View Full Version : Boy do I have an odd question!?
Asking out of pure curiousity, why is it seemingly all of the villas on orlandovillas.com are owned/operated from the UK? All the links and emails I have recieved have come from the UK almost entirely. This is my first time renting a villa and it just piqued my interest...
That not true. We are from USA. There are lots of US owner here too.
True, I shouldn't have used the word "all" in my question...I'm sure there are lots of local owners. Believe me, I'm not decrying anyone for owning these from out of the country. It just caught my eye that so many had UK websites and emails. I assume these villas are simply investment property for them. No worries, man.
No, not necessarily 'just' an investment. We treat our villa as our home and rent it out when we are not there to cover costs. Please don't imply that owners, who are largely British I agree, are just there for the investment potential, we pay our taxes in US as well.
Clare
http://www.orlandovillas.com/villas/1367.aspx
floridadreamvilla.co.uk
04-08-2006, 17:51
We've got quite a lot of US owners but probably 80-90% of owners are UK based (we do have owners from lots of other countries too).
The UK has a long standing love affair with Florida and the value villas provide over hotel rooms is well known amongst the UK tourists, hence quite a few of these tourists have bought homes here as the come several times a year and wanted somewhere of their own to stay.
The concept of villas is still not as widely known amongst the US vacationers and so less US people own homes here. This is slowly changing but it takes time.
I'm finding about 70% of my guests are from the USA and I would have more but the houses book up really well in advance.
I don't think the comment about UK owners and investment is fair though - all owners are pretty much the same no matter where they come from - they bought primarily for a great place to stay when they come to Florida, but obviously have bills to pay in the longer term and rentals help out with this. I'd be lying if I said that an owner would not hope the value of their home would appreciate in the longer term, but that wish applies equally to US owners as much as owners from anywhere else.
I've not heard of any US owner buying a home in Florida with the idea of moving into it eventually when they retire but I'm sure a very small percentage do (just not the majority of US owners).
chrizzy100
04-08-2006, 18:05
I think there is a mix of reasons why people have a villa in Orlando...I have friends who have their place just for investment...a few have never even seen their homes..but most go to FL once a year or more and look on their FL home as a home...
I own a place in Orlando too...but like a lot of my USA neighbours who own in FL we don't rent...most of my neighbours just let friends and family use their homes...I've found Americans very easy going with letting you use their second homes...we've been offered a condo or cabin a few times...I've also offered my place to older neighbours if they need a break in the sun in winter..and my parents are snowbirding there part of this winter...
Thanks everyone for your comments. I didn't intend on the "investment" comment to be taken as negative at all. It all makes more sense to me now. But if what floridadreamvilla.co.uk said was true about villa renting being more popular among UK visitors, you guys have been hiding a great secret! My family is planning our first stay in a villa, and it seems like a much better alternative than paying over-inflated rates to stay in a cramped hotel room.
Is there no management groups involved in renting a villa? Is the everything only between the owner of the house and the renter? Thanks for your help!
floridadreamvilla.co.uk
04-08-2006, 18:43
You could rent off a Management Company but you would pay more and not get the personal service you get off a private owner. Also, if you rent off one of our sites you can be sure the villa you see on the advert will be the one you will stay at - if you book off a Management Company they often allocate villas on arrival and you could end up with somewhere very different to what you originally saw.
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by newby
Is there no management groups involved in renting a villa? Is the everything only between the owner of the house and the renter? Thanks for your help!
[/quote]
steph_goodrum
04-08-2006, 21:24
"Is there no management groups involved in renting a villa? "
Most of us dont use management companies to rent our villas but we all have a management company to oversee day to day operattions,as under the terms of our licences we have to provide emergency cover 24/7 which obviously isnt practical from the UK.
Remember all the owners on these websites are validated so you can be confident in your renting direct from an owner.
Joyce
http://www.orlando-guide.info/forums/topic.asp?topic_id=19629
Don't know if the link above works, but I rented from an internet company last time we went[msnmad] NEVER AGAIN!!!! BEWARE, I advise to rent from someone on these sites, then you know what you are getting.[msneek]
I agree with Vicky. You will get much better personal service from renting from owner.