As of May 1, 2021, our Rental Program will fully reopen so our Rental Coordinator, who is dedicated to the success of our Rental Program, can provide complete services to owners with properties in the Rental Program and guests calling to reserve those properties. Now is the time for us to increase our inventory of rental properties so we can meet the demand. If you have a property you would like to put in the Rental Program, please contact our Rental Coordinator at 863-877-4182.
The Rental Program introduces ORO to guests who may become owners or regularly-returning guests in the future. The program also gives existing owners a way to offset some of their ownership expenses. Historically, the Rental Program has earned about $20,000 (in excess of related expenses) for ORO each year, sometimes more and sometimes less, which helps to offset maintenance and improvement expenses for the community. The program also helps our community focus on higher-quality rentals and identify ways to avoid problems that private rentals can incur. For more information, see Renting Your Property Through the Rental Program.
We have been receiving several calls a day from guests looking for properties to rent in our resort. These rental inquiries are for dates in the near future and over the upcoming 18 months. From these calls, we can see how popular our resort is with visitors to the central Florida area.
Our rental season is usually busiest from Jan 1 to April 15 each year, but this year could be different. Many people have delayed travel due to Covid-19, so as more are vaccinated, we could see more rental demand this summer. We are also hearing from people who are looking to work remotely from attractive locations, such as our beautiful resort.
We need quality properties to increase our rental inventory. Our Rental Coordinator is inspecting homes and helping owners get them prepared for upcoming rentals through the Rental Program. Once a property is ready for guests, our Rental Coordinator will work with you to sign the rental agreement and identify when the property is available for rent (and when you want to reserve it for private use). Then, our Rental Coordinator cares for each rental property by inspecting the property before a guest arrives, and then again after a guest departs at the end of the rental period. For homes, ORO retains a security deposit until the home is inspected in the rare case that something is damaged during a rental. Our Rental Coordinator is focused on delivering high-quality customer service to both the owners with properties in the Rental Program and to guests who rent properties in our resort.