.
I’d consider filing a complaint After I got my money back too.
 
As someone who bought a rental unit with no plans to rent it out ... all rentals became void on closing day.

Owner had actually tried to squeeze out more income by leaving rentals in place. Day before closing there were folks in unit and realtors showed up to kick them out. They had to pack and move to another unit but they were lucky they booked via agency with other units in complex.

You are taking a chance. You also are not guaranteed everything will be there that you booked expecting. Our previous owner took some things out after she got contract (and we were fine with that). If there is a new owner, there would be new contract.
 
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Thank you - this is my fear. There are 8 of us going - including a 2 year old. I don't want to be stranded... I can't believe the owner did not send me something, and the unit is still listed on the windsor hills rental site.
 


I had a similar situation, but it was the owner who contacted me because they sold the house. They closed in September, so all summer bookings could be honored and the owner was going to let me out of the agreement or contact the new owners to see if they would do the rental. I opted to get my money back and the owner sent me a check and paid for the insurance I had purchased for damage protection on the property too as well as VRBO fees (so I got all my money back). The owner was great to work with, but still something like this is a hassle and a potential downside to renting from an owner.
 


I think there are some overreactions to this situation. The property has been listed for sale which happens frequently. What the owner is really saying is.. If the property is sold and closed by early December, they hope the new owners will honor the bookings but if it's not sold then they would still like to take your money and have you stay. It seems they want their cake and eat it too which of course puts you in a precarious position with your vacation.

You should review the cancellation policy provided by the owner and follow through with canceling your stay if you are truly worried about being left without accommodations. To date, the owners have not refused to cancel your stay or refused to refund your money. There doesn't seem to be cause for alarm until they do (if they do). While that process is underway, find yourself other accommodations and continue your planning.

I have noticed that the welcome to windsor hills website has been updated with ability to book rental properties within the resort. www.welcometowindsorhills.com I'm sure that you can find another place within the resort that will suit your needs. Good luck!
 
Thanks for the link. The owner has offered to refund all but $100 of my deposit, so I have canceled my booking. I can't risk losing the accommodation at the last minute as we are a group of 7 adults and a two year old. I'm thankful that I happened to google the address before the entire payment was made - and hopefully in time to find another place in Windsor Hills. If anyone has any recommendations for a 5-6 BR with a pool (that is not for sale!!), please let me know! We are traveling 11/28- 12/5.
 
The villa we have been renting for 5 years in Windsor Hills sold 3 weeks ago. I was aware it was for sale as last March there was issues with the management company not following through with repairs. We were highly suspicious that the owner would put it up for sale and indeed we did get a call from the management company saying the place was sold and the new owners had chosen a new management company. Usually, rental agreements offer rental protection only if the original management company is retained. The new owner has the right to cancel your rental agreement once the deal has closed! In our case, the management company tried to coerce us into accepting a lesser villa, but I was VERY familiar with our rental agreement, and chose to have them refund our full deposit. No interest paid, mind you as I had booked over 7 months ago. However, it turned into a bad news/good news situation for us as I was able to book a new refurbished villa with a wonderful owner who is amazing to deal with! There are great Windsor Hills owners out there! These situations are going to become more common as the amount of places for sale in Windsor Hills appears to be increasing! PM for more info, as I would not recommend dealing with our former management company. They appear to be losing properties, but are still posting the rental information on them on their website as if they do manage them!
 
The villa we have been renting for 5 years in Windsor Hills sold 3 weeks ago. I was aware it was for sale as last March there was issues with the management company not following through with repairs. We were highly suspicious that the owner would put it up for sale and indeed we did get a call from the management company saying the place was sold and the new owners had chosen a new management company. Usually, rental agreements offer rental protection only if the original management company is retained. The new owner has the right to cancel your rental agreement once the deal has closed! In our case, the management company tried to coerce us into accepting a lesser villa, but I was VERY familiar with our rental agreement, and chose to have them refund our full deposit. No interest paid, mind you as I had booked over 7 months ago. However, it turned into a bad news/good news situation for us as I was able to book a new refurbished villa with a wonderful owner who is amazing to deal with! There are great Windsor Hills owners out there! These situations are going to become more common as the amount of places for sale in Windsor Hills appears to be increasing! PM for more info, as I would not recommend dealing with our former management company. They appear to be losing properties, but are still posting the rental information on them on their website as if they do manage them!

You make lots of good points to think about. In our situation when we bought in FL we were told closing in 30 days is expected ~ so basically any renters in our unit had 30 days or less to find a new rental. For OP and many others with specific needs or tough dates that might be very difficult to do.

There are great owners and management companies, and there are not so great. The one advantage to a great management company is they can find you something else whereas working direct with an owner is not going to be able to assist you should the home become unavailable. You might save money with owners vs management but you just have to find your comfort zone.
 
There are a myriad of reasons why a property might suddenly become unavailable which is why it's a good idea to book with a trusted owner or management company as opposed to shopping by price. The low ball owners are usually the ones to close up shop first.
 
Sigh - if only it was a lowball offer. I deliberately avoided those under the "too good to be true" maxim. The owner (who I researched before booking) has owned and rented the property for 10 years, so I did think this was a "trusted owner". If you have the name of a reputable management company that books Windsor Hills PLEASE let me know. I have only been able to find properties from owners or VRBO, which in my experience is less than helpful when things go awry.
 
I'd still contest the $100 with your credit card issuer. Do it in writing and include the information about the property being for sale and that they could not guarantee you would be able to use the property. I worked for Visa International for many, many years (although long retired) primarily with Operating Regulations that covered things like chargebacks. I think you have a good shot of getting that money refunded also.
 
Honestly I'm just relieved that I stumbled upon the fact that it was for sale before I plunked down the remainder of the rental which was scheduled to happen next week! I'm feeling like the aggravation of fighting over the $100 is just not worth it to me. Plus, you never know, maybe the owner is going through something.....
The good news is I've found another place and am now back to focusing on planning a great trip with all my kids and my adorable granddaughter ❤️.
 
We had this happen to us back in 2015. Luckily, the owner notified us and we were able to get our deposit back. We've always gone through companies from there on out. I know some people like to rent directly from the owner but I will only go through a management company from now on.
 
Well thank goodness I've stumbled across this thread! The house I have a deposit on is for sale too... Eek!

Edit to add: Well, maybe not thank goodness. I've already paid a large deposit and the contract says it's non refundable. I sent an email to the property manager so I guess I'll see what happens...
 
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My deposit was also "non refundable" but the owner did refund all but $100. I hope you are able to get your deposit back!
 

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