Any Rentals for College Students?

[jennyrae]

I booked a rental in Seagrove through a website and was called and told that no one in the area will rent to students under the age of 25. She advised me to call Pamama City Tourism office. I want a rental for my daughter (whom is very responsible, of course!) & 3 friends for the week beginning March 17. We love the quiet of 30A and I hate to put them in Panama City. I will be with them for the first 4 nights. Any advice welcome!

 

[Beach Runner]

I booked a rental in Seagrove through a website and was called and told that no one in the area will rent to students under the age of 25. She advised me to call Pamama City Tourism office. I want a rental for my daughter (whom is very responsible, of course!) & 3 friends for the week beginning March 17. We love the quiet of 30A and I hate to put them in Panama City. I will be with them for the first 4 nights. Any advice welcome!

During spring break of her first year at Georgia Tech, my own daughter and her Georgia Tech friends trashed the pool area at OUR beach house and bothered renters in adjacent homes by partying until daybreak. They had beer cans covering the pool and Silly String all over the pool deck. Thankfully, Dwayne, the pool guy, arrived that morning, woke them up, told them that they'd better get up and clean up because he needed to service the pool. They did so (although it took about a year to get up all of the remnants of the Silly String that had baked on the pool deck).

I told her if it happened again, she could never bring her friends to the beach again. It never happened again. She grew up and is a different person. Sometimes parents just have to crack the whip.

But because my own daughter did this to her own house, I would never rent to a group of persons under 25 years old. You also have to be careful for parents "fronting" for their kids, checking in, paying the rent, and staying elsewhere. Fortunately, I have enough spies in the area that any group of unsupervised kids would be quickly discovered and evicted.

 

[Beach Runner]

BTW a bunch of my daughter's GT friends (21 years old and younger) were able to rent a place at Beachwood Villas in Seagrove last August for sorority rush. Go to www.vrbo.com and see if anyone is willing to rent to them.

 

[Rather B Paddlin]

I booked a rental in Seagrove through a website and was called and told that no one in the area will rent to students under the age of 25. She advised me to call Pamama City Tourism office. I want a rental for my daughter (whom is very responsible, of course!) & 3 friends for the week beginning March 17. We love the quiet of 30A and I hate to put them in Panama City. I will be with them for the first 4 nights. Any advice welcome!

I am sorry if this sounds too harsh.

Would you give the keys to your car to my "responsible" 13 year old ?

The parent should be the responsible one not the kid. Many homes in the area have been severly damaged by "responsible" students looking for a "low key" spring break or by students left by their "check in and run" parents.

Advice, either put them in Panama City or come down to the beach with a girlfriend or two for the week to baby sit your kids and friends.

 

[jennyrae]

Thanks to all the nice PM'ers. I found a rental in Seagrove.

BTW, my daughter is 21, not 13. She is an adult. Your reply was not just harsh, it was judgemental. I won't be looking for anymore advice here.

 

[ktmeadows]

Thanks to all the nice PM'ers. I found a rental in Seagrove.

BTW, my daughter is 21, not 13. She is an adult. Your reply was not just harsh, it was judgemental. I won't be looking for anymore advice here.

I'm not saying that your 21 year old daughter is not responsible, but from some of the horror stories I've heard it might just be safer to rent to a group of 13 year olds than to a bunch of 21 year old spring breakers! There's something about the whole "spring breakers gone wild" thing that sometimes takes over the normally well-behaved mature college student. Unfortunately, as with many things, a few tend to ruin it for the masses. An even bigger nightmare is when a parent rents the place for the under-rental-age group without informing the owner the rental is really for a group of spring breakers. I commend you for being honest and upfront about the fact that you're not going to be there the entire time.

We never rented to spring breakers because of the nightmarish experiences of others. From an owners point of view it's a real gamble, because trying to recoup damages is time consuming and frustrating. Maybe if you put yourself in the place of the owners....what would you do if you owned a place in a dream location like SoWal, put hard work and money into making it a comfortable charming place that you could share with your family and friends, and since you couldn't be there all the time you rent it out so that not only others could come and enjoy the beautiful SoWal area but as a way to help defray some of the cost.....would you really not think twice about renting to a group of unknown spring breakers...even if the parents all swore that THEIR group was completely responsible and not like some of the rest? My guess is that if you put yourself in the owners shoes, you'd understand the reason that most won't rent to a group of 21 year old spring breakers.

 

[Mermaid]

Thanks to all the nice PM'ers. I found a rental in Seagrove.

BTW, my daughter is 21, not 13. She is an adult. Your reply was not just harsh, it was judgemental. I won't be looking for anymore advice here.

Not judgemental; merely advice you didn't want to hear.

 

[jennyrae]

I dont want to defend my post. The reply WAS judgemental, Mermaid. I did not take offense at the advice, just the assumptions. Some here feel they need to give reasons why they dont rent to students and I can certainly relate to why they dont want to. It just wasn't what I asked.

Anyway, it's done. I went to VRBO and found a rental in the same unit.
Again, thanks to the great PM'ers for the advice.

 

[Rather B Paddlin]

Jennyrae,

"Some here feel they need to give reasons why they dont rent to students and I can certainly relate to why they dont want to. It just wasn't what I asked. "

Because it is illegal!!!!


You asked for advice, here it is.

I may be incorrect, but I believe it is illegal in Walton County for anyone under the age of 25 to rent a short term rental unit. If you leave your 21 old and her friends alone at the beach after 4 days, they are now renting/occupying the unit. They could be removed by the Sheriff. You will loose your deposit and rental payment. You also may be fined. I am sorry if this is advice you do not want to hear.

Please do not be a "check in and run" parent.

 

[Mango]

Here's the best "advice" you'll probably get.

Cut the cord and let your "responsible" daughter make her own inquiries.
Part of being an adult.