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Renting with Star Options

JulianG3

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Can you rent if you reserved a place with Star Options?
 

DannyTS

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No
 

jabberwocky

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There is a difference of opinion on whether you can rent with StarOptions. Some say absolutely never, others say you can under limited circumstances. I'm of the opinion that if you are using StarOptions from your home resort to book at that home resort then this is a permitted use. If you are wanting to book into WKORV-N using StarOptions you've received from a WKV week then no - you cannot rent this and your reservation can be cancelled if discovered which would be an awkward discussion between you and your renters.
 

DavidnRobin

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There is a difference of opinion on whether you can rent with StarOptions. Some say absolutely never, others say you can under limited circumstances. I'm of the opinion that if you are using StarOptions from your home resort to book at that home resort then this is a permitted use. If you are wanting to book into WKORV-N using StarOptions you've received from a WKV week then no - you cannot rent this and your reservation can be cancelled if discovered which would be an awkward discussion between you and your renters.

The Reservation Confirmation states specifically...

Rental of units reserved using StarOptions (other than a vacation period at your Home Resort) is prohibited. Violation may result in the suspension of an Owner’s right to reserve within the Vistana Signature Network (VSN) until compliant.


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tschwa2

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A few in S and VA, a single resort in NC, MD, PA, and UT, plus Jamaica and the Bahamas
and yet people do it all the time and point to the fact that SVN does nothing to enforce the rule as a green light to do so.
 

Henry M.

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A rule doesn't go away just because someone breaks it and doesn't get caught. You can exceed the speed limit as often as you like until you get caught when you least expect it, for example.

The text pointed out by David is pretty clear and included in every reservation confirmation. The PROHIBITION is pretty unambiguous.
 

Markus

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There is a difference of opinion on whether you can rent with StarOptions. Some say absolutely never, others say you can under limited circumstances. I'm of the opinion that if you are using StarOptions from your home resort to book at that home resort then this is a permitted use. If you are wanting to book into WKORV-N using StarOptions you've received from a WKV week then no - you cannot rent this and your reservation can be cancelled if discovered which would be an awkward discussion between you and your renters.
I agree with you. I would also add Home resort, within season that you own.

Markus
 

dioxide45

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Rental of units reserved using StarOptions
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(other than a vacation period at your Home Resort) is prohibited. Violation may result in the suspension of an Owner’s right to reserve within the Vistana Signature Network
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(VSN) until compliant.
So is renting a reservation made with SOs at your home resort within the rules?
 

Henry M.

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Essentially, you can rent out what you own. If you are reserving within 8 months, you are technically using StarOptions from the place you own but should be OK to rent. You also use what you own when you rent with banked Staroptions from that property. You shouldn't use Staroptions from other locations to rent out a unit at a resort where you also own. You should only use a given resort's Staroptions the rent out something at that resort.
 

jabberwocky

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I agree with you. I would also add Home resort, within season that you own.

Markus

Of course - Home Resort bookings are always allowed to rent. Just remember that it is automatically a SO reservation if made 0-8 months - even if at your home resort within season.
 

VacationForever

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So as long as the SO reservation is at your home resort then renting is ok.
Not that straightforward. If you have 2x148K SOs but only 1 of the weeks is at Westin Kaanapali and the second is at Westin Kierland. You are allowed to rent out one week at Westin Kaanapali but not both weeks, when the second set of SOs come from WKV to book at WKORV.
 

jabberwocky

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A case in point: We bought a WKORV-N OF unit earlier this year. Included in the deal was free usage for 2019. Closing took place in May and we would not have been able to book anything for this year so I immediately banked the 176,700 SO's.

We're going to be using these SO's for our own use in 2020; however, since these SO's originated from WKORV-N I don't see anything wrong with potentially renting out a SO booking there if I was unable to use.
 

Markus

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So as long as the SO reservation is at your home resort then renting is ok.
Within season. So, if your 148,100 Star Options are derived from the Platinum season, this is the season you own. If your reservation is made for what would be a Platinum week, even if made within 8 months ok. If you drift into the gold season, then, I think you are risking being off side with the rules and their intention.
 

jabberwocky

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Within season. So, if your 148,100 Star Options are derived from the Platinum season, this is the season you own. If your reservation is made for what would be a Platinum week, even if made within 8 months ok. If you drift into the gold season, then, I think you are risking being off side with the rules and their intention.

I'm not so sure. The terms on the reservation as posted by @DavidnRobin are pretty clear. They just reference a "vacation period at your home resort". It does not state a "week" or specify that it has to be in season. It simply has to be at your home resort.

What would happen if the booking spans two seasons (starting plat and then goes to gold plus)?
 

wtrjock

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I am guessing that none of this applies to gifting SO reservations to family members. I know that Vistana does charge a fee to change the name on any reservation. I was told the fee was because too many people were renting out SO reservations, so they wanted to make a penalty to deter the practice.
 

jabberwocky

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I was told the fee was because too many people were renting out SO reservations, so they wanted to make a penalty to deter the practice.

The fee was put in place to make more money for Vistana. When the fee was first introduced they also included home resort reservations (along with SO reservations) in the fee until intrepid Tuggers pointed out that the terms prohibited guest certificate fees for home resort reservations.
 

DavidnRobin

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1st - this is really only relevant to TS weeks that have SO rental value converted from low MF weeks.

Pretty much - WKORVN/N/NN, and some Plat+ weeks, but availability of many these are limited at 8 month.

While this text may be ambiguous to some - its intent was to enforce what the CCRs states about SO usage (renting SOs is prohibited), and this includes renting SOs at your HR.

Once a Home Resort goes to 8 months becomes SO usage, and is no longer a HR reservation even if is at the HR. In reality, this is not a big deal IMO because the MFs are same. And sometimes allows flexibility to move week that was a HR reservation for the renter. I know people who have done this at WKORV/N because they like October.

It is not like those using SOs from low MFs to reserve Maui, and then rent out - removing these units for usage by those looking to use SOs for a resort stay.

However - according to VSE - once it is a SO - it is not suppose to be rented. I had this communication with VSN and was responsible for this text in the reservation confirmation (this goes back to 2014).

On the renter side- I think many renters would/should be nervous in renting SOs when the confirmation has this text - unless you can somehow prevent your renter from seeing the reservation confirmation- or convince them it is not an issue.

The reservation confirmation states whether this is a HR reservation or a SO reservation (for a reason).



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CalGalTraveler

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My take is if you are renting out via SOs, you are renting out something that is not yours. Even within a HR is it fair for someone who purchased IV for thousands less to rent out an OV or OF, making that unit unavailable to a bona fide owner?

IV to IV, OV to OV, OF to OF (or possibly a downgrade) within the same season is okay but it begs the question as to why one couldn't book the home week.
 

carpie99

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My take is if you are renting out via SOs, you are renting out something that is not yours. Even within a HR is it fair for someone who purchased IV for thousands less to rent out an OV or OF, making that unit unavailable to a bona fide owner?

IV to IV, OV to OV, OF to OF (or possibly a downgrade) within the same season is okay but it begs the question as to why one couldn't book the home week.

Is this even possible if you are in your home period you can’t combine Star options with home options to upgrade your view, correct?
 

Sicnarf

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I disagree. Renting your home resort regardless of when you book is not a violation of CCRs.
 

CalGalTraveler

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Is it fair for someone who bought an IV for next to nothing to rent out an OV or OF with SO from home resort and other resorts for higher profit than IV, thus blocking other owners with SOs access or ability to extend their stay by a few days?
 

jabberwocky

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Is it fair for someone who bought an IV for next to nothing to rent out an OV or OF with SO from home resort and other resorts for higher profit than IV, thus blocking other owners with SOs access or ability to extend their stay by a few days?

If the SO's are from your home resort I don't see a problem with it. If you are taking StarOptions from another resort then no, that is clearly a violation of the CCR. The OV and OF owners would have had the home resort period to book and they did not, thus the week goes into the SO pool.
 

jabberwocky

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Is this even possible if you are in your home period you can’t combine Star options with home options to upgrade your view, correct?

Correct - in the home period it is not a StarOption reservation. You can only book what you own (view and season) 8-12 months out.
 

Henry M.

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Is it fair for someone who bought an IV for next to nothing to rent out an OV or OF with SO from home resort and other resorts for higher profit than IV, thus blocking other owners with SOs access or ability to extend their stay by a few days?

At WKORV/N, you can either reserve what you own during the home resort period, or you get a floating unit. You cannot just reserve an OV unit if you have IV Staroptions. OF costs more Staroptions to reserve so you'd have to somehow come up with the extra Staroptions (and their maintenance fee) to reserve OF. This seems more of a corner case, and probably not quite in the spirit of what is meant by renting out what you own.
 
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