Please. As a practical matter, if a tenant has paid the rent, shows up with a dog, and says it is a service animal, the landlord has no choice but to allow the dog to stay, or risk being sued. And, how does the landlord even know there is a dog in the house? Also, there are plenty of lawyers who will sue the landlord. That is a fact and many dog owners know it. And, if you are out of town, how do you demand anything?

Any dog owner that falsely claims their dog is a service animal, in order to get special treatment, is a total scumbag and is doing a disservice to those with legitimate needs and a properly trained dog. We have owned dogs practically our whole lives and would never sink to that level. My older brother is totally blind and relies on his professionally trained seeing eye German Shepard for his independence and safety. People faking service dogs really pi$$es me off.

I totally agree, but a lot of people are taking advantage of the ridiculous, unenforceable Federal ADA law to take their dogs everywhere they go. I just saw a woman with a little dog running around Publix the other day with a sweater that said "service animal". I asked the cashier if they had a dog policy. She said yes, no pets, but she is not allowed to say anything to the dog owners.

Totally agree. Also with today’s prices you would be hard pressed to make much

You don’t really expect your competition to give you an honest answer do you ??
Do your own foot work , and act accordingly . IMHO

Welcome aboard

Rental
 

This area is literally receiving 1,000s of apartment units and many within the next 30 days:

301 near 466A a mega apartment complex has begun construction

462 in Wildwood there are literally 300 apartments opening up before Aug 1. In addition, “The Cottages” have just opened (not sure of amount). Furthermore, new construction on a housing project next to St Vincent de Paul just broke ground

On 466A directly adjacent to Colony a third party developer just purchased land and got approval for a large apartment complex.

A third party builder has just initiated construction on 501 of several hundred high rise apartment units ( maybe they want to see all the Villages construction and Coleman prison?)


In short, there won’t be much of a housing shortage here. The market will be saturated for some time to come. If you buy, ask yourself if it would even be worth it to rent it out.

You'll likely only be able to rent it during the high season...maybe December until maybe April. Do not expect to rent it other months because it likely will not happen. You'll be lucky if during the high season you have only one tenant for the whole time. Don't be surprised if you have 3-4 tenants during the high season...perhaps one month at a time. You can restrict your rental to longer periods but will reduce the number of possible renters. If you're lucky to find a longer repeating renter hang on to them...makes your life much easier and you'll find a friend in them who will take care of your place while they're there.

We have a rental that is managed by The Villages Hometown Properties. Yes they take a percentage for management, but worth it to us because we live thousands of miles away. They handle issues/complaints. Answer tenant questions. We started out using our rental for a convenient place to stay when not renting thinking we would move in one day, but found it felt too small, so we've kept it as a rental. On the cost side, in addition to mortgage (if you get one) and taxes, you'll need to cover the cost of TV/Internet, utlities, insurance -- in short every expense you need to cover for any home. You'll also get some of the tax advantages. If you buy turn key, you won't need to furnish, but budget for wear and tear and possible replacement of appliances/furniture. You'll likely just cover costs with seasonal rentals with a bit over but it's a way to earn some money while you are not here. Our experience with Hometown Rentals has been very good. They market and rent and vet the renters and send us reports showing rentals and any maintenance (which we approve beforehand). We've never had a problem, even with those who want to bring their pets. The home has stayed in good shape over five years and has been consistently rented. We started out seeing rentals January March, but that seems to have expanded lately with renters now popping up in December through May. Off season rates are lower, but I wonder if that will change if demand for the non-seasonal months ramps up at some point.

I'm not an expert in real estate, but my sense is that if someone buys a home here to rent expecting to make a pile of cash, they may be disappointed.

Rentals flourish south rot. 44 buy there

There is a legit difference in a qualified service dog vs an emotional support dog. The difference is in CERTIFIED ADA training.

A lot of people are purchasing an online certificate (with just a doctor note) without actual ADA training to be able to call their pet a "service dog". Establishments are entitled to require ACTUAL ADA training certification service dog status. I know this as my daughter had an emotional support service dog (got an online cert) that was allowed to go certain places. Apartments would rent to her and they could stay in some hotels etc but not other places or hotels or apartments etc as her dog was not an ADA trained service dog.

It all depended on the establishment's willingness to allow her dog to be there as a well needed "service" dog. Sometimes my daughter was denied based on the ADA TRAINING status requirement.

Exactly. And, it can get much worse. There is a world of difference between a highly trained, true service animal such as those for the blind, deaf, mobility issues, etc., and the gamut of "emotional support animals" that are all the rage. Plus, those animals are not just dogs. What if your tenant has an emotional support alpaca? Or a pot bellied pig? Or a goat? Better also check up on how to legally evict a tenant. Once someone moves in, and establishes your house as his/her residence, getting them out is a process. That process can be lengthy and expensive.

For me, the potential negatives far outweigh the positives. There are other ways to have your money work for you that do not involve so many potential headaches.

Note that there is a difference between service animals and emotional support animals. But, under the Federal law, there is no ADA certification required for service animals. Here is an excerpt from the Government website, ADA.GOV:

"Q17. Does the ADA require that service animals be certified as service animals?
A. No. Covered entities may not require documentation, such as proof that the animal has been certified, trained, or licensed as a service animal, as a condition for entry.

There are individuals and organizations that sell service animal certification or registration documents online. These documents do not convey any rights under the ADA and the Department of Justice does not recognize them as proof that the dog is a service animal."

I’m not sure where you are getting your information but there are no high rises going up on 501.

Clarifying
 

Yes, they are termed multilevel. Not high rise like NY city lol. The development isn’t breaking warp speed either. It makes me wonder if they are getting some side cash to go slow till the Villages sells their units across the street. I would measure to guess they would be like most in Wildwood at 5 story?