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Owner Verification... (by KC):

karenk338 wrote:

I am new to this site and was wondering what type of verification would an owner need to provide to a renter to prove they are indeed the owner.

A smart and careful renter should first insist upon being provided complete owner identification information directly from the owner (i.e., owner name, address, phone number, specific week / unit owned). The prospective renter should then contact the resort to *independently* confirm for himself / herself that this information is a perfect "match" with the owner information reflected in the resorts' records. Remember that a resort will CONFIRM information which you have obtained on your own, but they certainly will not PROVIDE owner information (...as it should be, in the interest of protecting owner privacy). If the owner information you received from the owner and the resorts' own info does NOT match perfectly, this is a BIG RED FLAG, possibly indicating someone trying to rent out an "exchange" week which they have obtained through II or RCI (a practice which is clearly and specifically prohibited by BOTH of those two major exchange companies). Someone trying to rent out an exchange would never even actually know who the REAL owner of that particular "deposited" week is, so it's really very easy to quickly "flush out" any attempts at prohibited rentals of weeks obtained via RCI or II "exchange".

Owner verfication is a bit more complicated in "floating" week ownerships, since an owner of a "floating" week has to make a specific reservation FIRST before there is actually any information to be confirmed and verified directly with the resort. In those instances, legitimate owners will often obtain a reservation confirmation document from the resort, issued in the renter's name, on resort letterhead. Even so, it's still prudent to call the resort for independent confirmation of any and all such "documentation" received.