Buying, Renting, and Selling Timeshares

How can I rent a timeshare?

Apr 07, 2007

adahiscout wrote:
marty8084 wrote:
adahiscout wrote:
marty8084 wrote:
johng436 wrote:
So, only those upgraded members of redweek can view full description of the rentals I posted despite me paying for membership and for the posts? I thought this was similar to e-bay but was hoping those looking for units may come here as opposed to e-bay.

Hi John,

Basic members can view much of the posting information except what is in the "Details" area. That area may have a lot of information or none depending on what the owner choses to add. The owner can add their phone number and or email address which we welcome them to do but only paid members would be able to see that information.

Thanks, Marty

Isn't all the contact information in the "Details"? In other words. Isn't posting useless unless prospective renters/buyers pay extra to see whether the posting might (or might not) be appropriate for the looker's needs?

Has this always been the case with Redweek or is this a new hurdle to jump?

MD

To view any of the individual postings you need to be at least a free guest which means that you need to register on our website.

As someone with the free guest they can see the following:

Price: Week: Maintenance Fee: Ownership: Use: Owner:

Unit: Smoking: Pets: Kitchen: Sleeps: Bedrooms: Beds: Bathrooms:

Amenities:

They just can't see what's in the "Details" area of the posting without becoming a paid member.

To my knowledge, this is the way it's always been set up.

Thanks, Marty

Well, I set up a guest account to see exactly what they would see. A guest can not see reviews by those who have visited the resort and, most important,they cannot contact the owner to make a rental or purchase offer. Major "detail".

I suppose this discourages lots of "less that serious" contacts. Unfortunately, it probably also chases away those who don't like being asked to pay to inquire. Guess I always thought it was only the owners who paid.

MD

Here's a page that lists the differences between a free guest account and a paid account:

www.redweek.com/join/options

If interested buyers/renters have upgraded to contact a owner and are not able to connect to arrange a transaction, we offer a full refund their membership fee within the first 30 days, no questions asked.

Two important reasons we charge the buyer/renter are as follows:

1) To significantly decrease the likelihood that our members are subjected to scams. You may have heard of the 419 Overpayment Scam - if you've posted anything on a free Web site you have probably seen it in action. Someone offers to buy your timeshare - sending a money order for more than the asking price, and asks you to send the difference on to a relative. It is quite prevalent. In developing our policy, we wanted to make sure we had a security trail on our buyers. Scammers are not too willing to give a credit card number as it produces a trail. You can read more about this scam at: http://www.redweek.com/help/scams/419-overpayment-scam

2) We don't want to waste our posting member's time with inquiries from buyers/renters who aren't seriously looking to rent or purchase a timeshare. We do not charge the user to see the information on availabilities. With a free guest account, one can view nearly all information about a listing. You have the ability to browse the site for availability and pricing, and make up your mind as to what is/is not a good deal before paying for the service. If they are able to find a rental or resale that is hundreds or thousands of dollars cheaper than available elsewhere, most don't have trouble paying $9.99 to arrange to purchase/rent.

Hope this helps.

Marty


Marty F

Last edited by marty8084 on Apr 07, 2007 02:43 PM

Apr 08, 2007

johng436 wrote:
So, only those upgraded members of redweek can view full description of the rentals I posted despite me paying for membership and for the posts? I thought this was similar to e-bay but was hoping those looking for units may come here as opposed to e-bay.

John there was a post that was started on Nov 14,2006 and had 58 post on it about renting/selling on Redweek.

Go to FORUM Buying.renting,selling timeshare and go to page five and I think it is #10 on the list.

Its called Membership requirements for potential renters!

It covers most everyone's idea's about the fee's, many owners posted on here and had good sparring match with others that like the fee and thought it was worth while while others hated it!

You can get many sides to this from this topic.

I do give a lot of credit to Redweek for not pulling the post because most don't agree with the fee.

I know we came on here and because of the fee went back and bought from resales office and bought for much better price than I would have recieved from Redweek owners asking prices at the time!

Go enjoy reading and you can then make up your own mind! PHIL


Phil L.
Apr 10, 2007

THIS SITE SUCKS, I WANT TO RENT A TIMESHARE AND I HAVE TO BUY A MEMBERSHIP ON THIS SITE? IF i WAS A MEMBER LISTING A PROPERTY ON THIS SITE I'D BE PISSED OFF, NO ONE WILL EVER PAY TO RENT FROM HERE!


Tamara K.
Apr 10, 2007

tamarak14 wrote:
THIS SITE SUCKS, I WANT TO RENT A TIMESHARE AND I HAVE TO BUY A MEMBERSHIP ON THIS SITE? IF i WAS A MEMBER LISTING A PROPERTY ON THIS SITE I'D BE PISSED OFF, NO ONE WILL EVER PAY TO RENT FROM HERE!

We rented our Timeshare in a weeks time and got $500 more than our maintenance fees for the year so we were very satisfied.


Christine S.
Apr 10, 2007

christines79 wrote:
tamarak14 wrote:
THIS SITE SUCKS, I WANT TO RENT A TIMESHARE AND I HAVE TO BUY A MEMBERSHIP ON THIS SITE? IF i WAS A MEMBER LISTING A PROPERTY ON THIS SITE I'D BE PISSED OFF, NO ONE WILL EVER PAY TO RENT FROM HERE!

We rented our Timeshare in a weeks time and got $500 more than our maintenance fees for the year so we were very satisfied.


Denise K.
Apr 10, 2007

I have rented from this site twice and have found the members very reliable and honest. both times the transactions were very smooth and everything that was listed was what you really got. I find this site very helpful and is worth the small fee.

tamarak14 wrote:
THIS SITE SUCKS, I WANT TO RENT A TIMESHARE AND I HAVE TO BUY A MEMBERSHIP ON THIS SITE? IF i WAS A MEMBER LISTING A PROPERTY ON THIS SITE I'D BE PISSED OFF, NO ONE WILL EVER PAY TO RENT FROM HERE!

We rented our Timeshare in a weeks time and got $500 more than our maintenance fees for the year so we were very satisfied.


Denise K.
Apr 10, 2007

Marty- Re the scam you mention when someone purports to send more money than is owed and then asks the recipient to send part back or on to someone else. You mention Money Orders specifically. i can see how scammers could easily send a check that is not valid, but isn't a Money Order paid for up front? (Of course, there is still no good reason for them to overpay.) This is important to owners, since we may request payment by Money Orders as being safer than checks, so that we don't need to wait for a check to clear before requesting the Guest Confirmation. Of course, we can cancel a reservation if a check bounces, but in some cases the owner would lose a Guest Fee.

MD

marty8084 wrote:
adahiscout wrote:
marty8084 wrote:
adahiscout wrote:
marty8084 wrote:
johng436 wrote:
So, only those upgraded members of redweek can view full description of the rentals I posted despite me paying for membership and for the posts? I thought this was similar to e-bay but was hoping those looking for units may come here as opposed to e-bay.

Hi John,

Basic members can view much of the posting information except what is in the "Details" area. That area may have a lot of information or none depending on what the owner choses to add. The owner can add their phone number and or email address which we welcome them to do but only paid members would be able to see that information.

Thanks, Marty

Isn't all the contact information in the "Details"? In other words. Isn't posting useless unless prospective renters/buyers pay extra to see whether the posting might (or might not) be appropriate for the looker's needs?

Has this always been the case with Redweek or is this a new hurdle to jump?

MD

To view any of the individual postings you need to be at least a free guest which means that you need to register on our website.

As someone with the free guest they can see the following:

Price: Week: Maintenance Fee: Ownership: Use: Owner:

Unit: Smoking: Pets: Kitchen: Sleeps: Bedrooms: Beds: Bathrooms:

Amenities:

They just can't see what's in the "Details" area of the posting without becoming a paid member.

To my knowledge, this is the way it's always been set up.

Thanks, Marty

Well, I set up a guest account to see exactly what they would see. A guest can not see reviews by those who have visited the resort and, most important,they cannot contact the owner to make a rental or purchase offer. Major "detail".

I suppose this discourages lots of "less that serious" contacts. Unfortunately, it probably also chases away those who don't like being asked to pay to inquire. Guess I always thought it was only the owners who paid.

MD

Here's a page that lists the differences between a free guest account and a paid account:

www.redweek.com/join/options

If interested buyers/renters have upgraded to contact a owner and are not able to connect to arrange a transaction, we offer a full refund their membership fee within the first 30 days, no questions asked.

Two important reasons we charge the buyer/renter are as follows:

1) To significantly decrease the likelihood that our members are subjected to scams. You may have heard of the 419 Overpayment Scam - if you've posted anything on a free Web site you have probably seen it in action. Someone offers to buy your timeshare - sending a money order for more than the asking price, and asks you to send the difference on to a relative. It is quite prevalent. In developing our policy, we wanted to make sure we had a security trail on our buyers. Scammers are not too willing to give a credit card number as it produces a trail. You can read more about this scam at: http://www.redweek.com/help/scams/419-overpayment-scam

2) We don't want to waste our posting member's time with inquiries from buyers/renters who aren't seriously looking to rent or purchase a timeshare. We do not charge the user to see the information on availabilities. With a free guest account, one can view nearly all information about a listing. You have the ability to browse the site for availability and pricing, and make up your mind as to what is/is not a good deal before paying for the service. If they are able to find a rental or resale that is hundreds or thousands of dollars cheaper than available elsewhere, most don't have trouble paying $9.99 to arrange to purchase/rent.

Hope this helps.

Marty


Mary D.
Apr 10, 2007

I own 15 timeshare weeks. It seemed like a good idea years ago to own a lot of weeks. We had hundreds of great vacations at our own resorts and at resorts all over the world through exchanges. But life circumstances change. Our children are grown and are too busy with their jobs to travel all summer as we used to do as a family. We are now caring for a 90 year old mother who no longer likes to be away from home base for more than a few days. So, we rent many of our weeks each year because, at this point in time, we cannot use all of them. We do not want to sell because we like the resorts we own at, and look forward to being able to take more vacations in the future.

Having placed ads on many other web sites through the years, I can attest to the fact that Redweek has provided the best results by far. We have completed about 40 rentals with people who found us through Redweek and everyone of them have been excellent "tenants." Some have gone on to rent the same week from us in subsequent years. And some have asked us what else we own and have rented other weeks from us.

When we used to place ads at other websites, it would generate a lot of spam. And a lot of people would waste our time asking a million questions when it was obvious that they weren't serious about renting a week. If you as a potential renter begin communication with an owner who advertises on a free web site, you will often times find it is a "bait and switch" situation. They will not have the week that enticed you, at least not at the "lowball price," but will offer you inferior weeks elsewhere.

The owners who place ads at Redweek are spending more money that you to do so. They are serious about renting their week. The fill-in the blanks form they fill out when composing the ad elicits all of the pertinent information about the unit that is often missing in ads on Ebay, etc...

When someone responds to my Redweek ad, I feel safer communicating with them. And I will spend more time answering their questions because I know they must be serious about renting a timeshare since they took the time to register, become a member, and supply credit card info, etc...

Redweek is providing a valuable, much-needed service. They are entitled to earn income for their endeavors. Judging by the huge number of ads owners have placed, lots of people must be satisfied with the results. The way things are set up, the prices being listed for rentals (and resale weeks too) are very competitive. This yields a better price for the renter. Ten dollars is a small price to pay to gain access to the owners who can provide a week at a nice condo at a price that is often lower than what one would pay to stay in a budget motel.


Marie M.

Last edited by msmendy on Apr 10, 2007 11:21 PM

Apr 12, 2007

adahiscout wrote:
Marty- Re the scam you mention when someone purports to send more money than is owed and then asks the recipient to send part back or on to someone else. You mention Money Orders specifically. i can see how scammers could easily send a check that is not valid, but isn't a Money Order paid for up front? (Of course, there is still no good reason for them to overpay.) This is important to owners, since we may request payment by Money Orders as being safer than checks, so that we don't need to wait for a check to clear before requesting the Guest Confirmation. Of course, we can cancel a reservation if a check bounces, but in some cases the owner would lose a Guest Fee.

MD

marty8084 wrote:
adahiscout wrote:
marty8084 wrote:
adahiscout wrote:
marty8084 wrote:
johng436 wrote:
So, only those upgraded members of redweek can view full description of the rentals I posted despite me paying for membership and for the posts? I thought this was similar to e-bay but was hoping those looking for units may come here as opposed to e-bay.

Hi John,

Basic members can view much of the posting information except what is in the "Details" area. That area may have a lot of information or none depending on what the owner choses to add. The owner can add their phone number and or email address which we welcome them to do but only paid members would be able to see that information.

Thanks, Marty

Isn't all the contact information in the "Details"? In other words. Isn't posting useless unless prospective renters/buyers pay extra to see whether the posting might (or might not) be appropriate for the looker's needs?

Has this always been the case with Redweek or is this a new hurdle to jump?

MD

To view any of the individual postings you need to be at least a free guest which means that you need to register on our website.

As someone with the free guest they can see the following:

Price: Week: Maintenance Fee: Ownership: Use: Owner:

Unit: Smoking: Pets: Kitchen: Sleeps: Bedrooms: Beds: Bathrooms:

Amenities:

They just can't see what's in the "Details" area of the posting without becoming a paid member.

To my knowledge, this is the way it's always been set up.

Thanks, Marty

Well, I set up a guest account to see exactly what they would see. A guest can not see reviews by those who have visited the resort and, most important,they cannot contact the owner to make a rental or purchase offer. Major "detail".

I suppose this discourages lots of "less that serious" contacts. Unfortunately, it probably also chases away those who don't like being asked to pay to inquire. Guess I always thought it was only the owners who paid.

MD

Here's a page that lists the differences between a free guest account and a paid account:

www.redweek.com/join/options

If interested buyers/renters have upgraded to contact a owner and are not able to connect to arrange a transaction, we offer a full refund their membership fee within the first 30 days, no questions asked.

Two important reasons we charge the buyer/renter are as follows:

1) To significantly decrease the likelihood that our members are subjected to scams. You may have heard of the 419 Overpayment Scam - if you've posted anything on a free Web site you have probably seen it in action. Someone offers to buy your timeshare - sending a money order for more than the asking price, and asks you to send the difference on to a relative. It is quite prevalent. In developing our policy, we wanted to make sure we had a security trail on our buyers. Scammers are not too willing to give a credit card number as it produces a trail. You can read more about this scam at: http://www.redweek.com/help/scams/419-overpayment-scam

2) We don't want to waste our posting member's time with inquiries from buyers/renters who aren't seriously looking to rent or purchase a timeshare. We do not charge the user to see the information on availabilities. With a free guest account, one can view nearly all information about a listing. You have the ability to browse the site for availability and pricing, and make up your mind as to what is/is not a good deal before paying for the service. If they are able to find a rental or resale that is hundreds or thousands of dollars cheaper than available elsewhere, most don't have trouble paying $9.99 to arrange to purchase/rent.

Hope this helps.

Marty

The issue to be aware of with money orders and cashiers checks, in my understanding, is that it is possible they could be forged.

Of course, it's only really risky if you are sending money back, or transferring ownership of something that can't be reversed. Our users should NEVER send an excess payment anywhere, from any method of payment. With a rental, the reservation should be able to be reversed if fraud is found with the payment method. Really, the only SAFE method of payment we've found is the escrow service. That way you know where the money is, and don't have to rely on trusting an individual you don't know.


Marty F
Apr 13, 2007

marty8084 wrote:
adahiscout wrote:
Marty- Re the scam you mention when someone purports to send more money than is owed and then asks the recipient to send part back or on to someone else. You mention Money Orders specifically. i can see how scammers could easily send a check that is not valid, but isn't a Money Order paid for up front? (Of course, there is still no good reason for them to overpay.) This is important to owners, since we may request payment by Money Orders as being safer than checks, so that we don't need to wait for a check to clear before requesting the Guest Confirmation. Of course, we can cancel a reservation if a check bounces, but in some cases the owner would lose a Guest Fee.

MD

marty8084 wrote:
adahiscout wrote:
marty8084 wrote:
adahiscout wrote:
marty8084 wrote:
johng436 wrote:
So, only those upgraded members of redweek can view full description of the rentals I posted despite me paying for membership and for the posts? I thought this was similar to e-bay but was hoping those looking for units may come here as opposed to e-bay.

Hi John,

Basic members can view much of the posting information except what is in the "Details" area. That area may have a lot of information or none depending on what the owner choses to add. The owner can add their phone number and or email address which we welcome them to do but only paid members would be able to see that information.

Thanks, Marty

Isn't all the contact information in the "Details"? In other words. Isn't posting useless unless prospective renters/buyers pay extra to see whether the posting might (or might not) be appropriate for the looker's needs?

Has this always been the case with Redweek or is this a new hurdle to jump?

MD

To view any of the individual postings you need to be at least a free guest which means that you need to register on our website.

As someone with the free guest they can see the following:

Price: Week: Maintenance Fee: Ownership: Use: Owner:

Unit: Smoking: Pets: Kitchen: Sleeps: Bedrooms: Beds: Bathrooms:

Amenities:

They just can't see what's in the "Details" area of the posting without becoming a paid member.

To my knowledge, this is the way it's always been set up.

Thanks, Marty

Well, I set up a guest account to see exactly what they would see. A guest can not see reviews by those who have visited the resort and, most important,they cannot contact the owner to make a rental or purchase offer. Major "detail".

I suppose this discourages lots of "less that serious" contacts. Unfortunately, it probably also chases away those who don't like being asked to pay to inquire. Guess I always thought it was only the owners who paid.

MD

Here's a page that lists the differences between a free guest account and a paid account:

www.redweek.com/join/options

If interested buyers/renters have upgraded to contact a owner and are not able to connect to arrange a transaction, we offer a full refund their membership fee within the first 30 days, no questions asked.

Two important reasons we charge the buyer/renter are as follows:

1) To significantly decrease the likelihood that our members are subjected to scams. You may have heard of the 419 Overpayment Scam - if you've posted anything on a free Web site you have probably seen it in action. Someone offers to buy your timeshare - sending a money order for more than the asking price, and asks you to send the difference on to a relative. It is quite prevalent. In developing our policy, we wanted to make sure we had a security trail on our buyers. Scammers are not too willing to give a credit card number as it produces a trail. You can read more about this scam at: http://www.redweek.com/help/scams/419-overpayment-scam

2) We don't want to waste our posting member's time with inquiries from buyers/renters who aren't seriously looking to rent or purchase a timeshare. We do not charge the user to see the information on availabilities. With a free guest account, one can view nearly all information about a listing. You have the ability to browse the site for availability and pricing, and make up your mind as to what is/is not a good deal before paying for the service. If they are able to find a rental or resale that is hundreds or thousands of dollars cheaper than available elsewhere, most don't have trouble paying $9.99 to arrange to purchase/rent.

Hope this helps.

Marty

The issue to be aware of with money orders and cashiers checks, in my understanding, is that it is possible they could be forged.

Of course, it's only really risky if you are sending money back, or transferring ownership of something that can't be reversed. Our users should NEVER send an excess payment anywhere, from any method of payment. With a rental, the reservation should be able to be reversed if fraud is found with the payment method. Really, the only SAFE method of payment we've found is the escrow service. That way you know where the money is, and don't have to rely on trusting an individual you don't know.

------------ I recently rented my unit and used PayPal for payment, then followed up by sending the confirmation. This insures the money cleared. However, this DOES NOT insure the "tenant" that the owner will come through with the confirmation. The Escrow service protects the tenant in that end of the transaction. I offer the escrow service to potential tenants and let them make the final decision. If they refuse the service, I put it in the rental agreement.


Mike N.
Apr 13, 2007

mike1536 wrote:
I recently rented my unit and used PayPal for payment, then followed up by sending the confirmation. This insures the money cleared. However, this DOES NOT insure the "tenant" that the owner will come through with the confirmation. The Escrow service protects the tenant in that end of the transaction. I offer the escrow service to potential tenants and let them make the final decision. If they refuse the service, I put it in the rental agreement.

Mike, I might be wrong but thought to use escrow service for rentals you needed to be sixty days out from date of use!

It is good you liked working with Pay-Pal but I would never deal with them ! We signed up on a Friday morning trying to buy my daughter a collector set of Bobble Heads back in 2002. Nothing but problems and that same weekend we closed the acct without ever using it! The seller was great and even sent the Bobble Heads before he had my check so my daughter would have them!

We have had scam artist e-mailing us for last five years about our acct.

For the fifth time I talk to Pay-pal and they went back and showed our closed acct and agreed they had problems that weekend but our acct shows closed within 24 hours of opening it.

The agent admitted that they have major problems with scam artist nailing Pay-Pal customers. Said there are three new ones starting up right now!

I was promised no one could ever use our closed acct even though I question why they would keep this acct that was never used in their files.

Pay-Pal might be fairly safe but I would never use and if that is only way I could make a deal then forget it! PHIL


Phil L.
Apr 13, 2007

phill12 wrote:
mike1536 wrote:
I recently rented my unit and used PayPal for payment, then followed up by sending the confirmation. This insures the money cleared. However, this DOES NOT insure the "tenant" that the owner will come through with the confirmation. The Escrow service protects the tenant in that end of the transaction. I offer the escrow service to potential tenants and let them make the final decision. If they refuse the service, I put it in the rental agreement.

Mike, I might be wrong but thought to use escrow service for rentals you needed to be sixty days out from date of use!

It is good you liked working with Pay-Pal but I would never deal with them ! We signed up on a Friday morning trying to buy my daughter a collector set of Bobble Heads back in 2002. Nothing but problems and that same weekend we closed the acct without ever using it! The seller was great and even sent the Bobble Heads before he had my check so my daughter would have them!

We have had scam artist e-mailing us for last five years about our acct.

For the fifth time I talk to Pay-pal and they went back and showed our closed acct and agreed they had problems that weekend but our acct shows closed within 24 hours of opening it.

The agent admitted that they have major problems with scam artist nailing Pay-Pal customers. Said there are three new ones starting up right now!

I was promised no one could ever use our closed acct even though I question why they would keep this acct that was never used in their files.

Pay-Pal might be fairly safe but I would never use and if that is only way I could make a deal then forget it! PHIL

---------- Phil, Thanks for the input, things went smoothly, but I'll keep an eye open for potential scammers. I'm really not familiar with the redweek escrow service. Is that one you recommend or is there another one that you use.


Mike N.

Last edited by mike1536 on Apr 13, 2007 12:44 PM

Apr 13, 2007

mike1536 wrote:
phill12 wrote:
mike1536 wrote:
I recently rented my unit and used PayPal for payment, then followed up by sending the confirmation. This insures the money cleared. However, this DOES NOT insure the "tenant" that the owner will come through with the confirmation. The Escrow service protects the tenant in that end of the transaction. I offer the escrow service to potential tenants and let them make the final decision. If they refuse the service, I put it in the rental agreement.

Mike, I might be wrong but thought to use escrow service for rentals you needed to be sixty days out from date of use!

It is good you liked working with Pay-Pal but I would never deal with them ! We signed up on a Friday morning trying to buy my daughter a collector set of Bobble Heads back in 2002. Nothing but problems and that same weekend we closed the acct without ever using it! The seller was great and even sent the Bobble Heads before he had my check so my daughter would have them!

We have had scam artist e-mailing us for last five years about our acct.

For the fifth time I talk to Pay-pal and they went back and showed our closed acct and agreed they had problems that weekend but our acct shows closed within 24 hours of opening it.

The agent admitted that they have major problems with scam artist nailing Pay-Pal customers. Said there are three new ones starting up right now!

I was promised no one could ever use our closed acct even though I question why they would keep this acct that was never used in their files.

Pay-Pal might be fairly safe but I would never use and if that is only way I could make a deal then forget it! PHIL

---------- Phil, Thanks for the input, things went smoothly, but I'll keep an eye open for potential scammers. I'm really not familiar with the redweek escrow service. Is that one you recommend or is there another one that you use.

I have an e-mail address dedicated to PayPal only, so anything that pops up on my other e-mail account claiming to be PayPal is bogus. Also, scammers won't address you by name like the real PayPal does. They just say "Dear customer" or something like that.

Isn't it sad that there are so many crooks on the internet? I "win" several lotteries a week and click them off. If I really won something.......well, easy come, easy go!


Mary D.

Last edited by adahiscout on Apr 13, 2007 03:57 PM

Apr 17, 2007

Dear Jennie:

I had a question for you regarding my liability as the owner of the timeshare, for any damage caused by the renter. I am planning to rent out a week at the Marriot Grand Ocean Resort in Hilton Head, and I own the week at this resort (this year the week starts on 6/22/07). Since I will not personally know the renter of the unit, I want to make sure that I do not incurr any financial liability from Marriott. For example, they will charge a $250 fee if anyone in the unit smokes, and there are additional penalties for bring pets, damaging the furniture, etc. Do you require that the renter give you a refundable security deposit before they take possession of the unit. If I use an escrow company, do they insure that I will have no liability?

Thanks very much for your help.

Phil


Philip J.
Apr 17, 2007

Dear David:

I had a question for you regarding my liability as the owner of the timeshare, for any damage caused by the renter. I am planning to rent out a week at the Marriot Grand Ocean Resort in Hilton Head, and I own the week at this resort (this year the week starts on 6/22/07). Since I will not personally know the renter of the unit, I want to make sure that I do not incurr any financial liability from Marriott. For example, they will charge a $250 fee if anyone in the unit smokes, and there are additional penalties for bring pets, damaging the furniture, etc. Do you require that the renter give you a refundable security deposit before they take possession of the unit. If I use an escrow company, do they insure that I will have no liability?

Thanks very much for your help.

Phil


Philip J.
Apr 17, 2007

Hi Philip, I'm not Jennie but I can try to answer your question regarding responsibility of any damage done to your unit by a renter.

First and foremost you must have an agreement in place signed by both the owner (you) and the renter which includes a clause pertaining to any damage done to the unit by the renter and their responsibility for such.

There's a sample rental agreement in this forum that you can use (or you can reword any way you wish). A signed agreement is a must to protect yourself (the owner).

Ultimately the responsibility for any damage rests with the owner, but with an agreement signed by both the owner and the renter you do have some legal leverage to charge the renter for any damage that may occur.

philipj18 wrote:
I had a question for you regarding my liability as the owner of the timeshare, for any damage caused by the renter. I am planning to rent out a week at the Marriot Grand Ocean Resort in Hilton Head, and I own the week at this resort (this year the week starts on 6/22/07). Since I will not personally know the renter of the unit, I want to make sure that I do not incurr any financial liability from Marriott. For example, they will charge a $250 fee if anyone in the unit smokes, and there are additional penalties for bring pets, damaging the furniture, etc. Do you require that the renter give you a refundable security deposit before they take possession of the unit. If I use an escrow company, do they insure that I will have no liability?

Thanks very much for your help.

Phil


R P.
Apr 17, 2007

jayjay wrote:
Hi Philip, I'm not Jennie but I can try to answer your question regarding responsibility of any damage done to your unit by a renter.

First and foremost you must have an agreement in place signed by both the owner (you) and the renter which includes a clause pertaining to any damage done to the unit by the renter and their responsibility for such.

There's a sample rental agreement in this forum that you can use (or you can reword any way you wish). A signed agreement is a must to protect yourself (the owner).

Ultimately the responsibility for any damage rests with the owner, but with an agreement signed by both the owner and the renter you do have some legal leverage to charge the renter for any damage that may occur.

philipj18 wrote:
I had a question for you regarding my liability as the owner of the timeshare, for any damage caused by the renter. I am planning to rent out a week at the Marriot Grand Ocean Resort in Hilton Head, and I own the week at this resort (this year the week starts on 6/22/07). Since I will not personally know the renter of the unit, I want to make sure that I do not incurr any financial liability from Marriott. For example, they will charge a $250 fee if anyone in the unit smokes, and there are additional penalties for bring pets, damaging the furniture, etc. Do you require that the renter give you a refundable security deposit before they take possession of the unit. If I use an escrow company, do they insure that I will have no liability?

Thanks very much for your help.

Phil

----------- I know my resort will take a credit card at checkin, but I don't know if they would charge the renter's card for any damage. I know the owner is ultimately responsible.


Mike N.
Apr 28, 2007

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?


Randy J.
Apr 28, 2007

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?


R P.
Apr 29, 2007

philipj18 wrote:
Dear David:

I had a question for you regarding my liability as the owner of the timeshare, for any damage caused by the renter. I am planning to rent out a week at the Marriot Grand Ocean Resort in Hilton Head, and I own the week at this resort (this year the week starts on 6/22/07). Since I will not personally know the renter of the unit, I want to make sure that I do not incurr any financial liability from Marriott. For example, they will charge a $250 fee if anyone in the unit smokes, and there are additional penalties for bring pets, damaging the furniture, etc. Do you require that the renter give you a refundable security deposit before they take possession of the unit. If I use an escrow company, do they insure that I will have no liability?

Thanks very much for your help.

Phil

I have always made the resort staff aware that my week/unit will be occupied by my GUESTS,and supply them with their names and the total number of occupants.I then insist that the renters Email the resort staff with their information to confirm that they will indeed be occupying the unit as my GUESTS.At my request,the resort will Email my GUESTS a letter confirming the reservation.This also eliminates the frivolous Guest Registration fee,usually $50.When my GUESTS arrive,they are treated as owners/exchange check-ins,i.e.,they will required to provide ID's,a major credit card,etc. So far, we've had NO problems with damages,charges,etc. But,by and large, the vast majority of renters are responsible adults.Not vandals.


Alfred N G.

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