Decide if your vacation home must be in Orlando or if you're willing to expand your search to nearby areas such as Kissimmee or Davenport. If your main goal is to be close to Walt Disney World, staying in Orlando is your best option. However, if theme parks aren't the main focus of your vacation, you can save money by staying outside of the city.
Decide if you're willing to rent your vacation home directly from its owner or if you'd prefer to go through a property-management company. There are more than 500 property-management companies in Orlando, as of January 2011. While renting through such a company generally costs more than directly from the home owner, it's often the better option as you'll have a contact available at all times in case anything goes wrong, according to OrlandoVacation.com. Going directly through the homeowner, who may be living out of state, there are no guarantees.
Call the Better Business Bureau if you rent through a property-management company to see if it is a registered member and has no consumer complaints.
Select the dates for which you want to rent your vacation home. While Orlando is a popular destination year-round, the busy season is from March to April, mid-June to mid-August and the two weeks before and one week after Christmas. To avoid disappointment, book your vacation home at least one month in advance and plan even further ahead for busy season.
Book the vacation home that best suits your needs, by calling the phone number provided on the website or directly online with your credit card. Rental companies may require a deposit of only one night's rent to hold the property, though some may require a 50 percent deposit. You may need to pay 100 percent of the rental costs and any fees upfront especially if your travel date is less than 30 days away.
Look at your confirmation e-mail for important details about your upcoming vacation home rental. You should find information on where to obtain your key as well as the times for check-in and check-out. If renting from a management company, you'll likely obtain your key from its office. If you rent directly from a homeowner, you'll likely receive a lock box combination number. The lock box, found outside of the house, will hold the keys.
Return your key to the agreed upon location once your stay is over.
