Vrbo FAQ: Read Before Listing Your Property | Hospitable.com (2024)

Thinking about listing your vacation rental property on Vrbo to reach more travelers worldwide? Most likely, you have lots of questions about hosting on this popular OTA platform with 3 million monthly visitors.

A good idea is to explore the Vrbo website and, in particular, the Owner Help section, where you can find helpful information and answers to the Vrbo FAQ. And in this article, we answer some common questions that will help you understand how this platform works for property owners.

You may also want to check out our article about Vrbo rules for owner.

Vrbo Owner Questions

If you are interested in hosting guests in your vacation rental property, getting started on Vrbo is simple. Check out this list of Vrbo owner questions to get a better idea of what it takes to become a Vrbo host.

How does Vrbo work for property owners?

Vrbo is a vacation rental platform where property owners list their homes directly and rent them out short-term to travelers worldwide. Now there are more than 2 million different property listings.

Property owners who want to rent out their vacation rental homes on Vrbo can create a hosting account. After that, they can create listings that will appear in search results on the Vrbo website. Travelers looking for vacation rentals can create a guest account on the platform. Then they’ll be able to browse available options of rental homes.

Guests can book the property and pay for it on the Vrbo website. Vrbo processes the payment, and the host who owns the property receives the payment in their bank account from Vrbo.

Airbnb vs. Vrbo: Which platform is better for my STR business?

Both platforms have a lot in common. The biggest difference between Vrbo and Airbnb is the type of property owners can list. Vrbo allows hosts to list stand-alone vacation homes only and doesn’t allow promoting shared spaces.

Owners can list villas, townhouses, cottages, bungalows, lakehouses, cabins, townhouses, lodges, farmhouses, castles, yachts, mills, and much more. Vrbo properties tend to be more attractive for larger families and more suited for longer stays.

Airbnb allows listing stand-alone vacation homes, shared spaces, and even hotel rooms. Hosts can list houses, villas, mansions, castles, etc. The platform is better suited to solo travelers and small groups of travelers.

If you want to rent out an entire place, it’s best to list your property on both platforms. This will boost your property’s occupancy rate and will help maximize your revenue. Listing on multiple channels means more work and implies the risk of double-booking. Thus, you will need a reliable channel manager.

How much does Vrbo charge property owners?

Hosts can choose between two Vrbo fee models: pay-per-booking and subscription. The pay-per-booking fee consists of a 3% payment processing and a 5% commission fee. A 5% commission fee is charged on the rental amount and any additional fees hosts charge travelers (such as cleaning fees and pet fees). A 3% payment processing fee is charged on the total payment amount hosts receive from their guests, including taxes and refundable damage deposits.

Vrbo also offers an annual subscription fee of $499 that is paid in advance. This fee covers all bookings hosts receive throughout the year. It includes special features, such as online booking, listing rental property on international websites, 50 HD photos, access to Reservation Manager, and an interactive map.

If you plan to rent your property all year round, an annual fee is a better option. But you need to be sure that the money you get from bookings will exceed the cost of the fee. If your vacation rental home is booked for less than six weeks out of the year, the pay-per-booking model is the best option.

What do I need to create a Vrbo listing?

Before you start listing your property, you need to gather the following information:

• The address of the property

• Basic info that describes your property (its type, size, the number of rooms)

• Your prices and additional fees (like cleaning fee or pet fee)

• Digital photos of your property

• Your banking information, including your bank’s name, the type of your account, and account number.

How can I improve my Vrbo listing to attract more guests?

After you create a listing on Vrbo, you’ll be competing with a lot of homeowners, so it’s critical to optimize your listing to rank higher in Vrbo search results. Then you’ll be able to improve the visibility of your property and attract more guests. Here is what you should do:

• Upload stunning photos of every room of your home and the surrounding neighborhood

• Create a catchy title that highlights the strengths of your property and write an engaging description that sells your listing

• Keep your prices and calendar updated to avoid double bookings and cancellations that will frustrate your guests

• Ensure perfect communication with your guests to provide them with the best experience and get positive guest reviews

These best practices will help you win more bookings. But over time, you may realize that managing your listings, assigning tasks to your team, and communicating with travelers takes up a lot of your time. Luckily, you can automate these routine tasks with Hospitable.com and have more time to focus on growing your STR business.

How do I contact Vrbo?

If you have any questions about setting up your account or managing your listings, you can contact the Vrbo customer service team using the phone number 1-877-202-4291 (U.S.) or visit help.vrbo.com.

Final Thought

Vrbo is one of the biggest platforms that helps owners in 190 countries promote their vacation rental properties and reach millions of travelers worldwide. Hopefully, the information we provided in answers to the Vrbo FAQ will help you discover what Vrbo offers and get started on this well-known website.