How can I rent a timeshare?

randyj15 wrote:

if renting a timeshare for the advertised price, what over and above costs are added ? also can you rent a timeshare from an owner, and purchase all inclusive for additonal costs?

Most resorts seem to be either totally All Inclusive (you must pay this additional amount) or totally NOT all inclusive. Of course, there is an exception to every rule! If you want All Inclusive, it never hurts to inquire. There are many of these in Mexico, if that is where you are going.

Since a typical timeshare has kitchen facilities, most people fix at least some of their own meals to save money. We typically eat in for breakfast and one other meal per day unless day trips make this impossible.

MD

Most all inclusive fees are collected by the resort. If the all-inclusive is mandatory you have to take it to stay at the resort. Most all inclusive resorts do not have a full kitchen.

jayjay wrote:

The advertised price is what you (should) pay in total.

I would ask the owner in reference to paying additional for an all inclusive. If he doesn't have the answer then perhaps he can email his resort with the question.

randyj15 wrote:

If renting a timeshare for the advertised price, what over and above costs are added ? also can you rent a timeshare from an owner, and purchase all inclusive for additonal costs?

While the rental price is all the owner gets, some locations do have other odd charges. One we visited recently had an activity fee of $5 per night. An exchange into Spain we are making this fall will have an electricity charge. These fall into the same wierd catagory as a bed tax on a hotel which some localities charge. The owner should be able to give renters some idea of what , if any, these might be. They are the exception, not the rule.

MD

In response to Phil's question, the renter (at least at my home resort - a Marriott) would be responsible and charged (to their major credit card which must be provided at checkin) for any damage or other problems they caused while at the resort. I also (like alfredn1) provide my resort with the name and contact info of my 'guests' and the number who are expected. Their name is on the reservation because I request my resort put their name on the reservation. My resort does not charge me any fee for 'guests' as I am the owner and allowed to have guests occupy instead of going myself if I choose. The resort deals directly with the renters once they check in, not with me. They don't have my credit card number. Also, I certainly attempt to make certain those renting from me know what to expect rule wise while at the resort (no pets, no smoking, no lifeguards at the pools, children must be accompanied by an adult at all times, and if not toilet trained, must wear a swim diaper in the pools etc.). I attempt to assure that those I am talking to (only adults over age 21) are the persons who will occupy my units - that they've not planning to send their teens on Spring Break or something, although my resort is a quiet family oriented place, so it wouldn't be much of a place to party. I've had no trouble as those who rent my weeks have all been families or in two cases couples.

I AM REALLY INTRESTED IN RENTING NOR BUYING AT THE MOMENT WHAT STEPS ARE THOSE TO RENTING A TIME SHARE

heatherv18 wrote:

I AM REALLY INTRESTED IN RENTING NOR BUYING AT THE MOMENT WHAT STEPS ARE THOSE TO RENTING A TIME SHARE

Hi Heather,

Please go to this link http://www.redweek.com/help/rental_process/buyer for the steps in renting a timeshare through RedWeek.com.

There is also a lot of great advice in this thread.

Thanks, Marty

We have timeshares in Gatlinburg Tenn. this is a Floating weeks, we have 5weeks or 50,000 points, we have been unable to rent them, and we cann't go there every thing is booked up. we are with RCI and we do not know how to use them or any of this package, the resort do not have time to help now, but they had time the day we purchaused this package.Can reweek or some other company help us? we are in the cleveland, ohio area. Thank you

That's the problem with floating weeks at popular resorts .... you have to choose your week with the resort many months in advance and not wait until the last minute, especially for very popular weeks. Did you reserve any weeks with your resort in Gatlinburg? What kind of package do you have?

That area is VERY popular during summer and fall leaf season. Why don't you try to get reservations for your floating weeks a little off season this year (September, November or even Christmas) and deposit them with Redweek. Next year you will know to make your reservations months in advance with the resort in order to get what you want.

dannycandys2 wrote:

We have timeshares in Gatlinburg Tenn. this is a Floating weeks, we have 5weeks or 50,000 points, we have been unable to rent them, and we cann't go there every thing is booked up. we are with RCI and we do not know how to use them or any of this package, the resort do not have time to help now, but they had time the day we purchaused this package.Can reweek or some other company help us? we are in the cleveland, ohio area. Thank you

I am interested in renting my timeshare and was directed to Redweek by a friend. I have been reading the messages above and i am a little confused.

I am with the RCI points program and have a certain amount of points allocated to me each year. I own a week at the Grandview at Las Vegas but we do not use the week because we are under the Points program, they give us points each year instead.

The question i have is am i able to rent out any week if it is available to a renter using my points to book the week and purchasing a guest certificate for the renter?

dereks41 wrote:

I am interested in renting my timeshare and was directed to Redweek by a friend. I have been reading the messages above and i am a little confused.

I am with the RCI points program and have a certain amount of points allocated to me each year. I own a week at the Grandview at Las Vegas but we do not use the week because we are under the Points program, they give us points each year instead.

The question i have is am i able to rent out any week if it is available to a renter using my points to book the week and purchasing a guest certificate for the renter?

I suggest you write to RCI and get an answer in writing. Owners of resorts outside the RCI system that exchange weeks and resorts through the RCI Exchange cannot legally rent the exchanged weeks. However, if you own at Grandview, you should be able to book a week there and rent it out. You may also be able to book a week within the RCI system that is not considered an exchange, and rent out that week. Stan.

If you own the points you don't need a guest certificate from an exchange company. What you're basically doing is reserving a week with your points and renting that week out. The only time a guest certificate is needed is when an exchange company is involved and you're GIVING an exchanged week to friends or relatives.

dereks41 wrote:

The question i have is am i able to rent out any week if it is available to a renter using my points to book the week and purchasing a guest certificate for the renter?

tuann6 I've never rented a timeshare,but heard lots of good things about it. What are the steps?

First is to decide on where you want to go and what week you want.

Then check the timeshare sites for listing of your week.

There are many sites to check so you would probably find your resort and week.

Contact the owner to see if you can make a deal with them.

Big issue is make them send/fax you a copy of the home reservations so you know this is their unit and not a exchange fom II or Rci or other exchanges.

After all this decide with owners how to pay and when.

Good Luck! PHILL12

jayjay wrote:

If you own the points you don't need a guest certificate from an exchange company. What you're basically doing is reserving a week with your points and renting that week out. The only time a guest certificate is needed is when an exchange company is involved and you're GIVING an exchanged week to friends or relatives.

dereks41 wrote:

The question i have is am i able to rent out any week if it is available to a renter using my points to book the week and purchasing a guest certificate for the renter?

I do own the points , but i am with an exchange company, RCI. I talked to them yesterday and they said that any of their resorts that they are affiliated with need a guest certificate to be purchased if i am not going to be going, does that make sense?

dereks41 wrote:

jayjay wrote:

If you own the points you don't need a guest certificate from an exchange company. What you're basically doing is reserving a week with your points and renting that week out. The only time a guest certificate is needed is when an exchange company is involved and you're GIVING an exchanged week to friends or relatives.

dereks41 wrote:

The question i have is am i able to rent out any week if it is available to a renter using my points to book the week and purchasing a guest certificate for the renter?

I do own the points , but i am with an exchange company, RCI. I talked to them yesterday and they said that any of their resorts that they are affiliated with need a guest certificate to be purchased if i am not going to be going, does that make sense?

If you own Fairfield points and you book a week and you are letting someone else use your week, then you need a guest certificate in the Fairfield syatem. If you are doing an RCI exchange and letting someone use the exchange week within RCI rules, you need a guest certificate. If you rent the week contrary to RCI rules and have a guest certificate and RCI finds out about the rental they won't let the guest into the condo. Stan.

stanleyf5 wrote:

dereks41 wrote:

jayjay wrote:

If you own the points you don't need a guest certificate from an exchange company. What you're basically doing is reserving a week with your points and renting that week out. The only time a guest certificate is needed is when an exchange company is involved and you're GIVING an exchanged week to friends or relatives.

dereks41 wrote:

The question i have is am i able to rent out any week if it is available to a renter using my points to book the week and purchasing a guest certificate for the renter?

I do own the points , but i am with an exchange company, RCI. I talked to them yesterday and they said that any of their resorts that they are affiliated with need a guest certificate to be purchased if i am not going to be going, does that make sense?

If you own Fairfield points and you book a week and you are letting someone else use your week, then you need a guest certificate in the Fairfield syatem. If you are doing an RCI exchange and letting someone use the exchange week within RCI rules, you need a guest certificate. If you rent the week contrary to RCI rules and have a guest certificate and RCI finds out about the rental they won't let the guest into the condo. Stan.

so you are not allowed to rent it out to someone? thats in the RCI rules? i thought it read over everything pretty well and i didn't see anything about that...

dereks41 wrote:

stanleyf5 wrote:

dereks41 wrote:

jayjay wrote:

If you own the points you don't need a guest certificate from an exchange company. What you're basically doing is reserving a week with your points and renting that week out. The only time a guest certificate is needed is when an exchange company is involved and you're GIVING an exchanged week to friends or relatives.

dereks41 wrote:

The question i have is am i able to rent out any week if it is available to a renter using my points to book the week and purchasing a guest certificate for the renter?

I do own the points , but i am with an exchange company, RCI. I talked to them yesterday and they said that any of their resorts that they are affiliated with need a guest certificate to be purchased if i am not going to be going, does that make sense?

If you own Fairfield points and you book a week and you are letting someone else use your week, then you need a guest certificate in the Fairfield syatem. If you are doing an RCI exchange and letting someone use the exchange week within RCI rules, you need a guest certificate. If you rent the week contrary to RCI rules and have a guest certificate and RCI finds out about the rental they won't let the guest into the condo. Stan.

so you are not allowed to rent it out to someone? thats in the RCI rules? i thought it read over everything pretty well and i didn't see anything about that...

Hi. Read Section 8 Members and Guests of your Fairshare Plus RCI Directory of Resorts. Stan.

dereks41 wrote:

I do own the points , but i am with an exchange company, RCI.

If you own RCI points and go through them to secure an EXCHANGE then you are NOT allowed to rent that week out because it would be considered RENTING AN EXCHANGE. If you simply own RCI points and book at week at a resort using those points, you could rent that week out because you haven't performed an exchange.

dereks41 wrote:

I talked to them yesterday and they said that any of their resorts that they are affiliated with need a guest certificate to be purchased if i am not going to be going, does that make sense?

If you OWN the points then you do not need a guest certificate unless you are exchanging those points and you CANNOT rent that exchange out.

Guest certificates are for those people that GIVE their exchange to friends or family with the only compensation to them being the guest certificate fee and the exchange fee, no more. In other words, you cannot request the maintenance fee nor any other fees in return or make a profit.

The reason the exchange companies implemented the 'no rental of exchanges' is actually to protect their members. In the old days people would snap up the best/most popular exchanges and then turn around and rent them out making a huge profit. The exchange companies had to put a stop to this. In the old days you would see 'exchanges for rent' all the time on Ebay.

There were also those that would sell spacebanked weeks on Ebay. The exchange companies put a stop to that also.

It's the bad apples in the barrel that caused these rules to be implemented.

jayjay wrote:

The reason the exchange companies implemented the 'no rental of exchanges' is actually to protect their members. In the old days people would snap up the best/most popular exchanges and then turn around and rent them out making a huge profit. The exchange companies had to put a stop to this. It's the bad apples in the barrel that caused these rules to be implemented.

Many experienced timeshare owners have a different slant on this. They believe that RCI saw a way to make more profit for their company by eliminating the competition i.e. the timeshare owner, and then renting valuable space-banked weeks themselves to the general (non timeshare owning) public. Through the years I rented many prime weeks from RCI's distribution sources at a far lower price than I would have paid if I had owned the week and had paid the annual maintenance fees.

In the beginning RCI denied engaging in this activity. When people proved they were doing it, they then claimed that they were only renting "excess inventory" i.e. low demand weeks that would go unrequested by their exchange members. When this was proven false, they had by then established the RCI Points system. They came up with the excuse that sometimes they had to rent out a deposited week to raise money to secure airline tickets, cruises, or other things requested by their Points members (instead of nights or weeks at a timeshare property).

It is all of this rental activity that has caused a huge class action lawsuit to be filed against RCI's parent company Cendant. Since the lawsuit was filed, I no longer see the hundreds of prime weeks being offered for rent to the general public. I miss the bargains I used to get but will be very happy if RCI is permanently stopped from engaging in this practise. Then maybe we will resume getting the fair exchanges so many of us used to enjoy in the years before RCI was acquired by Cendant.

Jennie has provided a concise summary of RCI's "questionable" (....at best) exchange practices, which now (appropriately) have them in court as defendants in a class action lawsuit. I'd offer just one minor factual correction to jennie's statement:

Re: >> It is all of this rental activity that has caused a huge class action lawsuit to be filed against RCI's parent company Cendant. <<

Actually, RCI was "spun off" from Cendant some time ago. The lawsuit is filed directly (and solely) against RCI itself, not naming or involving Cendant in any way.

Only time will tell whether the spotlight of being defendants in a court action will get RCI to clean up its act and abandon their "profits first, members last" handling of deposited weeks in recent years.