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Timeshare Renter FAQ

Vacationers have long known that the best kept secret to finding outstanding accommodations is renting a timeshare. Infinitely better than the run-of-the-mill hotel room, timeshare rentals offer comfortable, spacious accommodation with multi-room condo-style layouts that give everyone in the family the privacy and relaxation needed during a vacation.

Below you will find answers to some of the most common questions in our timeshare renter FAQ that come up during the rental process, such as how to find timeshares for rent and how the rental process works. Remember, you can always speak to one of our timeshare specialists at 800-640-6886 if you have a question about a specific resort.

Q. Is renting a timeshare a good idea?

A. The decision to rent a timeshare, compared with a hotel room, is a simple one. The advantages of a timeshare rental are striking, from the added privacy of multiple bedrooms to full kitchens to prepare meals. 

Larger living areas, separate dining space, in-room washer and dryer to keep the beach towels dry and the ability to relax in an apartment-style living space far outweighs a cramped hotel room where the family piles onto the bed to eat a pizza at night. The price is much lower compared to a hotel room of similar quality, especially when negotiating directly with an owner who is posting their timeshare for rent on our website.

Q. Is it better to rent or buy a timeshare?

This depends on how experienced you are with a particular resort or vacation club program. Vacationers often use the timeshare rental process to become more comfortable with a resort or vacation destination, understanding that timeshares provide the best value for money of any accommodation option.

When someone is comfortable at a resort and finds themselves often going back to the resort, buying a timeshare becomes a better option. As an owner, you will have advantages over renters such as preferred access to top weeks and an earlier booking window to reserve your first choice of vacation dates. You won’t be beholden to an owner to find and confirm your preferred dates. Plus, your costs will be much more predictable than relying on the variation of prices offered up by owners.

Q. How do I begin the process of renting a timeshare?

A. By the time you’ve made it to this page, you probably already have an idea of where to take your next vacation. Making that decision is the first step, but you’ll want to be as specific as possible. If it’s a beach destination, then do you want to vacation directly on the beach, or close by? If it’s a ski week, how close to the lifts do you want to be?

The next step is determining the type and size of your accommodation based on your travel needs. Do you need a 2-bedroom or 3-bedroom unit? The more specific you are at the start, the easier it will be to decide on your timeshare resort accommodation.

Once you have selected a vacation destination and are ready to begin looking for timeshare rentals, you can proceed by using the search bar at the top of the page. Start by searching the inventory available through BuyaTimeshare.com by entering a resort name, brand name or town into the search field near the top of the webpage. Our system will suggest a town page or a list of resort profiles from which to choose, and you’ll be able to view the available rentals on offer from those pages.

Q. Where can I find timeshares for rent by owner?

A. Begin by searching through the search field near the top of our website for a resort name, brand name or town location. A suggested town page and a list of resorts will come up through our advanced search platform where you can narrow down your search.

Review the resorts until you decide on the one that you would like to visit for your next timeshare vacation. Click onto the resort name and you will see more information about that resort, including details on amenities. You will also see a “Timeshares For Rent” tab on the resort profile page, so click on the tab and you can review the timeshares for rent, along with the asking prices mentioned for those rentals.

Q. How do I start the timeshare rental process with an owner on BuyaTimeshare.com?

A. Should you decide to conduct your own search and place an offer to rent a timeshare through an advertisement on the BuyaTimeshare.com website, you will be negotiating directly with the owner and handling the transaction yourself.

When you have selected a particular resort, either through searching for the town page or directly going to the resort profile page, you will see a Timeshares for Rent button. Clicking this will bring up the timeshares for rent by owner that we have active in our database. If you were automatically taken to the page showing timeshares for rent, you may already see those offerings. In either case, you will see the suggested rental price and can Make an Offer or click on the resort name to go to the full page ad for more information provided by the owner.

Once you find an ad to your liking, you can place an offer onto that ad to begin the negotiation process and a notification of your offer will be emailed directly to the owner for a response.

Q. How do I negotiate a timeshare rental from an existing owner?

A. Once notification of your offer has been emailed to the owner, they will review the offer and respond by either accepting, declining or countering the offer. You will be notified of the owner’s response by email and will have the opportunity to respond back until the negotiation process has been completed.

The negotiation takes place electronically through our industry-leading platform, which has been developed with captcha software to protect the information. The process will remain anonymous until an agreement has been reached between you and the owner to rent the timeshare.

In order to view the offer and the specifics of the correspondence, you will need to open a free Timeshare Pulse account with us, which can be done through the Account Login tab at the top of our homepage. Through your account, you will be able to communicate at your convenience within the protected online environment of BuyaTimeshare.com.

If the negotiation process concludes with an agreed price, then you will need to get the agreement in writing. More information about this is further down this FAQ.

Q. Can I be notified when a timeshare rental becomes available?

A. Our Timeshare Pulse system provides email alerts for consumers looking for a specific type of timeshare rental. Through your free account, you can set up alerts to be sent to your inbox based on criteria such as resort name, location, unit configuration and price point. Once a timeshare for rent comes into our system, if it falls within the guidelines you have set for your alert, you will be notified immediately and have the first opportunity to respond with an offer.

Q. If I have an agreement to rent a timeshare from an owner, then what?

A. Once you have agreed to a price to rent a timeshare from an owner, you will need to get that price and the specifics of the agreement in writing. Most owners will have paperwork for you to fill out which will confirm the details of the rental such as the physical location of the resort, check-in/check-out dates, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, unit number, and the type of kitchen facilities.

An agreement should also explain any possible damage liability involved, responsible parties, cancellation policy, terms and conditions, full contact details of the parties involved and any additional fees which may be incurred.

Payment terms should also be clearly explained, such as deposit amounts, balance due and the dates at which the amounts should be paid. Many owners require a deposit before they will even make the reservation - so they know the renter is serious about the booking.

To process payment, we suggest the establishment of a rental escrow account for the disbursement of funds. A reputable company experienced with processing timeshare rentals, First American Title Vacation Ownership Services, is one of the leading companies in the country and they can receive and distribute funds, organize the agreement and manage the entire process.

Q. How is the timeshare rental reservation made and confirmed?

A. The timeshare owner will need to contact the resort and reserve the week in your name. This would often take place through a guest program offered by the resort. Once the reservation is confirmed, the owner will send you the confirmation, including confirmation number and relevant documents, along with resort details and any additional information you may need.

Renting a timeshare is easily the best way to secure quality accommodation in some of the top resorts in the world. With spacious living areas, multiple bedrooms, full kitchens and wonderful resort amenities, there is no debating that timeshare rentals provide the best available vacation accommodations.

If you have found this page but already own a timeshare and are looking for answers about how to rent it out, please click here to review our How to Rent My Timeshare page.

For those of you who have read through our timeshare renter FAQ but need more information about renting a timeshare or need help finding a timeshare for rent in a particular resort or destination, please give us a call on 800-640-6886 or fill out our inquiry form.

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