[lmack]

Lots of good details on this thread but, having been a landlord here for about 10 years, here are a couple more:
We advertise on villagershomes4rent.com. They did confirm thru their own research that we owned the home before they posted our ad. A good practice.
Our rental home happens to be in Sumter County so, if you go onto sumtertaxcollector.com you can put in the address and it replies with who the owner is (and when the taxes were paid).
I use a lease and I would not suggest anyone rent without one. Not only for the renters protection, but to protect the landlord's asset as well. My lease is provided before any money changes hands. It has the property address and also my home address (which is in the Villages also and can be confirmed the same way). It spells out the arrangement, when funds are due, check in, check out, etc.
I realize the rents here, especially high season for multiple months, can be a large check and concerning for many.
I believe in providing everything a tenant should need for a wonderful stay and take pride in repeat renters. But everyone's comfort level is different. I can only do so much and then both my renter and myself have to trust one another. I've had a lot of wonderful tenants over the years, many of whom are friends to this day.
Good luck with your rental decision!