Harborside owners...question about renting a unit

[gores95 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close gores95]

I am close to sending a check to an owner that I found on sellmytimeshare.com for a week at a Harborside 1BR in November of 2007. He wants me to send him a bank check for payment in full NOW. He mentioned that upon receipt he would call Starwood reserve the 1BR and then send me the confirmation number. He told me the ressie would be in his wife's name with us as guests.

Does anything seem amiss here or is this exactly how you rent your units at Harborside? Its just a lot of money and once a Bank Check is sent there is very little recourse on my end.

Thanks,

Marc

[arlene22 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close arlene22]

He mentioned that upon receipt he would call Starwood reserve the 1BR and then send me the confirmation number. He told me the ressie would be in his wife's name with us as guests.

Marc,
How do you know he will be able to reserve that week??? Why can't he reserve it first? What if he can't get it?

I have only rented once, but it was someone from TUG, and it wasn't a lot of money, so I did sent it all upfront along with the rental agreement. First, I called the resort to confirm that this person had a reservation for that week. It worked out fine.

Many people prefer to do it this way: 1) renter sends a deposit with signed rental agreement, 2) owner adds renter's name to the reservation and sends copy to renter, and 3) renter sends remainder.

That being said, I do not think Harborside will give the owner anything written that has the guests names on it. You could try to call Starwood and verify that this person a) is an SVO owner and b) has reserved this week. They might also be able to verify that your names are listed as guests. When I have added guests (real guests, not renters) to my reservation, they are present in the computer system, but do not show up on the email or snail mail confirmation.

There is an element of trust involved when renting from an owner. It is theoretically possible that, if someone was a real jerk, he could remove your name at the last minute. I have never heard of that happening, but it is possible. If you don't have a good feeling about the person with whom you are dealing, trust your gut. If you have spoken to the person and feel like they are on the up and up, go ahead, but bring your signed rental agreement with you on your trip, just in case you need it.

[gores95 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close gores95]

Thanks Arlene. Before I send my $1400 I am going to ask him to verify that the week we want is available. I will also talk to him via telephone. He gave me his home/cell/work number. I am not new to internet shopping or even to renting properties but this is the most I have spent and I just am uneasy about plunking all the cash down for a trip a year from now.

I'll get over it!

Thanks,

Marc

[TomandRobin Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close TomandRobin]

Just wondering how the rental worked out for you?

[zdxlc9p6 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close zdxlc9p6]

I rented two times from an owner. In both cases, the owner made the reservation first. I called the resort to confirm they actually had a reservation, and then sent 50% of the fee. They returned a rental agreement, which I returned with the balance due 4 weeks prior to the check in date. They then sent a letter to the resort with a copy to me that we would be arriving as their guest/renter. I reconfirmed with the resort after I received the letter. Both deals went smooth, but of course, I could have been ripped of with either the 50% or 100% if they hadn't actually sent the letter to the resort.

Point is, I would be cautious about sending full payment before the reservation is even made, and try to negotiate partial payment since your looking 10 months out.