[scooper]

My husband and I have just ended a wonderful Lifestyles visit. The Villagea did everything so well! We are going to rent through The Villages for the month of March. We were so impressed with the quality of the villa we were in this week that we feel confident renting through TV. We thought a Courtyard villa would be perfect. But the Patio Villa may be more social with the lanai in front. I will appreciate any insights you have on renting through TV and your recommendation of courtyard or patio.

[Taj44]

You might want to consider renting through a private owner - the price would be more reasonable. http://thevillages4rent.com/ has villas for rent, with pictures and prices. We used to rent out our patio villa, and it does tend to be a little more sociable, in my opinion, with the lanai on the front. If you really like privacy, I imagine the courtyard villas are nice. March is in high demand, so you'll need to make your reservation soon. Good luck.

[dadspet]

We rented both through TV and private owners. The advantages of going through a private owner are:
1.You know where you will live - TV won't tell you until you sign in for your month.
2.You can rent longer then a month - TV had limited your stay to 1 month, but most private owners are looking for a 3 month rental for Jan Feb March.
BTW Dec and April are nicer then Jan Feb and March we think and rent is cheaper.
3.With a private owner you can generally move in Day one of the month and leave the last day of the month. With TV you leave a day early and if the beginning day is Jan 1st for example you loose the day also.

Houses with TV may be in better condition but we had no problems at all with our 3 different rentals that were private and any problems were taken care of right away. I did hear of some people that did have problems with their private rental. We looked at ours before we rented private 2 of to 3 times.
You may be able to get a golf cart with private rental. I understand TV no longer will rent a house with a golf cart but thats 2nd hand info and our rental with TV did include a golf cart 4 yrs ago but TV wouldn't commit to one with a cart.

I think you will be happy in either a patio or courtyard villa. Courtyard villas may run a bit more in rental.
Rentals go fast for Jan Feb and March but there does tend to be some that the renter had to back out of for some reason and they come back on the rental market later in the year - but you can't count on it ~
Renting before you buy is the right way to go. That way you get to know The Villages, where you want to live and be near, what houses are going for etc.

Hope that helps.
Good luck

[steaknife]

We have rented our patio villa through a realtor and through TV (since last July). I like The Villages better because:
[*]They respond to mechanical problems faster[*]They check on the villa[*]They have a more reliable cleaning service[*]They seem more service oriented for the tenant[*]They inventory the household and make sure everything is in great shape before they will rent it - I had to replace a set of sheets and buy a few throw rugs - to outfit it to their expectations.

This year they rented our villa for 3 months (Jan-March) to the same people so they are going longer than a month - we were surprised - pleasantly.
The rent is the same as we charged thru the realtor and in line with the private villas.

The private realtor we used came very high recommended and is the property management arm of a large well known local realty company. It started out well but went downhill as they "forgot" to have cleaners in, etc.

Although the owner pays a bit more to be in TV rental program, I think it is worth it for both the owner and the renter!

[chuckinca]

This year Jan was very cold in TV. Next year we are staying Feb - Apr.

[l2ridehd]

The best months are actually April through November. No crowds, less traffic, available tee times, warmer pools, no lines to go to dinner, lower rent, and the list goes on. My personal favorite months are May and October. Even April seems to stay pretty busy now so I like May better. And I agree with some others on renting through owners. You get better value and nicer homes. Just shop carefully. The Villages is a huge place and I would really want to know where my home would be. That only happens with a private rental. Go to www.thevillages4rent.com and the homes show which village they are in.

[Russ_Boston]

Is it true that if you rent through TV you don't know where it is located? They tell you where?

I think that's enough, if true, to have me go private again. When you are coming to TV with the intent of buying it is nice to be 'near' the area you are thinking about. With private rentals you can guarantee that.

[l2ridehd]

It is true they do not tell you where the home is located until the morning you check in. You can not even select North or South of 466. You can request a location that AM, but I have talked to several that made the request and they were not able to accomodate the request. I am sure if they could, they would, but it's a first come first served basis. And on a February 1st, they have several thousand people checking in.

[ijusluvit]

Here's another vote for private rental. We rent our home and are very concerned about everything being just right. If there is the smallest problem we want a quick solution. We fired the Village Property Management after a year of too many rules and and a too big bureaucracy.

Now we are with JD Management. Very professional, with the personal touch.

www.thevillagesforrentbyowner.com

[opines22]

IS the way to go...especially if you desire a particular area in TV...

[tankdvr1950]

as far as your original question, PV or CYV...it think its a matter of personal preference...certainly the lanai out front gives you a better view of the world as it goes by and with the fencing around a CYV...its great for privacy but not much for socialization

as far as from whom to rent...we are renting from a private owner....spoke with TV and their prices were very very high.....in our case $700/month higher....plus our rental (PV) comes with a golf cart....TV's did not...so...we would recommend you do some research from both..but our guess is that you will find what you want and get a better deal from a private rental