Your opinion please

[Debfrommaine]

How important do you think it is to have a golf cart included with a rental home in The Villages?

Thanks!

[tainsley]

I think it is important especially if you golf. My husband and I enjoy riding around TV in a golf cart!

[philnpat]

Some very nice rentals don't include a cart because of concerns of liability. If the rental is priced right, cart rentals are readily available.

[Ohiogirl]

I think it's VERY important to include a cart. And your golf cart liability insurance transfers to the renter. Plus, you can have them sign a form accepting any liability beyond your coverage.

It's much easier to rent your house/villa in the off months if you include a cart. You won't likely get repeat tenants unless you include a cart.
Why would someone rent your unit when most of the others include carts?
Golf cart rentals are not cheap, and sometimes during the season, are not even available unless you book well ahead.

First year I owned my CYV (I rented it out for 4 years), I didn't have a cart, thinking it was an unnecessary expense and a possible liability issue. Once I bought one, had many more inquiries and feel I rented many more non season months/weeks. I feel the cart (a 2 yr old refurbished one) paid for itself. If I had it to do over, I'd get a gas cart for a rental. Less worry about whether or not tenants are filling batteries correctly. Batteries lasted 3 years, not sure if it was tenant neglect or my fault. I've learned more about filling them correctly myself.

[wendyquat]

We have rented 4 times and a cart was always included. This was very important to us.

[gage405]

I rent and only consider rental units that include a cart.

[ducati1974]

Another vote for inclusion of golf cart- its an integral part of the TV experience!

[Bosoxfan]

I've never rented a house because I own one but I have rented several carts for company & wasn't satisfied.So if you want a good cart your chances are better with a homeowner providing one.JMO

[gmcneill]

Ducati gives best response as to why; ohiogirl gave best response as to how to protect yourself.

If we decide to rent out, that's the way I'd go.

[Schaumburger]

We have rented 4 times and a cart was always included. This was very important to us.

I agree! Have rented once in July and back again renting in October. Both homes had golf carts included.

[bestmickey]

Another one who requires that the rental home includes a golf cart.

[quirky3]

When I was looking for a home to rent, I filtered the search only to include homes that inlcuded a golf cart at no extra cost - so that is from the perspective of a "renter customer". I think it is essential to make it as easy as possible for the renter. Thanks for asking!

[frannieb]

We always rent with a golf cart included and wouldn't even consider a property that didn't offer this a no charge. We would definately prefer a gas cart but very few are available. We have had a barbeque in the past which we really use a lot but unfortunatly we we were unable to find one this year. Thanks too for asking. We appreciate having our needs met and always go with the property with the extras...far more important than location imo.

[swrinfla]

A thought or two from a non-renting home-owner, who never rented in TV, either!

A residence without an accompanying golf cart strikes me as a bad marketing decision! The Villages is a place where residents, visitors, sight-seers, and all others move about by golf cart. Not offering one to your renters is, frankly, stupid! :-) :-) :-)

My two cents!

SWR
:beer3:

[Dirigo]

Our rent last winter included a golf cart alright....a 22 year old cart we nicknamed "The Flintstone Flyer". It rattled and shook and made scary noises and was terrible to drive.

Most of all, it didn't have a Sunbrella enclosure...just clear plastic on all four sides that zipped on each corner...therefore it couldn't be safely driven in inclement weather or at night because one couldn't see through the crinkled plastic clearly. If the front panel wasn't down the wind (and sometimes rain) blew in from the sides.

When we complained to the owner he said "our standards were too high" and rental carts were not available during Jan-Feb-Mar so he refused to do anything about it.

I checked TOTV and made a few calls and the next day I had a cart...at $325/month. When I asked him to help pay for it, he refused.

I'm sure this rental was the excecption to the rule, but ask about the cart before you rent...you can bet I will.

[BeeGee]

Our rent last winter included a golf cart alright....a 22 year old cart we nicknamed "The Flintstone Flyer". It rattled and shook and made scary noises and was terrible to drive.

Most of all, it didn't have a Sunbrella enclosure...just clear plastic on all four sides that zipped on each corner...therefore it couldn't be safely driven in inclement weather or at night because one couldn't see through the crinkled plastic clearly. If the front panel wasn't down the wind (and sometimes rain) blew in from the sides.

When we complained to the owner he said "our standards were too high" and rental carts were not available during Jan-Feb-Mar so he refused to do anything about it.

I checked TOTV and made a few calls and the next day I had a cart...at $325/month. When I asked him to help pay for it, he refused.

I'm sure this rental was the excecption to the rule, but ask about the cart before you rent...you can bet I will.
Our rental (July) had a gas golf cart, and we nicknamed ours BOB (Bucket of Bolts) - it sounded terrible...thought it was going to leave us stranded at any moment, but we trudged on....also, the lever that changed from forward to reverse was extremely difficult to turn. We were grateful, don't get me wrong, and went just about everywhere in it. So, I agree, the need to check the cart is important...

[Debfrommaine]

Well, I appreciate all this wonderful feedback......now, a couple of more questions....what other things do you look for in a rental home that would sway you towards one versus another?

And, are the any landlords out there who have provided golf carts and had problems?

Thanks everyone for your input, it's very helpful. :icon_wink:

[silvers1664]

I've just purchased a villa for rental purposes. It is not my primary residence. I had planned on including a cart with the rental however I cannot get golf cart liability insurance from any of the insurance companies I called and believe me, I called them all. Alstate told me they are no longer writing policies for carts that come with rental property in The Villages. The woman at AAA told me those who have policies, especially 'guest liability' policies are NOT properly insured. If a cart accident occurs when the person is a guest in your home you are covered. If they are paying you a fee for a rental, you are not covered. As far as a tennant signing a piece of paper absolving you of liability should an accident occur..if you have to go to court, you're going to loose. I suggest everyone who reads this, please contact your insurance agent & make doubly sure you are covered for providing a cart with your rental property. As for me, since I can't get cart insurance, I've had to lower my rates by $300 and I provide the renter with a list of reputable cart rental companies that provides the proper insurance.

[Pturner]

Hi Deb,
We have never had a moment's problem renting out our cart with our home. You will also want to be sure that the utilities and resident passes are included and that you have a local person you can contact, such as the owner's home watch person, in the event something should go wrong.

[Debfrommaine]

I've just purchased a villa for rental purposes. It is not my primary residence. I had planned on including a cart with the rental however I cannot get golf cart liability insurance from any of the insurance companies I called and believe me, I called them all. Alstate told me they are no longer writing policies for carts that come with rental property in The Villages. The woman at AAA told me those who have policies, especially 'guest liability' policies are NOT properly insured. If a cart accident occurs when the person is a guest in your home you are covered. If they are paying you a fee for a rental, you are not covered. As far as a tennant signing a piece of paper absolving you of liability should an accident occur..if you have to go to court, you're going to loose. I suggest everyone who reads this, please contact your insurance agent & make doubly sure you are covered for providing a cart with your rental property. As for me, since I can't get cart insurance, I've had to lower my rates by $300 and I provide the renter with a list of reputable cart rental companies that provides the proper insurance.

Very interesting. Thanks for the insight.........I have heard that The Villages Preview plans are not including carts any longer as well.....but have not verified it by calling them to check.

[buzzy]

Do landlords tell their guests or tenants about the insurance coverage, in case there is an accident?

[bestmickey]

Well, I appreciate all this wonderful feedback......now, a couple of more questions....what other things do you look for in a rental home that would sway you towards one versus another?

And, are the any landlords out there who have provided golf carts and had problems?

Thanks everyone for your input, it's very helpful. :icon_wink:


I also require there be a high-speed internet link. I can't live without a computer for a month or more. I want at least two televisions in the home, with cable service. Barbeque (?sp) and two bicycles would be nice, but not required. Most of all, the home must be clean and well maintained.

Personally, the cart would probably sway me to rent a particular property, gas highly preferred since TV has gotten so large. I think an important component of providing a cart with the rental is that the homeowner have a policy with one of the cart towing services. As a renter, we wouldn't know who to call for help if there is a breakdown or flat tire.

If liability insurance is becoming an issue for the homeowners, I can understand the problem and would accept a discount equal to the cost of a cart rental. The only concern would be, will there be enough carts available for rent? I wouldn't sign a rental contract without first knowing whether or not I can get a cart. We fly down, so the cart is our only form of transportation.

[Ohiogirl]

We did have the Cart protection when we rented ours out - never had anyone use it, but it eased both their minds and mine. We also added a landline and wifi, had it furnished with a large pedestal electric grill (didn't want to worry about propane from afar), bikes, coolers, beach chairs & umbrella and finally, a couple extra sets of golf clubs. I think a recliner in the living room also appealed to some. We only have queen beds, but I think in hindsight a king in the master would have been a plus also.

I think someone showed me a liability release that TV used for their Lifestyle carts, and I just adapted it, disclosing the liability limits on our policy (which at the time transferred). I would read the policy carefully - if there is no clause which excludes renters how can they deny coverage? And read it again - if you are renting the house and throwing the golf cart in for free? I know several people who didn't plan to rent originally, but for various reasons, rented theirs out for a season or two.

I know we could not get a replacement cost policy for the house when were were renting it out, but the policy we had did cover renters for the house - thru ASI. Changed it when we quit renting it.

We had a separate golf cart policy with Allstate which did not change, but haven't really read the latest renewal policy cover to cover.

I think the golf clubs got us a couple of extra rentals - even if you are driving, golf clubs take an awful lot of room. I found that often the husband was coming to TV because he was an avid golfer and brought his own, but the wife might want to try it, or perhaps they just appreciated not having to put 2 sets in the car or on the plane, or they were having friends/family visit for a short time and they were nice to have. Plus, I could use them when I came down. In our case I'm the golfer and Ohioboy wasn't (but I think he might become one). We use them now when our friends/family visit

There are used sets easily available from ads in the paper or at garage sales.

[Debfrommaine]

Excellent info from everyone.......thanks.

Also, I just checked about that rumor that The Villages Preview Plan......wasn't going to include golf cart rental anymore.....NOT TRUE........they are still including golf carts.

[CaptainMorgan]

This is the second year I have rented my house. I rented it out without a cart due to concerns about liability.

Last years renters are coming back (2 months each). They had no trouble with their rented carts.

But every inquiry I had asked about carts. There are plenty of places to rent carts around here. Most with deliver the cart when the renter arrives and pick it up when the leave.

It worked OK for me.

Ed

[NoSnow]

We were just down at the Villages last week to pick out our house. We plan on renting our house also starting in January of 2012. We stopped in at the insurance office and they told us that Allstate does not cover golf carts if you are renting your house. They could not even give us a name of a insurance company that does. We are unsure now if we want to include a golf cart with our rental....worried about the liability.

[BogeyBoy]

We have never included a cart with our rental property - primarily due to the liability issue. We give tenants a name of a company that rents carts so they can rent (and be responsible for) a cart.

We have never had a shortage of people wanting to rent our home so if someone is stuck on having a cart included we just move to the next person on the list.

[NoSnow]

My wife and I were recently in the villages 9/11/11. We checked into the transfer of renter liability insurance and were told as of a few weeks ago you can no longer get it. If you can check with your insurance agent or have better info for us we would greatly appreciate that.:)