Question about risks of renting from stra.,ngers

[STLRAY]

I am planning to rent a house in TV soon and it occurs to me that I am about to send a five figure check to a stranger who posted pictures and a description of a house on a website. The person does not need to actually own a house to post these pictures and collect checks from multiple strangers. Am I being paranoid or is this a real risk? I know lots of people have been ripped off on adds for cars on E-bay and Craigslist. Do the people operating these websites confirm that the person listing the rental actually owns or manages the properties they are advertising?

[CoachKandSportsguy]

There must be a way to look up the current owner in the legal filings on line with the county, I would start there. . .

[retiredguy123]

It is a real risk. I don't think you can depend on the website to help you. But, you can verify who owns the house by going to the county real estate website. You can also ask the owner for some previous renters as references. I would feel more comfortable if the landlord would accept a credit card, but that may not be possible.

Or, you could rent a house from a recognized business, like a licensed broker or The Villages Management Company.

[vintageogauge]

Before buying down here we rented during the winter months for several years and when renting from an individual that was a concern, never had a problem but you never know. There are also bad management companies down here so you have to be careful.

[asianthree]

You can look on the county website, how long they have owned, how many homes they own, and their tax records. Asking for previous renters can help, but you could be talking to anyone. There are hundreds of homes for rent, and rarely do you find or hear of a problem. There are property rental companies, but not the way I would go. We rented from 07 until we bought in 2010, with no problems.

[Carla B]

The property records are found at sumterpa.com. You can start by entering the address and the owner of the property and the date they acquired will be listed.

[retiredguy123]

The property records are found at sumterpa.com. You can start by entering the address and the owner of the property and the date they acquired will be listed.
You don't need to enter the address and the owner's name. Only one of the two is needed. There are also similar websites for Lake and Marion counties.

[Velvet]

There must be a way to look up the current owner in the legal filings on line with the county, I would start there. . .

Property tax records are public. One can look up if tax was paid and when by address. The owner’s name is included.

I remember trying to rent at Whistler BC one year. The person offering their Chalet for rent was writing from central Africa....

[Laker14]

I had the same concern and I'll tell you what I did which worked for me. The first year I paid the extra $ and went through DownHome Properties. It was more expensive, but I felt secure, and the place was well appointed, and when there was an issue with plumbing it was dealt with quickly and efficiently. That was a 3 month rental.
During that 3 months I found a private renter, who I got to meet an walk through the place with. That made me feel more secure, when I rented from him. It was considerably less expensive, but not as well appointed. Not as many towels, dishes etc not as complete or as nice.

There was still some risk, but I felt a lot better about it than I would have just sending a wad of cash and hoping that someone and some place would be there when I showed up.

Good luck.

[Malsua]

Property tax records are public. One can look up if tax was paid and when by address. The owner’s name is included.

I remember trying to rent at Whistler BC one year. The person offering their Chalet for rent was writing from central Africa....


Yeah, Tax records would be the first place I'd look just to be sure.

I've not had any trouble renting our CYV, but then I'm up front about everything and we have a good contract that lays everything out clearly. You can also research us in the tax records too. My phone even comes through with the right name when I call. I would say that a preponderance of things when put together can give you enough to trust someone.

Good thing you caught that bit on the chalet, holy moly, that'd be sending cash right down a black hole.

[retiredguy123]

Property tax records are public. One can look up if tax was paid and when by address. The owner’s name is included.

I remember trying to rent at Whistler BC one year. The person offering their Chalet for rent was writing from central Africa....
So, the Chalet is not a good deal? I don't even know what a Chalet is.

[Velvet]

A Chalet is a building built into a mountain. I found a picture of one, not the one I was looking at though.

[EdFNJ]

So, the Chalet is not a good deal? I don't even know what a Chalet is. It's what you pour wine into. :D

[Two Bills]

Rented for over 20 years, never had a problem.
I use the villagershomes4rent.com website only.
You can rent directly through TV I believe, but have never used them.

[Gladys Turnip]

Do **** and Airbnb operate in The Villages? If so, booking through them would give you some indication of credibility.

[Skunky1]

Contact a local Realtor to handle the lease for you. The one time transaction fee will give you peace of mind knowing someone is representing your interest.

[Skunky1]

If you are sending money for a rental ask for a copy of their government issued ID for whom the check is made out to and cross reference with the property appraisers office to verify ownership "before" sending any money. To add an additional level of security you might want to pay a local Realtor to assist you for a one time transaction fee.

[J1ceasar]

Man o man, the biggest scams on the internet are real photos from fake people. My brother in law in the Poconos once had people show up at one of his rental homes who had gotten the screwed . He reported it to the FBI. All the advice above is excellent especially the tax records I don't know anyone that will give you a copy of their license etc. If you're not sure of the rental, one last thing to do is to try to get the real name of the owner through the tax records and call them up through 411 and not use the phone number given to you through email

[Raywatkins]

We are Brits who rent our house out over the winter months.
Our issue is the reverse, who can we trust as renters.
We use **** and have had virtually no issues.
Their charges are a bit steep but we feel happier using them.
You should be able to get a good discount this year, as there are fewer snowbirds travelling if our experience is anything to go by.
No renters for us this year but already booked for the next one.
So haggle over the price would be our advice

[Mac1996]

I’m a gambler I rented my house on my own but I did my due diligence.You should be nervous sending money to someone you don’t know.

[Kahiland]

Go through a management company. Good luck!!

[msilagy]

Look up address on tax records for that county. Shows owner, etc.

[Papa_lecki]

The first time I rented, I used one of the large short term rental sites - they seem to somewhat validate the owners. Second time, I knew who the agency in the Villages was, who actually handled the rental, and i went directly to them (saving a few hundred $$ on the online fee).
I am not sure I would rent from a classified type add for a short term rental- others might, i am just hesitant.

[camaguey48]

I am planning to rent a house in TV soon and it occurs to me that I am about to send a five figure check to a stranger who posted pictures and a description of a house on a website. The person does not need to actually own a house to post these pictures and collect checks from multiple strangers. Am I being paranoid or is this a real risk? I know lots of people have been ripped off on adds for cars on E-bay and Craigslist. Do the people operating these websites conform that the person listing the rental actually owns or manages the properties they are advertising?
Don't do it. Use a realtor. Five figures? Wow, quite costy. Use a realtor, we do.

[camaguey48]

Contact a local Realtor to handle the lease for you. The one time transaction fee will give you peace of mind knowing someone is representing your interest.
Good advice.

[merrymini]

Some people rent out their own properties, HOWEVER, I knew someone who paid for a rental and found that when they went to the home that the people living in it were not the people who rented it. Good luck finding them. Checking public records is a good place to start.

[ron32162]

Villagershomes4rent.com or VH4R.com

[Girlcopper]

I am planning to rent a house in TV soon and it occurs to me that I am about to send a five figure check to a stranger who posted pictures and a description of a house on a website. The person does not need to actually own a house to post these pictures and collect checks from multiple strangers. Am I being paranoid or is this a real risk? I know lots of people have been ripped off on adds for cars on E-bay and Craigslist. Do the people operating these websites confirm that the person listing the rental actually owns or manages the properties they are advertising?
Are you going to a legit site or just some rag tag ad that popped up. Many are checked out. Go to Homeaway.com. Not only are there reviews but the owners also review the tenants so other owners can beware. Ive done it numerous times and the house is usually even better than the ad

[NY2TV]

Yes, I verified first with Sumter assessor's website. It not only confirmed name but also their mailing address so I knew it wasn't someone just posing as the owner.

[patlefebvre]

As an owner myself and a renter before I understand every aspects on the issue. You NEVER know who you are dealing with on both sides. I used to rent with **** to have an intermediary in case of issue. Now I put my rental house also on ****. Lots of exposures, less fees than a management company and they offer property damages cover to the renter for $50. The renter don't have to pay a big deposit and wait for an eventual refund. Everyone is happier this way. An other tip, if you decide to rent from an owner, I recommend you pick one who is a permanent resident on site.
Good luck to you.

[Jazzman]

I am planning to rent a house in TV soon and it occurs to me that I am about to send a five figure check to a stranger who posted pictures and a description of a house on a website. The person does not need to actually own a house to post these pictures and collect checks from multiple strangers. Am I being paranoid or is this a real risk? I know lots of people have been ripped off on adds for cars on E-bay and Craigslist. Do the people operating these websites confirm that the person listing the rental actually owns or manages the properties they are advertising?

There are many rental agencies that list homes for rent,, including the Villages Properties. You don’t deal with the owner only the agency. You’re not saving that much money and if there’s an issue with the rental while you are there you make one call directly to the rental agency.

[nikonuser1]

There are a number of good suggestions here. The first time I rented, in 2010, I was a bit concerned, as you are. I had no problems. It turned out the person I was dealing with was the manager of the property. The owner had a book in the home explaining this. The second time I rented, in 2012, I rented the same home using the same manager.

[ts12755]

People have been ripped off that way... and, it depends where the home was listed. Do your due diligence.

[triciakaz]

I am planning to rent a house in TV soon and it occurs to me that I am about to send a five figure check to a stranger who posted pictures and a description of a house on a website. The person does not need to actually own a house to post these pictures and collect checks from multiple strangers. Am I being paranoid or is this a real risk? I know lots of people have been ripped off on adds for cars on E-bay and Craigslist. Do the people operating these websites confirm that the person listing the rental actually owns or manages the properties they are advertising?
Be very careful. Places like craigslist run scams all the time. I worked 12 years for a vacation rental company and criminals would copy the photos and details off our website, put the house on craigslist with their information and ask for a large deposit. Usually they offered a discounted price, so if it seems too good to be true it probably is a scam. Places like **** are safer but your best bet is to go through a local rental company that you can verify. That way they should have maintenance people etc. on staff And also there are options in case an owner decides to pull the rental for some reason.

There are many wonderful owner-managed Vacation rentals but Be cautious about scams.

[PennyAnn]

We always checked the tax rolls, verified where the owner said they lived, googled their name for backgrounds and only rented through villagershomes4rent or a safe property mgmt firm. Good luck. You should be fine as long as you are careful.

[Tom M]

Villagershomes4rent.com or VH4R.com

Agree, know many who've used this without any problems. Generally, scammers are cheap and use a free site like Craigslist while Villagershomes4rent costs the poster.

[Dot Rheinhardt]

I rented out my condo in the FL Keys. A woman called to rent it, said she was getting married, and her husband's boss would pay for it. We agreed on a price. She called back. The boss had sent a check to her for $1,000 too much. She would send the check and asked that I send one for $1,000. This was a scam. So owners can get scammed, too. I would check with the County. I always advertised in the Sun. I never had problems getting renters for my homes in TV.

[KRM0614]

I am planning to rent a house in TV soon and it occurs to me that I am about to send a five figure check to a stranger who posted pictures and a description of a house on a website. The person does not need to actually own a house to post these pictures and collect checks from multiple strangers. Am I being paranoid or is this a real risk? I know lots of people have been ripped off on adds for cars on E-bay and Craigslist. Do the people operating these websites confirm that the person listing the rental actually owns or manages the properties they are advertising?
It’s the wild Wild West out there ! I personally would not do it. I rented from villages rental service and they’re the scum of the earth. Toilets and sewer backed up 4 times in a month could not shower flush etc. my deposit was by credit card and I had to dispute their refusal to return it. It took7 months and sadly I would have paid attention and not stayed.

Listen to your instinct. Proof of ownership in person and get a place thru a friend

[KRM0614]

It is a real risk. I don't think you can depend on the website to help you. But, you can verify who owns the house by going to the county real estate website. You can also ask the owner for some previous renters as references. I would feel more comfortable if the landlord would accept a credit card, but that may not be possible.

Or, you could rent a house from a recognized business, like a licensed broker or The Villages Management Company.
Villages management is a private business and they are crooks! Awful people don’t even see the properties and you won’t see your security deposit unless like me you must dispute took 7 months with Visa !

[KRM0614]

I had the same concern and I'll tell you what I did which worked for me. The first year I paid the extra $ and went through DownHome Properties. It was more expensive, but I felt secure, and the place was well appointed, and when there was an issue with plumbing it was dealt with quickly and efficiently. That was a 3 month rental.
During that 3 months I found a private renter, who I got to meet an walk through the place with. That made me feel more secure, when I rented from him. It was considerably less expensive, but not as well appointed. Not as many towels, dishes etc not as complete or as nice.

There was still some risk, but I felt a lot better about it than I would have just sending a wad of cash and hoping that someone and some place would be there when I showed up.

Good luck.
So the plumbing sewer issues are chronic? My toilets exploded and shower and sink! Took 4 visits to finally dig up sewer and replace underground plastic piping ! Hometown property are crooks

[cj1040]

We rented thru villages4rent also 5 different properties and never had a problem...

[kens613]

Im familiar with the county process of checking.. If you would send the info on the rental, name address etc i will check it out for you.. Send to Ken at kens613@gmail.com..

[BerniceD]

I rent a room in my home through Airbnb, one of the things I like about using them is each guest comes with insurance that Airbnb supplies me. I am sure as a renter you would get the same insurance. There are SOOOOOOO many scams out there today that it doesn't hurt to be cautious.

[grfmus03]

I am planning to rent a house in TV soon and it occurs to me that I am about to send a five figure check to a stranger who posted pictures and a description of a house on a website. The person does not need to actually own a house to post these pictures and collect checks from multiple strangers. Am I being paranoid or is this a real risk? I know lots of people have been ripped off on adds for cars on E-bay and Craigslist. Do the people operating these websites confirm that the person listing the rental actually owns or manages the properties they are advertising?

Check out villagers4rent.com, scroll down to Help & Information, click on verify ownership. that will allow you to access the county ownership records (search by last name only). Most of the homes here at this point are in Sumter county. Always good to check.

[mowdie]

I am planning to rent a house in TV soon and it occurs to me that I am about to send a five figure check to a stranger who posted pictures and a description of a house on a website. The person does not need to actually own a house to post these pictures and collect checks from multiple strangers. Am I being paranoid or is this a real risk? I know lots of people have been ripped off on adds for cars on E-bay and Craigslist. Do the people operating these websites confirm that the person listing the rental actually owns or manages the properties they are advertising?
One of the most important things, verify that the rental property is absolutely going to include village resident IDs. You might hv to pay $50 for them but without them you will be very upset. We agreed on a three month rental, getting ready to send the check and asked about the IDs. Owner said they are not giving up their IDs for this property but don’t worry we will have guest passes.... no thanks... no free ex golf and many other things

[PamfromNY]

DO NOT SEND YOUR MONEY. At least not more than you are willing to lose. It happed to me. Sent $3000 for two months. My Father ended up having to have surgery. My house closing was delayed because of the buyer so we were not able to come to Florida during the rental time. There was no contract per se, that said no return of money in the event of unforeseen circumstances. Emailed several times with the owner Charlie, and asked for half the money. I was willing to compromise. He was in agreement and said he would speak with is wife. The one evidently who wears the pants and holds the purse strings and I guess other things of Charlie’s. Never heard back from him. Went to a lawyer and had Police trying to chase them down between NY and FL but they were slick and managed to evade the Police and I was never refunded a single penny. Oh, they went and stayed at the house also during the months that I had rented. So whatever you do DO NOT rent from Charlie and Barbara Brewer in the village of Calumet Grove

[billthecpa]

Don't do it!!!! Find a way to verify that the individual is legitimate before you send any money. I have personal knowledge of a case here in The Villages......where an acquaintance up north sent money supposedly to a Villages home owner who was advertising his home for rent....only to find out that it was a scam. He lost several thousand dollars. And the scammer had pulled the scheme on several people at the same time....for the same "home."

[yanksansky]

Airbnb is a great way to save $ and rent for shorter periods of time. A resident of Marsh Bend, (new area south of 44) has an airbnb in which she hosts. So you rent by the room or rooms, and it includes full service breakfast. It is more like an bed and breakfast though, but it looks beautiful and the house is gorgeous. Host name is Rhonda. Ps for a king room, only $69.00 per night.

[meme5x]

I would use a property manager..I use JV property.. they rent my villa and I trust them..am from STL

[Cupcake57]

It’s the wild Wild West out there ! I personally would not do it. I rented from villages rental service and they’re the scum of the earth. Toilets and sewer backed up 4 times in a month could not shower flush etc. my deposit was by credit card and I had to dispute their refusal to return it. It took7 months and sadly I would have paid attention and not stayed.

Listen to your instinct. Proof of ownership in person and get a place thru a friend
I must disagree about Villages Hometown Property Management. I have rented twice with them while buying and getting work done on my new home. They let me extend my stay during the early months of COVID and the properties were in excellent shape and well appointed. I made one call about a noisy ceiling fan and they were there within the hour. I accidentally met the actual owner when he came to mow; a very nice Villager who left everything up to the management company except he was picky about the lawn and wanted to do that himself. I would not hesitate to recommend renting through them again. And yep, got my deposit back.

[em8tee]

Though I have in the past and still do currently bought and sold on Craigslist multiple times, in 2019 I was all set to rent a house in the Villages from a listing on Craigslist. I had the same fears as you. I set out to find out everything I could about the owners. I found the tax records, in turn, where they lived, and where they worked. I contacted the owners at their work. I had not been negotiating with the owners. BEWARE, do your research.

[Idaholady]

Rented from Down Home Properties twice and they are excellent

[yankygrl]

Airbnb is a great way to save $ and rent for shorter periods of time. A resident of Marsh Bend, (new area south of 44) has an airbnb in which she hosts. So you rent by the room or rooms, and it includes full service breakfast. It is more like an bed and breakfast though, but it looks beautiful and the house is gorgeous. Host name is Rhonda. Ps for a king room, only $69.00 per night.
And you aren’t “allowed” to run a business out of your home according to TV “rules”, but many do

[Wrhobson]

I am planning to rent a house in TV soon and it occurs to me that I am about to send a five figure check to a stranger who posted pictures and a description of a house on a website. The person does not need to actually own a house to post these pictures and collect checks from multiple strangers. Am I being paranoid or is this a real risk? I know lots of people have been ripped off on adds for cars on E-bay and Craigslist. Do the people operating these websites confirm that the person listing the rental actually owns or manages the properties they are advertising?

Go to the appropriate County's web site and do a property search to verify if the supposed owner really holds title to the property. That's what we did when we rented direct from owners before eventually buying here.

[B-flat]

I am planning to rent a house in TV soon and it occurs to me that I am about to send a five figure check to a stranger who posted pictures and a description of a house on a website. The person does not need to actually own a house to post these pictures and collect checks from multiple strangers. Am I being paranoid or is this a real risk? I know lots of people have been ripped off on adds for cars on E-bay and Craigslist. Do the people operating these websites confirm that the person listing the rental actually owns or manages the properties they are advertising?

Here's one that happened in 2018. We were lucky we got our $900 deposit back.

for some reason the link will not work. Just do a search for Jackie Hamilton O'Neil at the Villages dash news dot com



"Villager who ripped off snowbird renters pays $42,000 in restitution " Do a search for that headline.

[Girlcopper]

As an owner myself and a renter before I understand every aspects on the issue. You NEVER know who you are dealing with on both sides. I used to rent with **** to have an intermediary in case of issue. Now I put my rental house also on ****. Lots of exposures, less fees than a management company and they offer property damages cover to the renter for $50. The renter don't have to pay a big deposit and wait for an eventual refund. Everyone is happier this way. An other tip, if you decide to rent from an owner, I recommend you pick one who is a permanent resident on site.
Good luck to you.
Very true. I use Homefinders.com twice for 2 different houses. The first one was ok. It was basicly clean but vabinets were cluttered with rag tag pots n dishes. Used rolls of toilet tissue and paler towels were left from the previous rented, the house had a musty smell and the owner lived out of state. A neighbor was supposed to be available for any issues. The second one I rented and is now the ONLY one I will rent was spotless with all welcoming touches. It smelled freshly cleaned. New rolls of paper products were available. Sample toiletries of everything possible were there and the kitchen was well organized. The owners lived around the corner and welcomed me when I arrived, were always available for any issues of which I had none. The place was better than the pictures and I now deal directly with the owners when I rent.

[Lindsyburnsy]

I wouldn't do it. Use a Realtor/Rental Agency or rent from someone you know, otherwise it's a lot of money to get scammed out of. It happens all of the time. Also, if you, for some reason ended up not going, will you get your money back? I rented from an individual I met while in The Villages. I met her husband and was able to go through the condo before committing. We signed a Lease, agreed on all of the terms and gave a refundable deposit to them. Paid in full prior to the actual rental dates, but because of COVID-19, decided to hold off. We received our full deposit and all of the money we gave them. Be careful, is all I'm saying.

[Hancie2]

Be careful with AirBNB. Rented a home (not in the Villages) through them for a vacation in Clearwater 6 months before the vacation. Owner sold the property and no one ever contacted us. We found out two days before. There was a full refund but didn’t help since nothing else in the area was available on short notice!

[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!

[rogerk]

I am planning to rent a house in TV soon and it occurs to me that I am about to send a five figure check to a stranger who posted pictures and a description of a house on a website. The person does not need to actually own a house to post these pictures and collect checks from multiple strangers. Am I being paranoid or is this a real risk? I know lots of people have been ripped off on adds for cars on E-bay and Craigslist. Do the people operating these websites confirm that the person listing the rental actually owns or manages the properties they are advertising?

I have worked in TV and helped renters get their proper renter's ID etc. for many years. I no longer work for TV; I am now fully retired so I don't have any skin in the game.

Most, but not all, private renters and third party rental management companies are okay or good, however for a first time rental I'd recommend you pay a little extra and rent through TV Hometown Property Management company.

Once you have been here and understand the importance of things, like the Renter's ID vs a Visitor ID, what does fully furnished mean, you'll be in a position to better evaluate a private renters offer. I have heard many horror stories, but most folks who rent their homes or property are good ethical people.

Enjoy your time in The Villages.

[Joelack99]

I am one of those “strangers” that rents properties to visitors to The Villages. I am honest, responsible, and trustworthy. I ONLY rent through professional short and long term rental sites (like Vacation Rental By Owner and VillagesHomes4rent) but how would you know to trust me? Well, to start with, I have a track record, dozens of 5 star reviews from previous renters. Those reviews frequently extoll the virtues of the house and say something like “exactly as advertised”. This puts my guests at ease.

That said, I have friends who rent on Craigslist, and they are honorable, but I have also seen MY OWN HOUSE advertised on Craigslist(!), clearly a scam. So bottom line, check references. If you have doubts, talk to the owner. Make sure you know where your money is going, using a trusted intermediary if you can’t personally verify who you are dealing with.

[rjm1cc]

Also use the property tax records to see who lives at the house you send the check too. If the house is not in the villages I would be a little more concerned at this time of the year.
You could look up the neighbors and send then a letter asking if they know of any problems. Get their name and address in the property records.

[STLRAY]

Thank you for all the suggestions and the PMs with additional suggestions and offers to help. I feel like I have done all the research I can reasonably do from 1000 miles away. I will check in with this thread in a few weeks and let everyone know if I made the correct decision.

[Kilroy]

It is safer to go through a real estate company to rent a home.

[Dorebea]

Villagershomes4rent.com or VH4R.com

We used VH4R as a renter also. Great experience. Had peace of mind knowing the rental was legit as well as having someone we could contact locally if there were any issues (we did initially have a technical issue with the washer). Also when going with the owner direct, find out who does the cleaning? A professional company or the owner (who may not have the same standards).