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Some rental thoughts... (by KC):

angelab357 wrote:

Thank you for your thoughtful response. I guess it is a bit scary for both parties especially when there is significant distance between them.

Having never rented a timeshare, we were the ones that asked for the escrow in the first place. I can tell you with certainty that if we were to rent from this owner again, we would work directly with him. He has exceeded our expectations for being helped, informative, and professional. I am fairly certain, based on your helpful response to my question, that those renting from you would have a similar experience.

Thanks again for shedding more light on this subject.

It can indeed be a bit daunting (and also somewhat risky) when renting a timeshare --- for a whole multitude of reasons. I find that when there is some direct "person to person" communication between owner and renter, then a mutual confidence and comfort level can usually be attained. That said, a formal rental agreement is still always advisable, specifiying dates, unit size, payment terms, cancellation / refund policy, etc.

One of the biggest dangers for timeshare renters, particularly "first time" renters, is being unaware that an "advertiser" might not actually own the week at all in the first place. Some people will acquire (by deposit / exchange)a week from an exchange company like RCI or Interval Intl. --- and then try to rent it out for profit, as if they actually owned the week (...which they don't). This practice is overtly and specifically prohibited by BOTH of the aforementioned exchange companies, but people still try to get away with it (and some succeed in doing so). However, if the resort or the exchange company discovers the prohibited rental of an exchange, they can cancel the membership of the violator AND they can turn away the would-be renter at check-in! This has been known to happen! That's precisiely why it's very important in a private rental to always confirm, directly and independently with the resort itself, that the "advertiser" is indeed actually the OWNER of the week being rented. I always immediately recommend to a prospective renter that they "check me out" by contacting the resort to confirm my ownership --- BEFORE signing a rental agreement OR sending any payment to me. This always helps to get us off on the right foot toward mutual trust.

Anyway, I hope you greatly enjoy your time in Hawaii.