Renting

There are no rules limiting short-term house rentals in The Villages. However, daily/weekly house rentals are difficult to find and are more heavily regulated under terms and conditions by the renting agency (e.g. AirBnB) or the owner.

If you have NEVER been to The Villages, one of the easiest ways to experience the lifestyle is through The Villages official Lifestyle Program . Other options include:

• Homeowners that directly post their homes as rental availability on one or more web sites (see sites below). This is typically for a month or longer of a furnished home.
• Property management companies that have their own stable of investment properties and/or represent owners.
• Some real estate brokerages (MLS)also have their pool of houses or represent owners.

Quick Links:

Rental Tips:

Here are a few tips you’ll learn from Villages 101 regarding rental opportunities.

• Plan ahead: There are many people who want to experience The Villages lifestyle by renting a home. Many properties are booked months or even years in advance. You will want to cast a wide net and check your searches frequently.
  
• Search in multiple places: Owners of homes do not consistently post availability in one particular place. There are a number of web sites where you should be searching for homes to rent including web sites that are part of property management companies as well a self-managed owner hosting sites.
  
• Pets: See the separate page about pets , but note that some owners may be flexible about pets depending on the size of dog, etc. So, if you’re on a web site, start your search by selecting “pet-friendly” homes, and contact those owners. But also try “no pets” but describe your particular situation and the owner may be flexible!
• Multiple Searches: There are MANY web sites that are good places to start searching for rental properties in The Villages. Some of the web sites below are managed by the home owner, others are managed by property management companies.
• Owner-managed: For those homes that are “self-managed” by the property owner, a home may pop-up as being “available” but after you contact the owner, you may find they forgot to update the web site. Be patient and keep searching! In some cases, the owner may be waiting for the current renters to re-commit to return.
• Golf Cart not included: Once you have locked-down a house rental agreement, if the home does NOT come with a golf cart, you will (most likely) want to rent one. Visit the Golf Cart Rental page for more details.

Rental Scams:

Most web sites that offer rental houses by owners (list below) have those properties vetted by the web site administrators. That said, it’s really good to do your homework on a rental before you commit any funds. Be careful in your contracting: The real estate rental industry is no stranger to scam artists. Before you send anyone a rental deposit, do your homework.
— Talk to the homeowner “live”, don’t rely on text or e-mail before you make a deposit.
— Ask the owner a question that ONLY a true Villager would know the answer to.
— Be sure to get the full house address and then look it up on real estate web sites (e.g. realtor.com or zillow.com) and review the listing status, ownership, etc. The photos on a rental page may have been copied from a previous for-sale listing.

Scamming is not prevalent in The Villages, but it does occur around the world. One of the ways to double-check on the property is to look at the various tax records for legal ownership here

• Sumter county:
• Joey Hooter appraiser: Home – Sumter County Property Appraiser (sumterpa.com)
• Property Records: PropertyRecordFlorida.com – Public Property Records (the one I used)
• Lake County:
• Assessor’s office: Property Records Search : Lake County Property Appraiser (lakecopropappr.com)
• Tax office: Property Tax – Lake (county-taxes.net)
• Marion county:
• Jimmy H. Cowan, appraiser: MCPA Search Agree (marion.fl.us)

Lucy’s Tip:
Renting a house in The Villages is a bit different than a timeshare (if you know that market). Many timeshares have 4 forks, 4 plates, etc….These homes often have items that you may not need and may be missing something you really do use (e.g. an outdoor grill), so be SURE to ask the property owner for details if there is something you need to bring or purchase vs having them provide for you as a tenant.

House Rental Web Sites:

There are a number of web sites that host lots of properties for rent on behalf of the owners. Some of the primary sites are:

	VillagersHomes4Rent doesn’t manage properties, we simply provide Internet Classified Advertising. Our site provides WEB pages for owner-managed rental homes within The Villages®. There are no agent managed properties on this site (our owners are not competing with professionals).
	Rent From A Villager – Owner Managed Home Rentals in The Villages®, Florida. For Renters: Booking Direct offers you a personalized experience and saves you money! Avoid the commission and service fees the other big-name companies charge when you book direct. There is no middleman, you will always have direct communication with the owner. For Owners: We are a top-notch regional classified advertising service allowing you to advertise your rental property at an affordable price. It’s a win-win for everyone! Advertise your Rental or Rent From A Villager!
	The Village People – Bob Garite is a Realtor with Pellego Realty in The Villages FL. Specializing in Resale properties and Property Management in The Villages, Sumter County and the surrounding areas.
	Villages Vacation Home Rentals has grown from 3 Homes we started with on the Service in July 2014, to now servicing 120+ properties, of which 43 are Rentals and we are adding more each year. This growth has allowed us to coordinate the large volume of Rental requests to maximize the occupancy of all our properties.
	Homes For Rent and Property Management in The Villages, Florida is the rental arm if ReMax Premier Realty by Nancy Deichman, Broker/Owner
	Vacation Rentals By Owner started pairing homeowners with families looking for places to stay in 1995, and Vacation Rentals By Owner (Vrbo) was born. Since then, we’ve grown into a trusted global vacation brand with a unique selection of 2+ million whole homes all over the world. In other words, there’s room for everyone. Vrbo takes diversity and inclusion seriously, because we believe that family is everything. No matter how it takes shape.
Facebook Home Rentals in The Villages (2,000+ member group)	This FB group provides a portal where renters seeking a home can post their inquiry (hint: be specific as to what/when you are looking) and also is a place to peruse owner listings who provide links to a booking site.
Our Villages Rental	Our Villages Rental requires that your home must be within the geographical area of “The Villages®” You must be the owner of the property, or the assigned agent managing the property for the owner. You must have a valid email address for the advertising, and a…
For Rent (nationwide)

Property Management Companies:

There are also a number of professional real estate companies that have homes for rent within The Villages

• Down Home Property Management
• Villages Vacation Home Rentals (boutique real estate and property management co)
• White Pelican Propeties
• The Villages Hometown Property Management (part of TV management)
• ReMax
• ERA – Grizzard

Lucy’s Tip:
If you are bringing your 4-legged friend(s), many homes do have strict “no pet” policies. So, start your search by looking at “pet friendly” homes.
But, don’t rule out un-checking the “pet” filter selection and some owners may allow small dogs, etc. You can possibly offer to pay an extra “pet cleaning deposit” and some owners might be flexible.

More about pets in The Villages can be found on the Pets page.