MVCI says that "You are NOT allowed to rent out your week!"

[2muchfun]

I have lurking around TUG for a long time and I have not saw this topic, so I thought I would put it out there.

We were in Aruba this week with a bunch of friends and one of my buddies took the Sales Pitch tour for the 20,000 points. He owns a few weeks and openly admitted to renting some out on Redweek etc. After they pumped him for information on him renting out some of his units, the salesperson went and got the Sales Manager to come see him.

The Sales Manager comes in with a copy of the "Governing Documents" saying that on page 11, there is a paragraph stating that you cannot rent out your weeks. He apparently had it highlighted in yellow and read it out loud to him.

Has anyone else heard of that? Do any Aruba Ocean Club Owners have a copy of the Governing Documents? Any thing in there about renting it out?

He also said that they are looking at changing the reservation system so you cannot book consecutive and concurrent. Only one or the other. This would cause us grief, as we book both ways, because we have family and friends that join us on our multiple week stays.

If you can enlighten us on this, please do. We find all of this very disturbing.

 

[TheTimeTraveler]

I have lurking around TUG for a long time and I have not saw this topic, so I thought I would put it out there.

We were in Aruba this week with a bunch of friends and one of my buddies took the Sales Pitch tour for the 20,000 points. He owns a few weeks and openly admitted to renting some out on Redweek etc. After they pumped him for information on him renting out some of his units, the salesperson went and got the Sales Manager to come see him.

The Sales Manager comes in with a copy of the "Governing Documents" saying that on page 11, there is a paragraph stating that you cannot rent out your weeks. He apparently had it highlighted in yellow and read it out loud to him.

Has anyone else heard of that? Do any Aruba Ocean Club Owners have a copy of the Governing Documents? Any thing in there about renting it out?

He also said that they are looking at changing the reservation system so you cannot book consecutive and concurrent. Only one or the other. This would cause us grief, as we book both ways, because we have family and friends that join us on our multiple week stays.

If you can enlighten us on this, please do. We find all of this very disturbing.

Sounds like he wants to sell you some points…..




.

 

[EKniager]

I have openly discussed renting my unit with my MVCI rep many times. Not once has any of them mentioned anything about it being against the rules. In fact, it has always been discussed as an option versus exchanging.

 

[pedro47]

To the OP, I wish you would have asked the sales manager to give you a copy of this document?

 

[dioxide45]

The governing documents very likely have a provision against "commercial activity". The trust and exchange company has something similar. However, renting a week or a few of your weeks likely wouldn't constitute commercial activity.

 

[dougp26364]

NEVER listen to a sales man or manager. They only know about selling and very little about using. They'll tell you what they want you to hear and leave out the details that benefit you.

Most companies prohibit cottage industries of owning to reserve and rent for profit in direct completion with Marriott.com. As an owner of your week you can rent your week so long as your not doing it as a business.

 

[SueDonJ]

Renting your owned Weeks is allowed, always has been. In fact if you don't want to do it yourself you can contact Owner Services to see if Marriott wants to offer it through their program! (Which isn't nearly as lucrative these days as it used to be, but I'm mentioning it only to support renting as an allowed usage option.) It's interesting to note, too, that DC Points and reservations made with them can also be rented. I'm willing to bet that this same sales rep probably plays up that fact when trying to sell DC Points. <eyeroll>

As for the threat of disallowing consecutive/concurrent reservations, sure it's possible for Marriott to make such a change. But I'm certain that IF ever they make the change (which IMO won't happen,) it'll be formally announced to all Owners at the same time through the usual email/snail mail system. There's no doubt that the sales reps won't be the conduit.

*If any Weeks Owner is interested in all the legal mumbo-jumbo it may be possible to request a copy of the Public Offering Statement for your particular resort(s) by calling Owner Services. (I say, "may" because the last time I knew of this happening was in 2012, but since then I haven't heard that it's not available anymore.) The POS consists of a paperback book in which all of the legal documents pertaining to a single resort are shrunk to 5X8 pages. These books aren't just a few pages - SW's is 376 pages total. The docs consist of items like the Master Deed, the Time Sharing Declaration and the Management Agreement, as well as various examples of purchase contracts, mortgages, warranty deeds, budget reports, etc... Note you may be charged a copy fee for the book.

 

[ilene13]

We own at the OC and I usually rent out one of my weeks. There was an issue at the OC when we were there weeks 51 and 52. There are some owners who own in excess of 20 weeks and they book multiple weeks 51/52 and rent them out. Many of the two bedroom unit owners have been unable to get these weeks for years. They complained. Also there was a family who owns 5 one bedroom units and they were unable to get their weeks for 2014. They made a lot of noise. When I spoke to them ( the owners) I realized that he had called on the wrong day to make his reservation. Of course he did not want to take any of the blame, so he screamed the loudest. I did post one of my 2014 weeks for rent and no one has said anything that I could not. I spent a lot of time talking to Lillian and the manager about other things and they never said that I could not rent out one of my weeks.

 

[Weimaraner]

I know it was mentioned in our sales pitch that we could rent out our units if we didn't use them. In fact the sales person said they had a staffer who consistently rented out their President's Week for $5k every year.

 

[Old Hickory]

I know it was mentioned in our sales pitch that we could rent out our units if we didn't use them. In fact the sales person said they had a staffer who consistently rented out their President's Week for $5k every year.

This can't be true. I read that ALL sales people are liars and cheaters. I read it on an internet forum... so it must be true.

 

[larryallen]

Last we went to the sales pitch they brought in the final person to try and sell us a return week for like $3k for a mountain view. I told her we like renting. She replied, "did you get it for $1,600?" I said, "less." She said, "oh, good deal."

 

[dougp26364]

Oops, misread intent. Never mind

 

[camachinist]

OP, should you be curious about the governing documents of the Aruba Surf Club, a neighboring Marriott resort in Aruba, this thread might be of interest if you wish to pursue that angle further. Also, you might wish to Google Allan Cohen, who filed a lawsuit against AOC and adjunct research of that path might bring you the documents you desire, should you wish to form a definitive response to the salesperson's assertions.

I have a hard copy of the NCV governing documents and in no way is renting/assigning intervals prohibited and I routinely interface with Guest Services/Owner Services when renting mine. Lately, they don't even include the disclaimer about consequential damages and, additionally, their response time has been lightening fast, generally the same day, much to the delight of my tenants, whom, on good faith, send thousands of dollars for a reservation.

Could that change tomorrow? Anything is possible. However, given the hundreds of rental listings at my home resort, if that's any indicator of current rental activity, I'm sure MVCI would have far more than the likes of Allan Cohen at their doorstep.

The last time I listened to a Marriott salesperson, I bought a couple timeshare weeks. That was the last time, over a decade ago. Up to you. Good luck!

 

[mclyne]

Multiple Weeks

I believe there is a real problem with reference to reserving dates . We own at the Aruba Ocean Club and whenever we discuss the difficulty in reserving a date, we are always told the same thing: it is the multiple weeks owners who reserve many months in advance. I have no problem with multiple weeks owners using their weeks for themselves. In fact we were there 2 weeks ago and met guests who stay there for the winter--some were there 5 or 6 weeks. I think it was wonderful that they were able to do this. But, when you have a 15-20 weeks owner, who gobbles up precious winter weeks and then rents them out, it denies owners access to their units.

Anyone who owns at the Ocean Club knows that the third and fourth week in January are to be avoided, if you want an enjoyable vacation. So, that also lessens the pool of available weeks. I am not opposed to renting out a unit but I believe Marriott should find a way to track owners who habitually rent out their units and act as landlords.

 

[csxjohn]

I believe there is a real problem with reference to reserving dates . We own at the Aruba Ocean Club and whenever we discuss the difficulty in reserving a date, we are always told the same thing: it is the multiple weeks owners who reserve many months in advance. I have no problem with multiple weeks owners using their weeks for themselves. In fact we were there 2 weeks ago and met guests who stay there for the winter--some were there 5 or 6 weeks. I think it was wonderful that they were able to do this. But, when you have a 15-20 weeks owner, who gobbles up precious winter weeks and then rents them out, it denies owners access to their units.

Anyone who owns at the Ocean Club knows that the third and fourth week in January are to be avoided, if you want an enjoyable vacation. So, that also lessens the pool of available weeks. I am not opposed to renting out a unit but I believe Marriott should find a way to track owners who habitually rent out their units and act as landlords.

How do the multi week owners get an advantage? Don't they make their ressies at the same time and in the same manner as everyone else?

 

[ilene13]

How do the multi week owners get an advantage? Don't they make their ressies at the same time and in the same manner as everyone else?

Some of the own both gold and platinum weeks so they can book out earlier.

 

[SueDonJ]

How do the multi week owners get an advantage? Don't they make their ressies at the same time and in the same manner as everyone else?

If you're trying to book multiple Weeks consecutively and/or concurrently you can use the 13-mos Reservation Window; single Weeks can only be booked using the 12-mos Reservation Window. So, for example, the owner mentioned in this thread with twenty Weeks can call in late November to book the ten and ten Week -51 and -52 intervals that fall thirteen months later. Add in lock-off capabilities at Aruba Surf Club and that owner of twenty Weeks can potentially take forty Week 51 units out of the availability pool at 13 months prior to check-in. Depending on the resort seasons, the Weeks owned and how the calendars line up, there are any number of possible consecutive/concurrent Weeks combinations that impact availability for other Owners. The only restriction is that Marriott must leave 50% of the intervals available for the 12-mos Reservation Window, but even then multi-Weeks Owners have as much right to those intervals as the Single-Week Owners do.

As mentioned, the governing docs expressly allow Owners to rent out their Weeks either privately or through Marriott's rental program. (Which means that what the OP's friend was told is flat-out wrong.) But also as noted in this thread, the same governing docs also allow Marriott to use its discretion to prevent an Owner from renting out enough units to constitute "commercial activity." The problem is they don't define just how many rentals equate to "commercial activity." Instead of implementing a definition that isn't arbitrary and can be enforced, Marriott leaves the restriction undefined, uses no reasonable discretion and allows as many rentals as are owned.

I also wish they'd limit rental activity when the numbers impact other Owners to such a detrimental effect, which naturally impacts the highest-demand periods. But since it appears they're not able to apply reason and instead consider everything on an all-or-nothing basis, I prefer that they continue to allow rentals.

There's another thing in the governing docs that Marriott could use to limit the impact of multi-Week Owners gobbling up the lion's share of the highest-demand intervals. All of the docs have wording related to a "lottery" system that Marriott could implement whereby the highest-demand intervals are made available on a rotational basis to all Owners, regardless of whether they own multi- or single-Weeks. I wouldn't mind if they put such a system in place (even as an Owner who routinely books the two weeks straddling Memorial Day at Hilton Head.) It would be more fair than what happens now, that's for sure.

 

[answeeney]

Definition: 'mistruth', a phrase or statement that lacks some or all of the properties, qualities or assumptions underlying the commonly accepted definition of the word truth. Common usage: The dog ate my homework. It wasn't me, it was him. I will be back in time for dinner. I did not have sex with that woman.

 

[SueDonJ]

Definition: 'mistruth', a phrase or statement that lacks some or all of the properties, qualities or assumptions underlying the commonly accepted definition of the word truth. Common usage: The dog ate my homework. It wasn't me, it was him. I will be back in time for dinner. I did not have sex with that woman.

I know. While you were typing I changed my mind about giving the rep the benefit of the doubt based on true ignorance, and edited my post to say that s/he was simply, "flat-out wrong."

 

[capjak]

I did a presentation at MOC and the sales rep asked me if I ever need to rent trust points to call him and he gave me his number as he said he had 6000+ points that he rents every year.

 

[csxjohn]

.... The only restriction is that Marriott must leave 50% of the intervals available for the 12-mos Reservation Window, ....

So Marriott rewards multi-week owners by allowing earlier booking of weeks.

But at 12 mos everyone can make ressies for the remaining 50% of the units available for any particular week.

At least everyone has a shot at every week they are entitled to.

Thanks for the info Sue.

 

[n777lt]

There's another thing in the governing docs that Marriott could use to limit the impact of multi-Week Owners gobbling up the lion's share of the highest-demand intervals. All of the docs have wording related to a "lottery" system that Marriott could implement whereby the highest-demand intervals are made available on a rotational basis to all Owners, regardless of whether they own multi- or single-Weeks. I wouldn't mind if they put such a system in place (even as an Owner who routinely books the two weeks straddling Memorial Day at Hilton Head.) It would be more fair than what happens now, that's for sure.

Sue, not to hijack the thread, but is that provision for a possible "lottery" system limited to high-demand intervals, or is it worded so that it could be adopted for the entire year?

 

[caterina25]

Does it cost anything to add the names of renters to unit?

 

[wisbadgerm]

renters

no it does not cost anything to add the renters name to the reservation. i have called the front desk and asked them to do it along with making sure they request the renter's credit card for any incidental charges and/or damages.

 

[ilene13]

Does it cost anything to add the names of renters to unit?

No, a fast call and the name is on the confirmation.