Absolutely the best thing you can do. Not only take photos but make them walk through and give you a list of the inventory. It is pretty ridiculous that someone is going to take measuring spoons! and, in our case, pillowcases and washcloths. If they are going to charge for items taken, they need to have a count of everything available to you when you come in.

cquick...That is awful. I owned a home in The Villages that I rented for 6 years. I never would have kept any of your deposit. I feel like calling the owner of the house you rented, that's how annoyed I am. They are giving all the owners a bad name. Things happen, things break, things are missing. This is the cost of business. After every rental, I would do a walk thru ( sometimes with the renters, if they wanted). I would give them the deposit back right on the spot or mail it back that day. Most people had their deposit when they arrived home.
I never kept any part of anyone's deposit. I always told them when they arrived, that things break, just let me know and I will have it fixed. In my opinion, the deposit is only for MAJOR and INTENIONAL damage. If you have a wild party and throw a chair thru the glass door, youll lose the deposit. If there is a cup or towel missing, I will gladly replace it. Sorry you had a bad renting experience.

you can have a bad experience...
 

even if you do rent directly from the homeowner. A couple of years ago, our experience was that after a reasonable amount of time and no deposit had been returned, I contacted the homeowner to find out where our deposit was....she said that the villa specifically was for no pets and the housekeeper had found dog hair on the mattress and dog food on the kitchen floor. Well, we didn't have a dog with us and I spent a good amount of time convincing her....and we had reported a problem with the dishwasher.....she said she was keeping the deposit because of all the trouble....we had left the villa in much better shape than when we arrived (kitchen floor hadn't been mopped in a while, master bath shower wasn't as clean as I liked..so had to clean it before stepping in that!!) Anyway, it all turned out okay, but can't seem to get passed the fact that I don't think she really believed me - hate to have people think I've done something when I haven't....guess that makes up a little for the times in my youth when I got away with A LOT!! All our other rentals were great!! Sorry for your troubles, just wanted you to know it can happen to anybody and with any rental, unfortunately.

As an owner of a home in the Villages, that we rent out when we are not there, for the most part, people leave the house as if it were their own home. Most people are embarassed to leave it untidy or dirty and do their best to shine it up before leaving. This has always been the case 99% of the time. Of course, some things are inadvertently missed or not a thorough as it should be , so it is necessary to have a cleaning person go in to make sure that the house is in tip top condition for the next tenant, or the next tenant will complain and feel obliged to leave it messy.

I did have a terrible experience with a property manager, who failed in her responsibility to do a walk through and failed to do an inventory after the tenant had left. This particular tenant left the place a mess....stained carpets way beyond normal wear and tear, 3 lamps that had been knocked over and broken, other things that were broken because of abuse, quite a few things missing, etc etc etc
The property manager gave back her deposit in full. When I arrived at the house from California, I was horrified to find the house a mess. Contacted the property manager and was told the tenant left the place in perfectly good condition. Obliviously, she could not have walked through or done an inventory check. Since the deposit was given back, we, as owners had no recourse to get back all the money it cost us to clean up the place and replace the missing/broken items. Needless to say, we parted company with the Property Manager, and are now managing the property ourselves.

We have had several property managers over the years, and find that most of them are too busy to do a thorough job.

It seems there are dishonorable people on both sides. We just didn't expect it from The Villages.

Just to clarify...Is thevillages4rent the same entity as The Villages Hometown management?

Let's blame the right folks here in the hopes that the powers who can effect change do read this forum (I think they do) and will straighten this out so that these people won't continue to bring down their " brand" which I consider a good one.

No, it is a private entity. It is an easy website to use. I found a rental home for a friend of mine thru thevillages4rent.com and everything went very smoothly. The person renting deals directly with the owner of the home.

Here is their website: The Villages 4 Rent, Rentals in The Villages

The Villages Hometown Property Management is a Villages enterprise in as much as they original "owned" it but franchised it a couple years ago. They do have an interest in it. In fact, the idea is for people to believe it is a Village enterprise so they will have confidence in the company. That is why they use Village logo letterhead for the contract, they have you pick up your keys and return your keys at The Villages sales office in Lake Sumter. But The Villages is not running it per se. Too bad. These guys are simply not up to standard and are unscrupulous, in fact, act illegally. The Villages needs to rethink this business model which can do nothing but impact them negatively.

The Villages4Rent is an entirely different company and has nothing to do with The Villages other than the properties people list are in The Villages.

Yup - we rented thru the villages4rent website two years ago and dealt directly with the owner. Great experience.

The thing that I find most upsetting in this is that the OP says she paid a surcharge for having a pet of $150.00. She did not plan on getting this back and did not get it back. Wouldn't $150.00 cover dog hair expenses? She was charged a portion of her deposit in addition to this $150.00! That's robbery!
Am I correct in this statement? I think that is right.

We rented from an individual that we knew when we were building.

We stayed in someone's home which was managed through the sales office when we came for lifestyle visit.



It is possible when renting for several months to get your odds and ends, wine openers, favorite mugs, cleaning supplies, mixed up with homeowners. I would guess that most scrupulous people leave as much as accidentally removed.

Like most, we hadn't been renters for a long time and I was very aware I was living in someone elses house. I tried to leave it the way I found it, not like I would leave a hotel room. I am betting that most people of our age are very careful and leave the home in excellent condition.

My advice to renters is to factor in time to clean at the end. It takes a little time to strip the beds and even put the comforter in the dryer on air if you have been renting with your dog or cat. Just to assure you will get your deposit back.

The OP was not able to clean when she left.. and that is contractually not expected ... I am sure that the OP did not deserve the offensive treatment she got. It is likely that the "maid" was annoyed because this time she did have to clean which is what she is paid to do everytime.

I feel that the OP was unfairly charged. It sounds like the OP was insulted.

I hope that The Villages that are franchising their name and brand are aware that things aren't run smoothly or diplomatically by this franchisee to say the least and I hope that The Villages does something about this poor service and unethical treatment. It isn't looking good for the The Villages Hometown Rental Management for sure.

In any business you live or die by your good reputation.

What we found the most telling was when they sent a letter stating they had taken the security deposit and cited Florida statute as supporting their action. When you actually read the statute, it says they cannot take the deposit but they must first advise you of their intention and give the renter 15 days to dispute. So they acted illegally. They also, "returned" the remaining deposit after the legal date and they also sent their letter after the legal date. They clearly are operating upon their own "laws" and putting on the face that they are in the right. They must think people don't actually read the statute or don't understand what it says.
And Gracie you are right. You live and die by your reputation. The Villages has cause for concern that this piece of the business takes from their spotless reputation.
sky: Yes, one would think the pet deposit covered the dog hair.

The Villages stays involved in the rentals because when you pick up your keys they are delivered by a sales person. Obviously that could work to their advantage.

File a complaint with seniors vs crime...

Hi Everyone - I have a question - Does the renter get an inventory when they arrive? I was wondering if we should ask for one before we arrive. Do you think that I am being to picky? I was going to get my camera out when we arrive to document everything...

Anne