Finding a home/condo without all the fees!

[robinb]

I have used VRBO in the past but frankly, I'm sick of feeling "baited" by them. Oh! Look! There's a place for $90 per night ...

90.00 x 5 nights $450.00
Cleaning(1st for Orlando Vacations) $75.00
Booking Fee (1st for Orlando Vacations) $50.00
Accidental Damage Waiver (1st for Orlando Vacations) $55.00
Tax $85.06
Service Fee $70.00

... final cost: $785.

That's an additional $335 in taxes and fees (which are ALSO taxed, BTW).

I understand that cleaning fees are usual as are taxes. I'm OK with that. All the additional fees (and taxes on THOSE fees) really annoy me.

Where can I go for more inclusive pricing?

 

[Westcoastwild]

Well, the damage fee actually seems pretty standard as well. I've seen that or deposit and I prefer the fee in general because deposit usually ties up a couple hundred bucks.

The service fee and booking fee would bug me, though. If they're charging you that high of booking fee, what does the service fee go towards? Is there like a pool or business center or parking that's included? Both just seem disproportionately expensive.

Can't help you with the more inclusive thing. It would probably be higher, actually, if they could throw it all together and not break it down like that.

 

[Upatnoon]

I have used VRBO in the past but frankly, I'm sick of feeling "baited" by them. Oh! Look! There's a place for $90 per night ...

90.00 x 5 nights $450.00
Cleaning(1st for Orlando Vacations) $75.00
Booking Fee (1st for Orlando Vacations) $50.00
Accidental Damage Waiver (1st for Orlando Vacations) $55.00
Tax $85.06
Service Fee $70.00

... final cost: $785.

That's an additional $335 in taxes and fees (which are ALSO taxed, BTW).

I understand that cleaning fees are usual as are taxes. I'm OK with that. All the additional fees (and taxes on THOSE fees) really annoy me.

Where can I go for more inclusive pricing?

When I rent on ebay, I have never been hit with any of these fees designed to give you the illusion you are paying less.

When searching on the various booking sites for hotels or rentals, I add 30 percent to whatever cost I see on the screen as they usually have tons of hidden charges.

 

[BigredNole]

Looking at VRBO, there most likely will be fees. You can look for owners directly and get by without some of the fees. You have to understand that these places usually have management companies that actually manage the rentals. They need to pay for those services.

 

[Klayfish]

You may be able to find something without the VRBO service fee, but the rest of them are standard operating procedure no matter where you book through.

Cleaning fee is because they have a cleaning service come scrub the place after guests leave.

The damage waiver is insurance in case you wreck the house. Many owners on VRBO will let you do without it, but you'll need to leave a refundable security deposit...so the cost is much higher but you'll get a lot of it back when you leave.

Even still, $785 for 5 nights isn't all that bad considering what you're going to get. You won't find that on property. I just booked our Thanksgiving trip. It's 9 nights, and I'm paying $875 all in...taxes, fees, etc... For a 3 bed/2.5 bath townhouse.

 

[pigletto]

I felt the same way when looking. I don't think a booking fee AND a service fee are reasonable. You can avoid them by doing a search here to see who people have used for renting. In searching older Windsorhills threads I came up with a few names of places to rent direct from owners. And while they do charge fees, there is a lot less of them and the prices were more reasonable. I haven't used any of them yet so I am hesitant to give names, but if you search and read some of the threads they do pop up often.

 

[robinb]

You may be able to find something without the VRBO service fee, but the rest of them are standard operating procedure no matter where you book through.

Cleaning fee is because they have a cleaning service come scrub the place after guests leave.

The damage waiver is insurance in case you wreck the house. Many owners on VRBO will let you do without it, but you'll need to leave a refundable security deposit...so the cost is much higher but you'll get a lot of it back when you leave.

Even still, $785 for 5 nights isn't all that bad considering what you're going to get. You won't find that on property. I just booked our Thanksgiving trip. It's 9 nights, and I'm paying $875 all in...taxes, fees, etc... For a 3 bed/2.5 bath townhouse.

I said that I understood the cleaning fee. As for the damage fee, I have paid a deposit in the past that was returned when I didn't "wreck the house". I would vastly prefer that over having to pay for whatever insurance the owner/company decides on to the tune of an additional $11 per night.

As for the fees for the management companies, as fas as I'm concerned that's a part of doing business and you should INCLUDE that into your per night asking price not pile them on after I've already fallen for your low prices.

Looking at VRBO, there most likely will be fees. You can look for owners directly and get by without some of the fees. You have to understand that these places usually have management companies that actually manage the rentals. They need to pay for those services.

Any hints on finding owners directly?

 

[Brian Noble]

I used to get quotes from windsorhillsrent.com

That's only WH owners, so it won't be the cheapest, but you can get direct quotes from owners there.

 

[BigredNole]

windsorhillsrent.com is good. You can contact them through VRBO and they may be willing to work directly instead of through VRBO

 

[Klayfish]

I said that I understood the cleaning fee. As for the damage fee, I have paid a deposit in the past that was returned when I didn't "wreck the house". I would vastly prefer that over having to pay for whatever insurance the owner/company decides on to the tune of an additional $11 per night.

As for the fees for the management companies, as fas as I'm concerned that's a part of doing business and you should INCLUDE that into your per night asking price not pile them on after I've already fallen for your low prices.

Any hints on finding owners directly?

Easy there cowboy, no need to get defensive (or at least that's how I read it). At the end of the day, I don't really care...it's not my trip, not my issue. I was just trying to help. I was just using an expression of "wreck the house", not implying you would actually do it. I've done off site rentals at least 15+ times now, so I'm used to how it works. I tend to rent from private owners only, I don't like rental agencies. I still do it through VRBO, at least when I rent from someone for the first time, as it gives me a bit of security. After that, I have rented directly from the owner. I still pay most of the fees, except the VRBO booking fee. The security deposit isn't my favorite thing, but I do understand. If I was the homeowner, I'd ask for the same thing.

As for how to find the owner directly, in VRBO, it'll tell you if it's privately owned or a rental agency.

 

[robinb]

As for how to find the owner directly, in VRBO, it'll tell you if it's privately owned or a rental agency.

I was actually trying to figure out how to find an owner outside of VRBO.

I might just save a few houses I like and ask for their best price. I'm just about 60 days out and I'm sure people are going to be ready to bargain.

I've rented a house and condo in the past 5 years but I recall the pricing being more straightforward instead of a boatload of hidden fees that nearly double the price.

 

[Klayfish]

Yes, if you don't mind doing last minute deals, people definitely will be willing to bargain. As much as I have concern with rental agencies, they may be more willing to deal, as to them an empty condo is lost profit. You'll see last minute specials all the time. However, they may or may not be willing to do a deal outside of VRBO, you'd have to ask.

Private owners usually will be willing to do a deal outside of VRBO. Most of the ones I've encountered don't necessarily like VRBO because it costs them money too. I've had conversations with several of them because DW and I have kicked around the idea of buying a rental property...just have concluded now isn't the right time.

From my experience (I haven't done a lot of booking outside of VRBO, but have done plenty of searching), the price ultimately winds up being fairly similar no matter where you book. A place like VRBO may not list all the fees in the up front advertising. Another place will have the same property...or at least an identical unit in the same community...for a much higher advertised price, but there are no hidden fees. Either way, the end result is fairly similar.

Those fees/costs get more easy to swallow the longer the trip is. If you're only staying a few days, then yeah, the added costs seem pretty high (we've done a few 3 or 4 day trips). But for a really long trip, they start to seem fairly minor.

 

[ParkHopperFan]

The fees are a VRBO and Homeaway thing. Don't blame the owners for a bait and switch. We have used Homeaway for several vacations and then asked the owners for the price if we book directly with them. Homeaway charges a booking fee and you receive absolutely no benefit from paying it. If you're considering Windsor Hills take a look at www.windsorhillsofficialrentals.com. It is run by the owners and you deal with them directly. We stay there several times per year and love it. The place we stay is www.villaparklane.com. We have heard that the resort will be revamping their community pool and adding water slides, a new hot tub and a large kids splash zone. Not sure when that is happening but it sounds like it will be great.

 

[Woodview]

How many in your party ?

Say 4 people and you are annoyed at paying a total of $ 750 for 5 nights

That works out at $ 37.50 Per person Per Night

THINK Hard ....... before being annoyed .

.............

How much are you spending on Snacks etc & nick knacks in the parks Per Person Per Day ?

And the Price of Tickets ........ ??

You have a Real Bargain At $ 37.50 per person for a Nights Sleep.

 

[robinb]

How many in your party ?

Say 4 people and you are annoyed at paying a total of $ 750 for 5 nights

That works out at $ 37.50 Per person Per Night

THINK Hard ....... before being annoyed .

.............

How much are you spending on Snacks etc & nick knacks in the parks Per Person Per Day ?

And the Price of Tickets ........ ??

You have a Real Bargain At $ 37.50 per person for a Nights Sleep.

You don't understand. It's not all about money. I'm not looking for the cheapest option, just the best one for my family. While looking I am annoyed about is hidden "gotcha" fees that nearly double the cost from $450 on the outside of the VRBO add to $785 once you click "book".

FWIW, I had a Real Bargain last summer when I booked a 1BR Timeshare for $222. That came out to only $16 per person per day .

This year I am weighing all my options: a 1 BR at SSR or OKW, 2 value rooms during "free dining", a 2BR at Wyndham Bonnet Creek, a 2BR at another timeshare and a home/townhouse with a pool. I had a 1BR at BWV but I had to change my dates because my DD got a job that goes through Aug 10. The location advantage to BWV would have kept me there but SSR and OKW just don't feel the same to me. I might as well rent my reservation and be offsite as far as I'm concerned or be onsite and eat my head off.

 

[Klayfish]

I guess it's subjective, but I don't think VRBO is trying to hide anything or do a bait and switch. Fees can vary from renter to renter, and even from stay to stay depending on length, so there's no real way they could advertise those fees in their upfront listings. They advertise the nightly room costs. However, the fees are pretty clearly spelled out even before you hit "book". All you have to do is put the dates you're interested in and then click on the "View Details", and it'll give you a clear breakdown, like this...

 

[Gr8t Fan]

We've rented direct at WH through vacationcentralflorida.com and poolviewcondo.com. For our upcoming rental over Christmas and New Years, we found a WH condo we like on vrbo and the owner waived the service fee and booking fee or we would not have booked the unit.

 

[MandLBee]

I feel the same way about getting my hopes up for a $100/night property, only to find out it's twice that, or more. I use AirBnB and it's the owners that determine and set fees. We have a $90/night condo for our next trip. Final cost ends up being $120/night. Fair enough.

 

[robinb]

I guess it's subjective, but I don't think VRBO is trying to hide anything or do a bait and switch. Fees can vary from renter to renter, and even from stay to stay depending on length, so there's no real way they could advertise those fees in their upfront listings. They advertise the nightly room costs. However, the fees are pretty clearly spelled out even before you hit "book". All you have to do is put the dates you're interested in and then click on the "View Details", and it'll give you a clear breakdown, like this...

Yes, I know that too. How do you think I copy and pasted in my OP?

BUT, I have to go ALL THE WAY into the listing and click "book" for every single unit I am interested in. It's a pain to do that for every possible and annoying that the $90 per night villa (plus tax and cleaning) suddenly becomes a $125 villa (plus tax and cleaning).

 

[robinb]

I wanted to thank everyone for their suggestions . I have booked through vacationcentralfloria.com in the past and it was fine. If I can wait until they drop their condos to $299, I can get in for about $450 all-in. I've also reached out to owners through Windsor Rents in the past but never booked. I'll make sure to check out the other links suggested too!