View Full Version : renting villa direct from owner
hi all,ive been to orlando 3 times before and each time we have booked villa through an agent for peace of mind in case of any problems and in feb this year we had to move villa due to a couple of problems and mc were helpfull,so my question is that we have seen some lovely villas on this site but what happens if when we get there and problems arise what happens when we have booked direct with the owner NOT that we are expecting any problems as this was first problem we have had but intersting to know what help is available thankyou:D
LiesaAnna
23-10-2006, 00:58
Hi
in our case last year the pool heating wasnt working so we called in on the management company, it was broken, was fixed asap, we were given a refund for days we didnt have the pool heating,
but if you book through here all the owners are verified, and would be more then happy to help rectify any problems, you would be given a villa pack with all details and numbers to call if there were such a problem,
nothing is too much trouble for any of the owners i think on this site!!!
hope you manage to find one to suit your needs, so many beautiful villas to choose from!!
good luck xx
christhear
23-10-2006, 01:01
All the owners on this site will have MC's who will sort you out should any problems arise. Also you have the ability to talk directly to the owner to confirm that there are processes set up in case of emergencies.
The advantage of booking direct is that you know exactly what you will be getting before you arrive.
You will also find that many villa owners on this site will have added quite a few personnal touches to their villas.
Thankyou for your reply am i right in thinking that most villa owners on this site use a MC[?] as that would be peace of mind for us.:)
mfairhurst
23-10-2006, 01:09
It is a lot better booking direct with the owner as at least you know which one you are booking with and the pictures you see of the villa are honest as all villa owner put their own on the site,Also have a management company that you can contact if you should need them .
As said before the villas on theses 3 sites have to be virified as the owner and not an agent .
Enjoy your next holiday .
MAUREEN
www.onlinefloridavillas.com/villas/1683.aspx
Hi Cowgirl,
All the Villas on these sites are verified and also have Management Companies who look after the homes and guests should any problems arise. Many homeowners have a very close working relationship with the Management Companies and can also arrange any particular 'wants' by guests.I believe this provides a more personal service and that is why so many guest return to privately run Villas
I can understand your concern, however most private owners care for their Villas and take pride in their care, cleanliness and presentation and this is supported by the local Management Companies.
I am aware that a few agents or Travel Companies, and not all I hasten to say, sometimes do not pay owners reasonable rates. They tend to include their 'middleman' profit margin and therefore occasionally a guest may find the Villa is run on a shoestring budget as the owner cannot afford to maintain the Villa in the standard Private owners tend to. I will qualify this and do not wish to put down Travel agents Villas, but that is my experience.
Your main concern appears to be the local support available for Privately run Villas. All the owners have Terms and Conditions which are there for your peace of mind as well as the owners. You really have nothing to worry about. Most Management Companies of private owners are very hands on and know the homes personaly and check them to see if there are any problems.These are fixed quickly and efficiently so that your holiday is not spoilt.
Some Travel agents may give you an 'accomodation on arrival' and you may not therefore be able to choose your preferred area or type of home, or facilities.
On here the choice, as they say "is yours". You can choose the Community, preferences, lake views, games rooms, Spa's. You really do have more control of your holiday which after all is a large investment for you and your family.
I hope I have put your mind at rest. i am confident that if you choose any of the homes on here you will never return to agents again.
Thankyou for your replies i am sure we will book a villa on this site as the prices are very good but never booking direct with an owner before you always worry about everything being just as good as with an ABTA agent
LiesaAnna
23-10-2006, 01:34
been there done that, we booked our first ever florida villa holiday with a local free paper, we were so worried with what we would find when we got there, but we were so happy to find all is as is here!!!
but after joining this site we now know what to do!
gwendolinemary
23-10-2006, 01:35
I wonder if any of the villa owners on this site could answer a query I have. We rented a villa through a rental company in 2004 and were unfortunate to be there when Hurricane Frances hit. The garage ceiling fell in and there was water coming throught the light fittings. Obviously we couldn't stay there. Luckily the company we had rented from moved us quickly to another of their properties which hadn't suffered any damage. If we had rented direct from the owner would their management company have been able to move us to another villa ( presuming they had one avaliable)?
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by gwendolinemary
I wonder if any of the villa owners on this site could answer a query I have. We rented a villa through a rental company in 2004 and were unfortunate to be there when Hurricane Frances hit. The garage ceiling fell in and there was water coming throught the light fittings. Obviously we couldn't stay there. Luckily the company we had rented from moved us quickly to another of their properties which hadn't suffered any damage. If we had rented direct from the owner would their management company have been able to move us to another villa ( presuming they had one avaliable)?
[/quote]
Hi Gwen, We were there in 2004 for 'Charlie' and 'Frances' and I know that quite a few Villas sustained damage. Whilst I believe the media did 'blow it up out of proportion' no pun intended! I did see some homes damaged.
The M/C's were very prompt in relocating guests. Our Management Company were very busy assisting guest who had booked with large Companies but due to the fact the telephone lines were down they couldn't contact them.You were obviously lucky.
The private owners Management Companies were on hand, as most are very local,some even live on the same Communities, so could advise and assist in finding available homes.
On this site you also have a large number/network of owners, quite a few of us are in Florida at any one time and we all help each other. During Charlie we were able to keep the forum up to date on events and also pass on messages and check homes so you could say, 'We are a very large Company with a lot of support'. [msnsmile2]
I think that Private is best.
mfairhurst
23-10-2006, 01:56
Yes is the answer our management company had the same problem and asked us to accomadate them and we was able to and that is how it works with an direct owner as near as an e-mail or phone call we all work together as a team ,So yes is the answer to your question .
MAUREEN
www.onlinefloridavillas.com/villas/1683.aspx
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by gwendolinemary
I wonder if any of the villa owners on this site could answer a query I have. We rented a villa through a rental company in 2004 and were unfortunate to be there when Hurricane Frances hit. The garage ceiling fell in and there was water coming throught the light fittings. Obviously we couldn't stay there. Luckily the company we had rented from moved us quickly to another of their properties which hadn't suffered any damage. If we had rented direct from the owner would their management company have been able to move us to another villa ( presuming they had one avaliable)?[/quote]
Hi Gewndolin,
Yes, absolutely. I think I'm safe to speak for all owners here to say that your comfort and safety is our utmost concern. You might also be very pleasantly surprised at how fast and resourceful we can be when the need arises. Owners here have a large network of fellow owners, all of whom will help out where possible. You'll also have the owner's undivided attention and help relocating rather than being at position 100 in the queue on the telephone had you gone through a tour company. Also, when you are dealing direct with the villa owner you are dealing with the ultimate decision maker rather than having to cut through ten layers or corporate bureaucracy. It's a beautiful thing!
Jacqui - much of this reasoning also applies to your expectations. Will a villa rented from here be as good as one rented through an ABTA agent. In all honesty it should be heaps better. You are no longer getting a unit on a computer but are getting someone's home that is lovingly cared for and kept in superb condition. You are about to have the best experience ever! [msnsmile2]
ShirleyD
23-10-2006, 03:07
We suffered a 4 day power cut in one of the hurricanes, I rang our guests before they left home, but they still wanted to travel, so our caretakers met them at the airport with details of another villa, where they stayed until the power came back on. All owners are required to have a management company or local caretaker to look after guests. Those who rent their homes privately, are usually much more 'hands on' and really care about their guests, wanting them to enjoy their home and Florida as much as we do.
We actually bought our villa just after charlie hit. At the time we were staying in a villa we got from a tour operator. We were without power for 6 days, and the MC/tour operator didn't contact us once. We couldn't use the pool at all. When we went to see the MC at their offices they were not interested. As Shirley says, the villa owners on here really care as they tend to build a relationship with the guest before they arrive, and often will be in contact during your holiday to ensure you are happy (I know I do).
caroline
23-10-2006, 13:03
We were very lucky and apart from losing the phone lines for a few hours had no problems at our villa, however our guests were supposed to be moving to Cape Coral on the Gulf Coast for their second week and when they contacted the owner to check if the house was OK there had been a major damage done to it. We had guests checking in so they couldn't stay on in our home but we managed, with the help of our MC to find them another villa - this was all done within 20 minutes of them finding out the Cape Coral home was damaged. This family have stayed with us every summer since then and fortuantely never seen another hurricane[msnwink]
Our MC like many otheres visited every home before the hurricane to make sure guests were aware of what precautions to take incase of loss of power etc and then went and personally checked every home, starting with those that they couldn't get through on the phone to, making sure the guests were comfortable and that the homes hadn't suffered any damage.
We were also lucky in that we didn't have any damage, but we did have guests in our home whose flight was delayed due to the hurricane when they were due to check out of our villa, but as we had other guests arriving (who had been in Orlando a couple of days already) they had nowhere to go.
Our management company found them a nearby villa at Calabay Parc very promptly.
Like others have said owners work closely with their management companies and will do their upmost to help in these type of circumstances.
Also when booking direct with an owner you can ask endless questions about the villa you have booked or Orlando and get so much advice!
gwendolinemary
23-10-2006, 14:38
Thanks to all you owners for your input - you've put my mind at rest about the one niggle I had about renting direct from the owner. :):)