Renting on St Barts

G

GeorgeD

SBH Insider
The normal deal is 50% of the rental upon signing and 50% 30 days before arrival, i.e. paid in full before arrival. However with Covid, you do not know if you will test negatively within 5 days of arrival. So, you could be on the hook for your airlines and 100% of your rental, but not be able to go.
I asked a major SBH agency about this and they said buy insurance and you will get a one year credit for the unit(maybe).
We rented a unit that was demolished by the hurricane and another that was sold the next year. Where would we go for the credit? Good luck on that.

I think we all need to get tougher with the rental agencies who want to fob all the costs on us while adding their charges on top. Here is what I suggested to the agency:
I think the owners need to think about making their rentals more responsive to these concerns. An obvious idea is they(owners) buy the insurance and the rental money is escrowed and refundable.
Renters, like myself, are going to have to deal with the airlines no-refund policies and the stress of the Covid go or no go test (ruining a vacation), so perhaps the owners are going to have to be a little imaginative.
I would like to know what you think and instead of cowering, let's bark back.
George
 
A tough time for folks on both sides of the transaction. Hopefully this will pass in 2021, until then please stay safe.
 
My two cents in this discussion. Its not the villa owner's or the agencies problem if a renter tests positive for covid, if you cannot show up for your rental, its only your fault and no one else's. the villa owner or agency has reserved the villa for you when they could have reserved the villa for someone else who may have been able to have arrived to sbh with no problems.

This is a tough year for renters and for the villa owners, and for the airlines, a lot less people traveling. Remember its your vacation, and its your responsibility to get travel insurance.
 
"Renters, like myself, are going to have to deal with the airlines no-refund policies"

I thought most airlines are offering some type of refund or credit towards future travel?
 
probably best just to travel domestic for now. waaaay too many rules for international travel at the moment. just my humble opinion.
 
If your overly worried about it... I would say don't bother. If you like to roll the dice and are willing to lose the money you have put down then take the risk and try to mitigate that risk by purchasing travel insurance.

I would just stay away from vilifying the villa owners and rental agencies. They are just providing the service you requested.
 
We have a trip planned for November that is paid for. I’m so conflicted about it. There’s the stress of the 72 hour time window for a COVID test to get there, and then also one coming back. I asked what happens if you test positive while there and was told you quarantine in your villa until negative. I guess there are worse things! BUT, what if that happens to the villa tenant staying the week before you? Do you have to settle for a different villa if someone is quarantined in “yours?” Also, it can take a while to test negative....that gets expensive staying there, plus the logistics of getting home on different flights if necessary. There are really a lot of variables to think about. I usually only stress about about making a connecting flight...that hasn’t even entered my mind on this trip. Delta did cancel the trip down so now stuck on AA through MIA to get there. Definitely not a vacation to get away from stress in 2020, it actually causes more of it. Not blaming anyone, it’s just the way it is right now.
 
Tiffany said:
We have a trip planned for November that is paid for. I’m so conflicted about it. There’s the stress of the 72 hour time window for a COVID test to get there, and then also one coming back. I asked what happens if you test positive while there and was told you quarantine in your villa until negative. I guess there are worse things! BUT, what if that happens to the villa tenant staying the week before you? Do you have to settle for a different villa if someone is quarantined in “yours?” Also, it can take a while to test negative....that gets expensive staying there, plus the logistics of getting home on different flights if necessary. There are really a lot of variables to think about. I usually only stress about about making a connecting flight...that hasn’t even entered my mind on this trip. Delta did cancel the trip down so now stuck on AA through MIA to get there. Definitely not a vacation to get away from stress in 2020, it actually causes more of it. Not blaming anyone, it’s just the way it is right now.
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Sorry to read of your stress, Tiffany . . . which comes through loud & clear. Sounds like a postponement of your trip might be a stress reliever.

With respect to the fact that you’ve already paid for the villa, I think that you’ll find that most agencies & “direct rental” owners will allow you to rollover your days to another time within 12 months. Perhaps that gives you some comfort.

In addition, if you were required to be relocated to another villa because its prior occupants were found to have Covid, I wouldn’t be concerned that you’ll have to “settle” for another villa. There are many available villas, & my experience has been that when an agency (Wimco, e.g.) has to relocate guests, it’s often to an upgraded property. You might find yourself in a dream spot!

Good luck in whatever you decide. If you go to SBH, I’ll be there for most of November . . . maybe we can meet for a socially-distanced drink!
 
cec1 said:
Sorry to read of your stress, Tiffany . . . which comes through loud & clear. Sounds like a postponement of your trip might be a stress reliever.
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Thank you. We’re going to give it a few more weeks to see how the situation is with COVID, then decide what to do. Will definitely buy you a drink if we are on the island. Also have a February trip planned there and hopeful it will be a go...that one was postponed from April. I miss that island so much and can’t wait to get back. I hope your travel goes smoothly for November.
 
Tiffany said:
Thank you. We’re going to give it a few more weeks to see how the situation is with COVID, then decide what to do. Will definitely buy you a drink if we are on the island. Also have a February trip planned there and hopeful it will be a go...that one was postponed from April. I miss that island so much and can’t wait to get back. I hope your travel goes smoothly for November.
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Thanks, Tiffany . . . if November doesn't happen, I'll probably be there in February, as well, so we'll find a "date" one time or another!
 
cassidain said:
probably best just to travel domestic for now. waaaay too many rules for international travel at the moment. just my humble opinion.
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Smart decision in my opinion. Even hard to travel domestically in Canada without 14 day quarantine upon return home but if that’s what it takes to beat this thing so be it. Looks like 2022 before we get back to SBH but we will get back!
 
Tiffany - "what happens if you test positive while there and was told you quarantine in your villa until negative"

A person will test positive for 90 days from original test. You only need to quarantine for 10 days after you start to experience symptoms. If you have no symptoms, then 10 days from positive test. How the island and airlines view that, I don't have any idea.

Just FYI - For our patients that have tested positive prior to their scheduled surgeries , that were then cancelled, we are not re-testing when the new surgery date is confirmed.

Hope this helps.

We are also due to come down in late November and we have the same concerns. But it has been such a long year; being a nurse, having a daughter who is a pediatric ICU nurse, and having a current college student, I need some time with my toes in the sand!!!

Charlotte
 
you certainly do, Charlotte. Keeping fingers crossed that you get the time to relax on island.
 
ccg said:
Tiffany - "what happens if you test positive while there and was told you quarantine in your villa until negative"
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Our rental is through WIMCO...this is their policy. Looks like 14 days max quarantine or shorter with negative test. We have grandparents coming from out of town to stay with our daughter and it would affect their schedules too if we had to stay there for an extended time. I keep hoping things will get a little better each week we get closer!

[h=2]What if I test positive for the coronavirus while on St Barts?[/h]If at any time during their stay a visitor tests positive for Covid-19, they will be asked to self-quarantine in their villa, or hotel room, for 14 nights or until they test negative again. If the villa where a visitor is self-quarantining in has another booking for the following week, villa rental agencies are asked not to move the client with Covid-19. Instead, incoming client with the next booking should be moved to a different villa.
 
Tiffany said:
Our rental is through WIMCO...this is their policy. Looks like 14 days max quarantine or shorter with negative test. We have grandparents coming from out of town to stay with our daughter and it would affect their schedules too if we had to stay there for an extended time. I keep hoping things will get a little better each week we get closer!

What if I test positive for the coronavirus while on St Barts?

If at any time during their stay a visitor tests positive for Covid-19, they will be asked to self-quarantine in their villa, or hotel room, for 14 nights or until they test negative again. If the villa where a visitor is self-quarantining in has another booking for the following week, villa rental agencies are asked not to move the client with Covid-19. Instead, incoming client with the next booking should be moved to a different villa.
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If you fly home through SXM you need to be tested correct? I wonder if they will allow you to fly if you test positive even if it is 14 days or longer from your first positive test. A lot at play here.
 
Jim A said:
If you fly home through SXM you need to be tested correct? I wonder if they will allow you to fly if you test positive even if it is 14 days or longer from your first positive test. A lot at play here.
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Yes, have to be tested if going back through SXM.
 
Jim A said:
I wonder if they will allow you to fly if you test positive even if it is 14 days or longer from your first positive test. A lot at play here.
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Per the WHO and CDC, 14 days would be more than enough for isolation and other precautions to be discontinued if you don't develop symptoms after a positive screening PCR.... but as anyone with a comfort squirrel can attest, airlines may set their own policies....
 
Izzy said:
Per the WHO and CDC, 14 days would be more than enough for isolation and other precautions to be discontinued if you don't develop symptoms after a positive screening PCR.... but as anyone with a comfort squirrel can attest, airlines may set their own policies....
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Sorry, I was focusing more on what was mentioned above about testing positive for such a long period ("A person will test positive for 90 days from original test.") and how that could impact flying "home" if travelling through SXM. If you quarantine for 14+ days but need to be tested to transfer through SXM and you are still testing positive, I wonder how that will be handled even if you prove you quarantined for 14+ days. Will they allow you to fly that route while still testing positive?
 
Jim A said:
Sorry, I was focusing more on what was mentioned above about testing positive for such a long period ("A person will test positive for 90 days from original test.") Will they allow you to fly that route while still testing positive?
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Proving that someone with a prolonged positive result is not infectious would require viral culture to look for replication-competent virus. Whether an airline would require that (which has very limited availability), accept the CDC, WHO, or other guideline (St Barth seems to be using 7 rather than 10 days...), or use a negative PCR requirement would probably vary by airline.

Fortunately, a positive PCR (or other molecular test) typically turns negative sooner. I don't think anyone can provide a definitive expectation for time to turn negative, but here is one study reporting the duration is about 3 weeks after symptom onset for the vast majority.
 
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