Adding Your DVC Membership to a Trust: What You Need to Know
Many DVC members choose to hold their contracts in a trust as part of their estate planning. This is a legitimate and commonly used approach, and Disney accommodates trust ownership when the documentation is handled correctly. If you are buying a DVC contract on the resale market and want to title it in a trust, or if you are already a DVC member and want to transfer an existing contract into a trust, this page explains how to do it correctly.
I will say upfront: for the legal and tax aspects of setting up or using a trust, consult an estate planning attorney. What we can explain here is how DVC ownership works with a trust on the practical side: how to title the deed, how Disney handles trust ownership, and what to expect during the resale process.
Why DVC Members Use Trusts
The most common reason is estate planning. Holding a DVC contract in a revocable living trust means the contract can pass to your heirs without going through probate. Probate is the court-supervised process of distributing a deceased person's estate, and it can be time-consuming and costly. Assets held in a properly structured trust typically bypass this process entirely.
Other reasons people use trusts for DVC contracts include simplified shared ownership among family members, continuity of management if the owner becomes incapacitated, and privacy (trust transfers are not subject to the same public recording requirements as individual deeds).
How to Title a New DVC Resale Purchase in a Trust
If you are purchasing a DVC contract on the resale market and want to title it in your trust, the process is straightforward but requires specific attention to how the deed is prepared.
Provide the Full Legal Name of Your Trust
Trusts are legal entities with full legal names. The name includes the trustee, the type of trust, and typically the date of execution. For example: "The John and Jane Smith Revocable Living Trust, dated March 3, 2022."
When you set up your listing or provide buyer information at DVC Sales, include the full legal name of your trust exactly as it appears on the trust document. Do not abbreviate it. The deed will be prepared using this name as the owner, and accuracy here prevents complications later.
Also Include Your Personal Names
Disney uses the ownership names on the deed to identify you in their membership system. If the deed only shows the trust name and Disney cannot match it to an individual member, you may have difficulty with account creation or linking. To prevent this, include your personal names alongside the trust in the contract fields, especially in the section that Disney uses to create or link your membership account.
This dual approach, trust as the titleholder plus individual names in the membership fields, is the standard practice our agents use for trust purchases. It keeps the legal ownership in the trust while allowing Disney to recognize you as the member.
Work with the Title Company on the Deed Language
The title company preparing your closing documents will draft the new deed. Make sure they receive the full and accurate trust name and understand that you want the trust as the titleholder. This is a common request for title companies in Florida, which handles a large volume of trust-titled real estate transactions. There is no additional complexity involved, but it needs to be specified clearly.
Retitling an Existing DVC Contract Into a Trust
If you already own a DVC contract and want to transfer it from your personal name into a trust, you will need to execute a new deed. This is called a retitling and it involves:
- Preparing a new deed that transfers ownership from you (as an individual) to you (as trustee of your trust)
- Having the deed properly executed and notarized
- Recording the new deed with the appropriate county clerk in Florida
- Notifying Disney of the ownership change
This process is typically handled by a real estate attorney or title company. The title company we work with at DVC Sales can handle retitling requests. Contact us through our contact page and we can refer you to the appropriate contact for retitling assistance.
Note that retitling is not the same as a resale transaction. Disney's Right of First Refusal does not apply when you are simply changing the form of your ownership (from individual to trust) rather than selling to a third party. But the paperwork is still a formal real estate process that requires professional handling.
What to Expect With Disney When Your Contract Is in a Trust
Disney accommodates trust ownership, but there are a few things to be aware of:
Trustee Verification
Disney may ask for verification of the trustee's identity for security purposes. This is standard practice for trust ownership in real estate and is not cause for concern. Having your trust document available will typically satisfy any verification request.
Account Access
Access to Disney's online member services is typically limited to individuals named in the trust or identified as trustees. If a family member needs to manage the account and is not listed in the trust documentation, they may face access limitations. Plan your trust structure accordingly.
Account Linking
If you want a new trust-titled contract to link to an existing DVC membership, the name matching rules still apply. Disney will compare the names on both contracts and the Use Year. If your existing membership is in your personal name and your new contract is in a trust name, linking may be more complicated. Talk to your agent about how to structure the deed to maximize the likelihood of a clean account combination.
Multiple Contracts and Trusts
Some DVC members hold contracts at multiple resorts and want all of them in the same trust. This is entirely possible. When purchasing additional resale contracts, simply specify the same trust name and trustee information each time. As long as the trust documentation is consistent and the naming on each deed matches, Disney will recognize the same trust ownership across all contracts.
Getting Help With Trust Titling
Our agents at DVC Sales are experienced with trust-titled DVC purchases. When you create your buyer profile, let us know that you want to title in a trust and provide the full legal trust name. We will coordinate with the title company to make sure your deed is prepared correctly.
For questions about estate planning, consult an estate planning attorney. For questions about how trust ownership works within the DVC resale process specifically, our team is available seven days a week and is glad to walk you through the details. Reach us through our contact page.
Browse our current listings to find contracts available now. Our how DVC works page covers the full ownership structure in detail if you want a broader understanding of the program before making a decision.
