I have to think that things like this are rare, but since I had two property managers before my current "best in the whole world" one, I can understand how it's possible. Fortunately my guests had no problems. I DID!

But this again underscores the issue: if there is a LICENSED property manager, the renter has much more direct recourse to resolve any problems, as opposed to dealing with a less than responsible owner.

So I guess you must ask the owner of the home you are renting if they have a licensed property manager and than ask who it is.

If I were renting I would ask if there was a licensed property manager handling the property. I would expect many owners would say no. I would not dismiss those owners homes from consideration, but I would be more attracted to the ones with licensed managers.

It is too bad your renters did not treat your home and golf cart with respect. I would think that at the "mature" age that most of the renters are in TV, they would know how to treat someone else's house and golf cart. When I have rented in TV, I have always been very careful with the house and the golf cart as I hope to be a frog someday, and one of my former landlords could someday be my neighbor.

And you are right since we have taken over renting our home both renters have bought a home here and we have become best friends, they have even stoped to talk to the next renter to welcome them. Since some companies let the person that cleans do the inventory, and its not checked after by the company you have issues off the bat we found out that our keys were left on the patio on the table for the cleaners, problem was the cleaners were getting paid not doing anything, our weekly check was not done or someone would have found the sliding glass door open. Since then we have had the most wonderful people who our homewatch person says our home looks like it did the day we bought it. Talking to the new renters myself, you just know which one you would like to rent your home.

If you are talking to the home owner they are not using a licensed property manager..when you use a company you never know who the owner is and the owner has no say as to who they are renting to.

villages4rent
 

We have been very very happy with advertising through the Villages4rent.com

The people who own the site are helpful and friendly.

We pay a small yearly fee to post our house for rental and field all phone calls ourselves and can negotiate prices with potential renters.

Way to go Villages4rent!

Tommy steam:
I have rented for a month and encountered no problems, mainly due to the fact, imo, that I would only rent from someone who could meet me there , inspect the property with me, and show me around a bit. Worked out great. Good luck to you Tommy, you'll love it, I'm sure.

I advertise my homes on the villages 4 rent site. If you use a property manager, you can't list your home on that site. So unless someone is not telling Don all the facts, they manage the property entirely themselves. So you will be sending deposits and rent checks directly to the owner.

I try to meet all my tenants, not 100% successful, but over 80%. I will or have my home watch person check them in. I have never had an issue that I was not able to resolve directly with the renter. One thing you might do is ask if you could speak to a past renter. I have had several renters offer to do that for me if needed. Checking to be sure the person you are sending the check to actually owns the property is also a good idea. I also provide them the phone number of my maintenance person should something happen and they need something fixed. When I live there full time it will be a bit easier to be more responsive by doing it in person. I try to be in TV once a month around the month change over to meet new renters and to make sure things are ready, home is cleaned and golf carts are ready. I make sure I return deposits quickly and I have so far been able to return deposits if someone has to cancel. My renters have always been really great people, a few have become really good friends. Several have bought homes and others are looking. I take pride in my properties and want my renters to be repeat renters.

Be careful
 

We went through thevillages4rent and had a bad experience.

The owner advertised light housekeeping twice a month, but they didn't "have anyone" to do during the three months we rented. No adjustment to the rent was made.

Their towels were threadbare and stained, the golf cart provided was a 1989 POS we nicknamed "The Flinstone Flyer". We ended up renting a safer, more reliable cart at our own expense (owner wouldn't contribute to the replacement cart rental).

The carpets needed cleaning, the place looked like it was furnished from thrift stores and the dollar store. We had to buy new dishware and silverware because nothing matched and the silverware would bend in normal use it was so thin.

Wireless internet was part of the deal but we had to pay for it and they would reimburse us...we had to bug them for it, but they finally did pay us.

When we complained about the dirty carpets, worn furniture, dangerous golf cart, and cheap kitchen ware we were told "our standards were too high".

If at all possible, have someone check out the place before you rent. In the end we paid $7900 for three months in their undesirable patio villa. when we got home after the three month rental we were impressed with the superior condition and furnishings of our humble abode up north.

I'll say it again:

Renters cannot be sure they will get what is advertised on 4rent.com. This is because the website REQUIRES that owners handle their properties themselves. Some owners don't know how to do things properly or in a thorough fashion, or (perish the thought!), "cut corners". Not every owner is as professional as l2ridehd.

If you rent a place handled by a LICENSED property manager, you are more protected because managers know what all the requirements are for a completely equipped property. It's their business, and if they do not deliver, the renter has some legal recourse. Yes, you could deal with a less than competent property manger, but I think the percentages are much more favorable than dealing with a private owner.

So in the end, if you want a beautiful property with EVERYTHING as promised, send a PM to l2ridehd or to me, or contact my property manager, Vilas Hinkle, at vilashin@yahoo.com.

Renting in the Villages
 

There is an alternative to renting through the villages. We own a rental property in the village of Pennecamp, a really ideal location. We chose to have Realty Executives mangage our property. Telephone number is 352 753-7500.We have really enjoyed working with the husband and wife team, Frank and Debbie in getting it ready to rent. They manage many rentals in the Villages. We just bought the ranch house in July 2012 - 2 bedroom, 2 bath. We just furnished it with all new bedding, 3 tvs, dvr player, High speed internet, Infinity Cable TV and a BBQ. King bed in master and Queen in Guest Bedroom. If you check out their website, click on rental, then choose ranch, and check out the pictures for our property at 1781 Delwood Way, The Villages. Neighborhood pool in an easy walk away. As of today it is still available for October.

There are also about one hundred nice homes for rent at

vacationrentals.com/vacation-rentals/florida/the-villages.html

We recently rented through The Villages Property Management. Lovely home, clean, no problems. 100% satisfaction.

Not true...depends on what your agreement says...My licensed manager gives me a complete report on perspective renters and I sign off on them for the OK to rent. I also have listings on TV4rent and for years now we have never had a problem with any renter...After all they only want to see TV,s and talk to people there or they are wanting to escape the cold and have some fun ....You may have trouble with the weekly renters for obvious reasons...