Renting. step 5 of confirming that it's legit

[RENTER]

I rent on Airbnb and they protect people from being scammed. The guest pays them and they pay me after the guest checks in. They charge me 3% and the guest 15%

 

[wmgjr]

If you have been scammed - yes.

Only if you pay as seller/buyer protection, not if you pay as friends and family even in you are scammed

 

[wmgjr]

Gordon is reputable - he has a rental business and I have rented to him a few times.


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IMO this isn't enough
Scammers can just as easily identify a legitimate person and start using their name.
The OP mentioned she served as a reference for a scammer perpetuating the scam.

Get on the phone.
Get on zoom
And if you don't feel absolutely comfortable don't rent. There's no deal so good worth being scammed.
Unfortunately scammers have found the timeshare market which changes what avenues we have available.
I've done direct exchange with TUGgers, rented from multiple people on Facebook, but after being scammed 1500 last year I put more emphasis on finding deals through marketplaces that provide protection and pay for it if needed.

I was refunded through my CC but I believe the laws have changed regarding CC protections for P2P transactions.
So just be cautious. Don't be hasty. And listen to your gut while doing your due diligence.

 

[DeniseM]

Only if you pay as seller/buyer protection, not if you pay as friends and family even in you are scammed

Actually, if you use a credit card on Paypal, you can dispute the payment directly with your credit card, and Paypal has little or no say in it. This is why: The credit card is going to claw back the money from Paypal, whether they like it or not. That's how it works.

 

[rapmarks]

Rent from someone who you have a knowledge or relationship with, or rent from a long standing TUGger.

They are a good source of many timeshares.

Yeah really good advice, and a long standing tugger who rented extensively at that location didn’t find me lucrative enough to make a reservation. Another tugger did a direct exchange with me and helped me out. After this incident. As I mentioned, this rental was for a wedding. We had never rented before, and the person we rented from was doing a lot of renting on a Bluegreen yahoo group. this Was back in 2007,/so there wasnt as much technology available to investigate people.

 

[rapmarks]

When I reread some of these posts it occurred to me that rental frees have definitely not kept up with inflation. I remember back in 2007 another tugger saying that $800 was a low price I haven’t been able to get $800 for a week in the summer in 2024. And it doesn’t cover my maintenance fees.

 

[vacation911]

I'm a newbie and read the article about "confirming that a rental is legit". Once the confirmation is in my name, what is to stop the owner from call the resort & having them removed my name from the confirmation.

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Nothing stops them accept its very trackable and you will likely dispute your payment, and they could face legal problems. I don't think that scenario would happen. I guess it could, but it would be the abnorm. I suppose there does need to be some trust on both parties. They could say, how do I know after you make the payment you won't dispute it after you go on your vacation. I think I have seen that argument by sellers. I mean, these things could happen, but unlikely. Thats Just my opinion.

 

[montygz]

When I reread some of these posts it occurred to me that rental frees have definitely not kept up with inflation. I remember back in 2007 another tugger saying that $800 was a low price I haven’t been able to get $800 for a week in the summer in 2024. And it doesn’t cover my maintenance fees.

One reason rental fees don't keep up with inflation is that for many people there is fear that a scammer is lurking behind every rental reservation.

Of all the scams out there, there are many factors that make a timeshare rental scam unlikely. A scammer has to understand how timeshares work. What the cost of a reservation should be. They have to craft an ad and engage in some customer service. Most places, you have pay to list the timeshare for rent. Scammers don't like "investing" in their scams.

Timeshare rentals are a small niche. A scammer would want a much bigger sea to fish from.

All that said, as a renter, doing some due diligence is certainly required. In the end, you just have to jump in and give it a try.

The first time I rented a timeshare I was nervous. Then it was like, "this is amazing! What a secret way to stay in places for pennies on the dollar!"

Of course, renting isn't for everyone. I have shown people how I do it and how much I saved and they looked at me like I was crazy. They then went off and paid $600 a night from "safe" Marriott or Disney or whatever.

The price of paying more was worth it to them.

 

[dioxide45]

When I reread some of these posts it occurred to me that rental frees have definitely not kept up with inflation. I remember back in 2007 another tugger saying that $800 was a low price I haven’t been able to get $800 for a week in the summer in 2024. And it doesn’t cover my maintenance fees.

I think there are several reasons for this.

• There are far more timeshares for rent than there are people wanting to rent them today. The increase in fees with the difficulty in getting rid of a timeshare has turned many owners into timeshare landlords. This means a glut of inventory.
• Many resorts are aging. An independent resort that was nice in 2005 may not be as nice now resulting on fewer people wanting to go to that resort.
• The increase in consolidation of the hotel brands. This seems to make people want to stick to renting brand name timeshares since they have more consistent standards and they are used to the related hotel brands.

 

[rapmarks]

I think there are several reasons for this.

• There are far more timeshares for rent than there are people wanting to rent them today. The increase in fees with the difficulty in getting rid of a timeshare has turned many owners into timeshare landlords. This means a glut of inventory.
• Many resorts are aging. An independent resort that was nice in 2005 may not be as nice now resulting on fewer people wanting to go to that resort.
• The increase in consolidation of the hotel brands. This seems to make people want to stick to renting brand name timeshares since they have more consistent standards and they are used to the related hotel brands.

Yes but this a bluegreen/hilton brand.