Buyer Beware - Buying a Villa in The Villages
 

When my wife and I first purchased our courtyard villa we knew all of the villa developments included rental properties and we thought some of those might be leased to full time residents and others during " the season " be rented to grandparents and couples on vacation with perhaps a few also being let to younger families. That was precisely the case until now.

What we did not bargain for was the rental villas being used as rented " bunk houses " for labor gangs consisting of 30 year old males all driving pick ups who are working either for the developer or the other commercial entities within the Villages area. That is exactly what is happening in our villa neighborhood and it is something the Village relator is probably not going to mention when trying to sell you a house.

Evidently some of the speculator owners do not care along with their rental agencies about this as long as the monthly rent check continues to arrive in the mail. This situation might exist with some of the less expensive designer home rentals as well.

We just keep watching the oil spots in the driveways of the units in question grow in size.

Call community standards

Which villas are you located?

For what? People may rent their homes to anyone. I don't think it is some conspiracy, and I don't think that anyone is renting to "labor gangs". There are a lot of villa neighborhoods and a lot of people who post on here from a lot of them and this is the first we have heard of this. People get high prices for their homes and are careful who they rent to, they ARE their HOMES. There are always exceptions but I am skeptical.

I am asking the OP, whose first post it is, how many homes are involved and in what neighborhood, and I bet I won't hear back.

In new neighborhoods there are always more rentals as people wait until they retire to live in them year 'round.

We moved out of a million dollar condo, after living in it less than 6 months,--in 2009 during the housing crisis- the condo ass. only cared about receiving dues--they ignored rental rules & allowed units to be rented to spring breakers on a weekly basis-

couldn't stand it came to the villages to see a polo match & bought a house the next day--got lucky sold the condo to a young DR. fairly quickly

What th OP says is very plausible.

I repeat.
 

I am asking the OP, whose first post it is, how many homes are involved and in what neighborhood, and I bet I won't hear back.

This is why the most important deed restriction should be limiting rentals to immediate family.

Of course, those who think they are retired real estate magnates would complain.

And the esteemed and beloved developer would lose sales.

Minimum rentals 90 days @ a time

Come out, come out whereever you are......
 

Hey OP. Come back and tell us WHAT neighborhood.

The OP joined TOTV 3 years ago. Would imagine they are not a troll or would have done so much earlier.

GG, not everyone spends every waking hour on this forum. Give the OP a chance to respond, if he or she will.

Rentals of units? See the above comments.
Please do not attack me, this is the truth.
1. Rentals go to many persons, remember the trucks in driveways, leaking oil, with bales of hay or Alfalfa?
OK, persons participating in the Polo grounds activities, they even had the horse food in the truck. Discussed it with one cowboy.
2. Rental across the street and nearby, is for a couple of days, not to relatives, not to any restriction of any kind we know of.
3. Rental units driveways are being loaded up with patterns of black oil. Even maintenance persons are not supposed to but they do park there.
4. Rental units have a wide variety of activities, will not go into that.

No need to go after me on this, it is factual, we have seen it. Prefer not to dwell on it.
It seems when you buy a home, the sales person has a real good story. That story ends with a different set of facts, the day you close.
It is everywhere as far as we know, not just the Villages. Money talks and promises walk.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...701f8c5fb1.jpg

Some, but not everyone. Some also do not understand that red "offline" signal.

Probably El Cortez CYVs. I rented there seems lots were exclusively rental properties due to the closeness of square. Weekly, monthly, or longer was the rates. Even the lady next door complained about all the rentals properties that been brought up. She also didn't like temporary people in the Chula Vista pool. I liked that area, but at the time nothing was for sale.

Probably same in all the older villa's in district one and two

This is me the bully. I say that people can rent their homes to anyone they want to. They cannot rent their homes to anyone who has children under 19 because of deed restrictions. They can rent their homes for one night if they want to. They can rent their homes to people who work for The Villages if they want to. Usually people will rent their homes for top dollar, as their homes are either their future year around home or have been purchased as an investment. I have never rented a home to anyone in all of my long life, but homes are rented here a LOT. I don't understand how anyone can say anything about other people renting their homes. I guess if there were awful oil spots in the driveway, that would be reason to call standards, but I don't recall that dirty driveways were listed as violations.

What sales agent would list all of the possible ugly scenarios about buying here? You could get Zika virus, you could catch the much talked about Villages STDs that are a fantasy, you could get hit by a golf cart, struck by lightning or fall in a sinkhole. You could have renters with trucks that leave oil spots down the street.

The post sounded to me like a troll, but I have been wrong before.

There will always be someone who is not happy with the person who lives in the area of their own home. Can you imagine if the law of the land changed to a 90 day minimum on rentals? New problem...foreclosures and unnecessary tension in a most landlords lives. We just rented for 30 days in a Patio Villa in a beautiful neighborhood and could feel the icy stares of the disgruntled neighbors because we were renting and they feel that renters just don't belong. Thankfully for them we found this out when we were getting our deposit back from the house babysitter. Who the hell do you think you are even thinking about limiting rentals. This is still the USA and free enterprise is a beautiful thing. We left the rental in showroom condition and resent your renter remark Mr. or Mrs. Op. Mrs Gracie usually not to much is heard back on a first time poster when they come out guns blazing like this and I for one love how spunky you are and your love for TV drives you to dig for answers. I feel like your looking out for everyone.:bigbow:

We have a case in our neighborhood of Pinellas. I don't live in this villa area, but I do live in Pinellas and I am familiar with what the OP was describing. The reason all the rest of us around the area are familiar with this rental is that groups of young men come after dinner and dive into the Pinellas pool, often in shorts, and appear to have just finished work. They arrive in large pickup trucks. The Villages' pool monitors are aware of this and have told the young men they can't swim in the pool without passes. A villa has been rented to a construction boss and a number of workers are housed in the villa. I don't know the exact numeber, but the neighbor estimates at least eight young men in their twenties and thirties. Sometimes a van or a couple of pickup trucks drop them off at the villa in the evening and come back for them in the morning. One of the neighbors I spoke to said there were times he couldn't get his golf cart out of his driveway because the trucks and van blocked the street. Different people in the Villages have been contacted but no one has done anything about it. Don't be so hard on new posters just because you want everything perfect. It is not very nice. The OP reported a true case of a group of young workers being housed by their construction boss in a rental villa in The Villages.

To bad they not in any of the three Bridgeport villages, bet it would be Capitol offense with every law emforcement officer from three counties descending on the perks

/////

Hoping these young workers trash the hell out of this POS landlords house. :rant-rave:

Been here 10 years in a Courtyard Villa and never saw a single instance of what you are referring to. The lack of any real evidence of your descriptions is disturbing. I do question some of the motivations of some who may not even live in the Villages since these kinds if comments would tend to affect home values. So why would anyone stoop to that level??

If something that negative is being posted, it should be true and if it is true, the poster should show some evidence. Personally, if I was in his position and after consulting Community Standards, the situation was not rectified, I would place my home for sale without making any negative comments on a web site like this. I would let the market decide but now that the poster has identified What he considers deficiencies in his/her neighborhood, it is incumbent upon them to tell any prospective buyers of the deficiencies or face a lawsuit from his buyers.

So, I agree with Gracie on this and if the poster cannot come clean and show evidence of the complaints the Administrator should remove his post. Free speech does not mean we can demean others freely.

I cannot imagine that Community Standards if notified would not respond to a situation like this. It appears to be a flagrant violation.

Sad that seeking the truth is interpreted as bullying.
--
Bob C

There are a couple of other Threads regarding rentals. It's pretty much the same song---sort of like the "poop threads". The Villages is a deed restricted community, however, there is nothing in your deed restrictions keeping the owner from renting your house by the day, week, month or year. It is what it is.

Many condo communities in Florida do have restrictions regarding rentals. Most that I am familiar with have a 3 month minimum. Again, that is not the case in The Villages.

\\\\....

Here comes the PC BS, "labor gangs" is also inflammatory and not the same as " groups of young workers" Puleeze... The poster complained about something occurring in their area, wherever it is, others have corroborated like situations and the court has opened for trial. Get a life folks.

He implied it was the entire area. One person, not "others" was describing a single condition. Do you call the bankers sitting on a bench outside the bank having lunch " labor gangs"? No need for that. Not PC just respect for the workers,

Yes, words do matter and in this case " descriptions " do matter. I am probably the least PC person you will ever know but IMO. And I do have an O, trashing an entire neighborhood is drastically different than than citing a single instance where, if the proper authorities were contacted I am sure it could be rectified especially if the contractor works for The Villages.

I wonder if the owner knows what is going on at their home. I would be sending them a email quick

:bigbow:

We once had a condo with a 3 month minimum rental. One unit was owned by a family from The Netherlands. It was the largest family I ever saw (and I'm Italian.) Every week there was a different family group showing up. There is a way around every rule.

I personally do not like to see posters belittled and accused of being trolls. That is the end of any discussion. Other posters stated that there were issues with multiple renters in their neighborhoods. Usually there are zoning restrictions as well as deed restrictions that address the number of people allowed to rent at any one time. Also, many communities restrict "commercial" types of rentals in residential neighborhoods. I am rather concerned at the number of rentals here as opposed to owner occupied dwellings. Usually, there is a tipping point and then the community is not as desireable.
Many of you may not agree.....

Wow. Had a neighbor like that back at the North Palm Beach condo. The Scandinavian owner was a real estate agent. Guests would always claim to be relatives. We felt that they were clients being put up during house hunting expeditions.

They won't. Just trolling to cause a concern.

A three month restriction would go a long way toward reducing property values BIG TIME.

Interesting response. Come out, come out wherever you are ---- Come on, get real. Suggest you check with the management of The Village sales office at Lake Sumter Landing who we understand has been apprised of the situation and also the Recreation Dept. who has already dealt with one pool party and chased more then a few individuals out as a result. Okay, eight or nine young men piling into a pick up truck to go to work early every morning is not a " labor gang ". It is simply eight or nine or more young men piling into the back of a pick up truck every morning to go to work. You are also absolutely correct people can rent their homes to anyone and that is exactly what the folks at the rental division of the Villages Realty have evidently said.

Is This The Word Picture......
 

maryanna you spoke my mind. I have tried to have a rationale discussion concerning rentals since I have been here because like you I too have a concern as to how it affects The Villages. Its clear that the profit motive motivates people to be innovative in how they get around restrictions. And its clear that some of those who rent will want a big bang for their buck. Its also likely that a marketing person here is good at deflection "artful dodgers" And while an owner has the right to rent to anyone for as long s/he likes one wonders as to how they get the right to assign their amenity rights to countless others. It is in my view a practice that goes against the very marketing claims of this development. specifically they said if you want the villages lifestyle pony up a premium for it. Here we now have a owner who was offered that same option passing along for a fee that premium to multiple (countless) non-residents and at other residents expense. so the next time a full time resident can't get that tee time or pickle ball court or rec center room ask yourself how many non residents have taken up your space. And one wonders exactly how many of those owners actually bought a house to live here?

The situation the OP speaks of his deplorable whether its one villa or several because if its one then tomorrow its two and so forth and so forth.

simply stated if the rules of this community are allowed to be violated then we will all suffer. Ask yourself is this the word picture you were told existed here? Many of us invested a good portion of our retirement savings for what we believed would be passed on to our heirs because we believed it was a good investment that would maintain its originality. In my view this is a legitimate concern I opine others can decide

:BigApplause:....:BigApplause:....::BigApplause:

For what it's worth, when we first came to TV, we rented a ranch home in Amelia for 6 months. Our neighbors greeted us with joy as the previous renters had been there for a year. They were described as a couple of construction workers who made the house their party house. Big drinking parties every night - drunk and unconscious men on their lawn, etc. I can attest that they had a keg cooler in the house (removed before we moved in). Neighbors said they called the police and TV folks about them each and every week. Police would come, roust them out - nothing changed. Landlord didn't care - rent was coming in just fine.

I think the hidden point the OP was making is that TV is "sold" as a 55+ retirement community. What is never said is the fact that anyone of any age over _______ (moving target) can purchase or rent a home and live here as long as they don't have kids under the age of ____ (also a moving target). I know our mindset was of people of like ages living all around us. Rentals would be filled with people of like ages...

That's just not the reality of TV. And by not complaining about rentals that seem out of control, we make that our new normal. For those of you who are deriding the OP for complaining, I'm guessing you'd be the first and the loudest if it was happening in your neighborhood.

Just my thoughts.... worth almost nothing.