What questions to ask when renting?
 

I am trying to choose the right home to rent. Unfortunately, I have to rent the place sight unseen. I am looking for recommendations about the questions I should ask, that someone who has ever been to TV might not think to ask.
Thanks Katie

If you use The Villages 4 Rent, Rentals in The Villages you can view photos of the homes and the insides of the homes for rent.

I actually have a number of houses to chose from already. I just want to make sure I ask the right questions before I chose one

Very important to know if there is a lease-break fee option, in case you want or need to move. Also, does the landlord pay the monthly amenity fee, which does include the water and sewer, and runs upward of $200/mo? Who pays for the lawn service and other maintenance services? Humm...I'm sure there's other stuff too, but this is a start. Thankfully, there aren't really any bad areas to watch out for. I wish you good luck in your search!

Renting
 

A few questions I would ask - what size bed in the master bedroom and what kind of mattress. Is the kitchen fully equipped. Any barking dogs nearby? How far from Lake Sumter? Does it have wireless and cable? What size is the TV?

Good luck!

Oh, and does it have internet? Couldn't make it without that!

These are all great questions to ask. I'm glad I thought to post this.

kate, I have only been able to rent for a week at a time (I still work full time), but I always ask about internet access and if the house comes with a golf cart. I have driven both gas and electric golf carts, and I prefer electric, but since my rentals are short term, having a gas cart has not been an issue. If you are going to be renting longer term, you might want to ask about the activity level/quietness of the neighborhood. All of the neighborhoods I have rented in have been quiet, but I have not rented in high season. Good luck, and I hope you find a rental that meets your needs.

If you can, have a friend check the houses for you. It has happened that the pics are older and the house isn't quite as nice as they look. Most homeowners will bend over backwards to make you happy -- they want repeat renters.

Figure out what YOU want and feel is important. Internet should be crucial; so should a stocked kitchen and linens (know of one house that had 2 towels -- excuse me?). For some, it is location. For some, a golf cart is crucial (easy enough to rent one on your own, just make sure you reserve well in advance if renting in high season). Others, a bbq. Make your list and make sure the home you rent has it. For some, it is just a place to sleep at night (then go for cheapest rent you can find for a place that looks decent).

If you have some definite places in mind, send me a PM and I'll be happy to at least do a drive by and peek in the windows. I go pretty much from one end of TV to the other weekly.

Redwitch, you make some great points about pictures being old. One reason for this is that thevillages4rent.com will only let you upload photos twice a year. This has created a very complicated situation for me because I'm remodeling and I have to just send pics to potential renters as they're available.
On the OTHER hand, I am getting VERY tired of renters emailing me asking if they can come over to the house while I'm in town and look it over. Umm, I come down her to get away and relax and I'm not going to spend my weekend showing the house. I also do not appreciate people showing up and walking around the house or peeking in windows. One potential renter almost got shot peeking in a window and another walked up to the lanai as I was relaxing in the pool. Needless to say, none of those renters will ever rent my home. I'm able to be picky because I have more demand than I have supply. If I send you multiple pictures of every room (and you know they are current as I JUST remodeled) there is NO reason to intrude on me or my renters privacy by lurking around my house.

Kate it may be a good idea to check to see if the owner lives in the Villages, and if not who is their "agent/friend" that looks after the place, who to call if a problem arises. Have the owner meet you there if possible (good idea actually) and have them introduce you to a neighbour or two, that way you know you are talking to the owner and have an introduction or two at the same time. Have fun.

The very first house we rented in TV was the best! In addition to all the other amenities that others have listed here, the house included 2 sets of golf clubs (not the greatest, but still... We didn't have to fly ours from Utah), Pickleball paddles & balls, Tennis rackets & balls, bicycles, fishing rods, and a grill. And of course, a golf cart.

The house also had a wonderful 3-ring binder that included the $5 map of TV & the golf cart map, pages with golf course fees, how to make tee times & the Good Golf brochure, restaurant brochures, brochures & recommendations for day trips, and instructions for the remotes, stereo, a/c, golf cart, hurricanes, trash pickup, etc.. This binder was invaluable to us, as we knew nothing about TV.

I don't know if this applies to your situation, but be sure to ask if there's an extra charge for guests. We rented in December & our daughter & mother-in-law came to visit for the Holidays. There was no extra charge, since it was a 3-bedroom house, but I've heard that some owners charge extra for overnight guests.

Some owners also charge extra for the cleaning service; others include it in the rent.

One other thing you might want to have is a Resident's Pass. That usually costs an extra $50, but it's nice to have.

That's all I can think of right now. Whatever you choose, have a wonderful visit to our hometown. I hope you'll love it as much as we do!

Fantastic idea!
 

That is an awesome idea! And an equally appreciated offer. I can't imagine that any of the owners would object to my having someone inspect the property and if they did, that would be an indicator in itself.

Thank you, so much, for doing this for me. There are two houses that I am particularly interested in. I will contact the owners and see what I can arrange or maybe I could get you their contact information so you could arrange for a time that would be convenient for you. Whichever you would prefer. If the location is too far out of your way (I'm not sure how large TV is) I suppose I could ask some of the other people I've met through the forums to do the same. I will send you a PM when I am able to get ahold of them. Again thank you.

Katie

PS. If anyone happens to know of someone selling their cart, or willing to rent it for a year - rather than going through the dealers - I would appreciate your letting me know. How much to they cost to rent monthly, usually?

Unfortunately, I don't have that ability. I am having to rent a place without seeing it. I am taking a leap of faith in this move. Big time! I have never even seen the Villages. I made my decision based on my research and then through the people I've met in this community, through the forums. So, being able to have someone meet with the owners; - Who I understand live in the Villages - to actually see the places, will make all the differences in the world. I had no idea the photos could be old. - I'm learning so much through this thread - And frankly, there really aren't enough photos that you could expect the owner to send, that would really tell the story.

Katie

Around 40+ square miles, I believe? And counting! It'll take you a good half hour to get from one end to the other. In general, the speed limit on the main artery roads is 35 mph and residential streets are 25, so you're won't be booking it anywhere.

Questions to ask when renting?
 

If you are talking about short-term rentals, then I would ask if they are paying the Florida rental tax on the rent you will be paying. (It may be called something else.) I always feel a little uneasy about people who cheat on their taxes. If they do that, what else are they doing that's not quite fair or honest?

(I believe if the rental is for over six months, this tax is not required.)

Also ask about a security deposit, how much and refundability. Pets or smoking, if you want either one. Cancellation policy. If long-term, payment structure.

Enjoy The Villages!

I would check the county property appraisal site to make sure who ever you are dealing with is the actual owner of the house before you sign or send money to anyone.

I think it's essential to have either the owner or their agent available at the home to greet and orient you to the place, and to be able to respond quickly to any problem which may occur.

Here is a thread started by a disgruntled renter.



https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...nt-view-71653/

if you are renting long term more than six months one day, then there are no fl taxes..and you usually pay the cable electric internet... less than six months fl taxes are involved...ask if there is an inventory list so when you check in and out there is not problems, we have pictures of everything in the house email the inventory to the new tentent so they know what is in the house.

I agree with Cantwait. Whatever county (Sumter, Lake or Marion) the house is located in, go on to the property appraiser's web site to verify that the person you are sending money to is really the owner of the house. I have done this each time I have rented in The Villages.

We rented from someone via Villages4rent.com and had a disappointing experience. As far as I can tell, that website does not allow for feedback from renters so there is no way to communicate such an experinece.
Just for starters, the kitchen was very poorly equiped. There were 2 teaspoons in the flatware set, for example. There were many such examples of the poorly equiped house. The furniture was dirty. It took 3 months to get our deposit back. Money was withheld from the deposit for an unfair reason, we believe. We did not dispute that because we felt very fortunate to be finished with the woman who owned the home. This was an expensive rental, about $4,000, as I recall.
We rented previously from the same website and a different owner with an excellent experience except the gas golf cart had a lot of fumes. I think you can rent your own cart but don't know the details of that.
The Villages4Rent is not the only place to rent a house. You can rent from The Villages sales office, I think.
Sorry to have a bad experience to share and I wish you well in your search for a good experience.
I think renters would, for the most part, be willing to let you or your rep, check out the house before renting. As someone said, good "landlords" want good, repeat renters and I think would be willing to make the effort and want to meet you, too.

I have rented 4 times from The Villages 4 Rent, Rentals in The Villages. All experiences were great. During one rental last year there were a few minor problems with internet access and the garage door not opening, but the landlord fixed those problems right away. I received my security deposit either upon check out or within 10 days after checking out. I think it helped that all landlords so far have lived in The Villages and could respond to any problems right away. Today starts rental number 5, and I brought a few things over to the rental house last night -- house looks just like it did the photos www.thevillages4rent.com, which is good.

Yes, you can rent your own golf cart if the home doesn't come with a golf cart. The online version of the Daily Sun has golf cart rental places in their classified section, or you can search on TOTV for golf cart rentals. Another web site to rent from that has listings in The Villages is VRBO® is Vacation Rentals By Owner.

Location, Location, Location! If you choose the location closest to major roads, close to shopping, close to your church, which area has the lowest crime stats.

Have you had this experience or have known of others who have? Another fantastic point that I never would have even considered. Not that you have let my imagination run away with me, I can think of numerous ways that an unsuspecting, out-of-state, tenant could be separated from their money. I'll have to be on the alert for this. Thank you

Katie

Bad Experience
 

I am even more grateful now that Dee has graciously volunteered to check out the houses that I am considering renting. As I read these other helpful posts - and thank you all - I realize that her involvement might be a deterrent in more than just determining if the photos don't accurately reflect what the place looks like.

I'm renting for a year, so thankfully this extra tax won't be added.

Katie

Ask about Lanai direction and privacy
 

As a renter you may want to know what direction the lanai faces... east is preferrable for many people to get the morning sun and not the afternoon.
Privacy can be an issue in the villages where your lanai backs up to someone else's. Good luck!