[TrudyM]

I lost my rental.
I had found a rental for Jan- March 2014. When the rental agreement came in the mail it was a stock agreement used for long term rentals with a lot of stuff crossed out and the crossed out items were not initialed. I didn't think that was safe also it read weird with stuff crossed out that changed the meaning. Especially as the crossed out bits left parts that in some cases didn't make sense. So in typical me style instead of sending it back for initials, I added an addendum that clarified the crossed up sections. The landlord didn't like that so I guess they sent my check back. I am not at home but in Hawaii so I only found out when I emailed the landlord as I noticed it still showed available on 4 rent.
What should I have done?

[manaboutown]

I do not believe you messed up. I certainly would not want to rent from that landlord!

You undoubtedly saved yourself a lot of future grief.

[jeraldinemarie]

What kind of property are you looking for, I may have a 2/2 in Sanibel at that time. send e-mail jbarsz1@san.rr.com
Jeri

[jeraldinemarie]

Oh, I guess i'm about 5 years to late for her, new to this site and should have checked the dates!

[redwitch]

It sounds like a landlord who is new to renting and clueless. I certainly wouldn't want to rent a place where things are changed on an agreement, not initialled and who knows what would be truly binding.

You'll find another place. It sounds like the only thing you've really lost is a lot of grief and worry.

[ijusluvit]

Originally Posted by TrudyM

I lost my rental.
I had found a rental for Jan- March 2014. When the rental agreement came in the mail it was a stock agreement used for long term rentals with a lot of stuff crossed out and the crossed out items were not initialed. I didn't think that was safe also it read weird with stuff crossed out that changed the meaning. Especially as the crossed out bits left parts that in some cases didn't make sense. So in typical me style instead of sending it back for initials, I added an addendum that clarified the crossed up sections. The landlord didn't like that so I guess they sent my check back. I am not at home but in Hawaii so I only found out when I emailed the landlord as I noticed it still showed available on 4 rent.
What should I have done?

One more example of how renters are vulnerable when using the 4 rent website. Owners can do anything they want, anytime. They can mis-advertise, send back your check the day before you arrive, not be available to assist you when you are there, etc. etc. You were lucky to get out of this when you did. Maybe you'd be willing to share the property location with us to spare others your grief.

To be protected, you need to rent a property which has a licensed manager, who must play by the rules. Your deposits will be protected, your rental will be secure and anything you need during your stay will be provided. You have legal recourse if these expectations are not met. 4 rent does not ALLOW property managers to be involved!!!

I suggest you try vacationrentals.com. Click on the map for The Villages and go from there. There are other similar sites and your initial inquiry will let you know whether there is a manager or not.

[cgalloway6]

Originally Posted by ijusluvit

One more example of how renters are vulnerable when using the 4 rent website. Owners can do anything they want, anytime. They can mis-advertise, send back your check the day before you arrive, not be available to assist you when you are there, etc. etc. You were lucky to get out of this when you did. Maybe you'd be willing to share the property location with us to spare others your grief.

To be protected, you need to rent a property which has a licensed manager, who must play by the rules. Your deposits will be protected, your rental will be secure and anything you need during your stay will be provided. You have legal recourse if these expectations are not met. 4 rent does not ALLOW property managers to be involved!!!

I suggest you try vacationrentals.com. Click on the map for The Villages and go from there. There are other similar sites and your initial inquiry will let you know whether there is a manager or not.

That's painting everyone on villages4rent with a pretty broad brush. The OP didn't like the contract presented to him and the landlord didn't like the contract he returned so the deposit was returned. What would expect to happen - either party signing a contract they didn't like?
If you have a signed contract you have the same legal rights as anyone using a property manager. If you don't have a signed contract, the property manager can return your deposit and sign someone else to the same time you want. The rules are determined by the state and the contract, not by a "licensed property manager". Your deposit is protected under the same Florida laws whether you use a property manager or not.

Yes I have a house for rent at villages4rent and I want to have happy renters that will take care of the property and come back.
If someone asks about a certain date we hold the date for them and tell anyone else that asks that it is reserved but not leased and will put them on a list to contact if it becomes available. Many times we lose both because the first one never calls back to confirm or return the application and the others don't want to wait to find out if the property will be available or not.
We check references and have someone to clean and inspect the home after each rental. They are also available if there is any problem we can't fix over the phone. Deposits are returned promptly after inspection.
The OP had a bad experience and I can sympathize with them. It is a learning experience if you haven't been a landlord before and no matter how hard you try to do the right thing, you can make a mistake. There could have been more communication between the two other than just passing a marked up contract back and forth but it was a learning occasion for both parties. I hope they can work it out if the home isn't rented already.

[TrudyM]

I think the landlord was ok with not signing something they didn't like just as I was. However I wished I had thought of a better way to handle it. I also wish they had emailed me when they didn't like my solution before just sending my check back. I don 't know if they tried to call as I had given my home phone and then had to go to Hawaii for a family thing unexpectedly. I didn't have there phone number and a requirement of a contact phone for emergencies was one of the things I added. I have rented direct from owners before in other areas and if anything found usually they are more attentive than a property manager.

[TrudyM]

Originally Posted by jeraldinemarie

Oh, I guess i'm about 5 years to late for her, new to this site and should have checked the dates!

No the date on the right is the date I joined when I first visited the villages the date on the left is then time of the post. I posted this at 2 am this morning from the Ilikai Hotel in Hawaii. when I couldn't sleep.

[Cantwaittoarrive]

I would have called the landlord and gone over the "crossed out" items and explained that you were not comfortable. That way if you couldn't work it out immediately you could have moved on and found a different rental.

[ijusluvit]

Originally Posted by cgalloway6

That's painting everyone on villages4rent with a pretty broad brush. The OP didn't like the contract presented to him and the landlord didn't like the contract he returned so the deposit was returned. What would expect to happen - either party signing a contract they didn't like?
If you have a signed contract you have the same legal rights as anyone using a property manager. If you don't have a signed contract, the property manager can return your deposit and sign someone else to the same time you want. The rules are determined by the state and the contract, not by a "licensed property manager". Your deposit is protected under the same Florida laws whether you use a property manager or not.

Yes I have a house for rent at villages4rent and I want to have happy renters that will take care of the property and come back.
If someone asks about a certain date we hold the date for them and tell anyone else that asks that it is reserved but not leased and will put them on a list to contact if it becomes available. Many times we lose both because the first one never calls back to confirm or return the application and the others don't want to wait to find out if the property will be available or not.
We check references and have someone to clean and inspect the home after each rental. They are also available if there is any problem we can't fix over the phone. Deposits are returned promptly after inspection.
The OP had a bad experience and I can sympathize with them. It is a learning experience if you haven't been a landlord before and no matter how hard you try to do the right thing, you can make a mistake. There could have been more communication between the two other than just passing a marked up contract back and forth but it was a learning occasion for both parties. I hope they can work it out if the home isn't rented already.

I stand by every word I wrote. By no means am I claiming all or even a large number of owners who use villages4rent are not completely reliable. What I am saying is that prospective renters have experienced some serious problems with individual owners. Here are some examples:

1) False advertising. Not long ago I looked through the 4rent listings. I found three owners who clearly mentioned that their property had a pool. When I looked into the properties more closely, none had a pool. One owner did clarify things in the fine print by mentioning that the pool was "within short walking distance" (ie: neighborhood pool)

2) Contract Problems. The OP of this thread cites the second recent case I'm aware of which reports the same basic thing; that the contract proposed was essentially impossible to deal with.

3) No One Around. This forum has contained at least several complaints in the last couple of years about folks who showed up at their 4rent home and had to admit themselves. They received no real welcome orientation and when they had some questions and needed help with a few things, the owner was unavailable.

4) Taxes? Lots of talk here recently about who and how county and state sales taxes are paid. In fact this can always be an issue with 4rent properties unless the owners clearly state how it's done. Few do. Property managers automatically deal with this as part of the process.

OK, now it's time to give all of these 4rent owners the benefit of the doubt. I'll speculate that they just don't know all of the things they should do to prepare and operate a good rental property. Perhaps they mean well and thankfully they are certainly in the minority.

My point is that licensed property managers not only know every detail of what is needed for a good rental experience, but they are paid to provide all that service as well. The rates I see for properties professionally managed are not higher than owner operated properties. They may even be less because managers know when to make deals and price properties to get more rentals. I've seen this all first-hand. Folks who've read my posts know I have the best manager in TV. My rentals couldn't be better and I love how much my guests love my place. I'd hope all TV guests might have nothing but positive experiences when they come here.

[Kelsie52]

I am a landlord that rents a CYV and I also live here in the Villages.

I send guests a contract on line with any mention to long term rental (if not required to the specific case) removed. I ask them to review it and then return it to me with any questions. I spell out ---what I require as to extra guests , cleaning fees, security deposits.

Each contract is designed especially to that guest --I want them back !!!
Most landlords here are not out to hide things from their guests .

The contract is written to protect both the owner and guest.

[TrudyM]

Originally Posted by Cantwaittoarrive

I would have called the landlord and gone over the "crossed out" items and explained that you were not comfortable. That way if you couldn't work it out immediately you could have moved on and found a different rental.

Would have if they had given me a phone number. But I guess they were going to be traveling. Maybe I should have emailed my concerns before sending it back. I thought I was helping as I have been told a contract with crossed out bits and no initials isn't legal.

[TrudyM]

Originally Posted by Kelsie52

I am a landlord that rents a CYV and I also live here in the Villages.

I send guests a contract on line with any mention to long term rental (if not required to the specific case) removed. I ask them to review it and then return it to me with any questions. I spell out ---what I require as to extra guests , cleaning fees, security deposits.

Each contract is designed especially to that guest --I want them back !!!
Most landlords here are not out to hide things from their guests .

The contract is written to protect both the owner and guest.

Sending online so you can read and discuss without snail mail taking up time is definitely the way to go. I should have scanned in the contract highlighted issues and emailed back. I just didn't handle it right. Having a little business know how I should have know better.

[DougB]

Oh, well. Live and learn. Everything usually works out for the best.