VRBO.com Review

We have intimate knowledge of both sides of the VRBO story: as travel consumers and as vacation rental owners who pay VRBO for a listing on their site. So here's what we know and how it may help you Travel Happy.

If you are unfamiliar with VRBO, it stands for Vacation Rentals By Owner. The concept is that people who own a property in a potential vacation destination can list that property on the VRBO website (for a fee) to attract nightly rentals from travelers. As the traveler, you can search through thousands of listings located around the world to find the house, condo, cabin, or apartment that suits you best. You then use the links on the website to contact the property owner for further details and/or to arrange a potential vacation.

Here are the positives:

• The website is intuitive, easily navigated, and loaded with travel facts about your destination.
• There are listings that REALLY make you want to visit some destinations.
• Many listings include an availability calendar.
• The website makes shopping for lodging options that AREN'T hotels easier than ever before.
• There are reviews of many properties and the website seems to attract reviews that are of a more positive and constructive nature than what you find on the review only sites.
• There are bargains to be found if you dig deeply enough.
• If you own a vacation house VRBO gives you a far easier and more visible option for listing your property than building your own website. They have lots of bells and whistles like the availability calendar and even a payment acceptance plan.

Here are the negatives:

• We have found many of the listings are actually inactive or at least "unmanned." When planning a trip to Curacao last year we attempted contact with the owners of 15 listed properties with a zero response rate. We have heard similar stories from other travelers who use VRBO. One woman told us that she travels for work and always tries to use VRBO but frequently gets no response. Just speculation here, but it's possible that some owners use the site to "prove" to taxing entities that their second home is a legitimate rental business that they actively attempt to rent.
• Private homes rented in this fashion are not always good for a community. Of course there are lots of factors to consider, but in some communities, sites like VRBO are quietly putting the small "Mom and Pop" lodging businesses out of business. The owners of these homes are often just looking for a little supplemental income to help pay their vacation home mortgage, so their sometimes lower rates are hard for small businesses to compete with, especially when the private home owners don't comply with costly government regulations. 
• Renting a private home doesn't usually give you access to knowledge and assistance you may need in an unfamiliar location. That's not a problem if you have done plenty of homework before your trip, but if you often rely on a front desk clerk or a B&B owner to point you to the best restaurants or the local pharmacy then renting on VRBO may make your travel a bit more challenging.
• The home you rent may look nice, but what about the neighborhood it's in? Use a program like Google Streetview to get a better look around.
• Many properties will not have liability insurance (and the oversight that comes with a good hospitality industry liability policy) so be extra cautious about all things electrical, gas fired stoves and grills, pools, and spas. They may or may not have been inspected for safety before your arrival. 
• Last minute travel is difficult to arrange.

Our Advice:

• As with any method of choosing travel accommodations, do your homework. Study the location and the surroundings of each rental you consider. 
• We always recommend checking with the local Chamber of Commerce when possible. They can often steer you away from rentals that are not up to the standards of the rest of the hospitality community. Private rental owners that join their local chambers are far more likely to actively participate in the community AND in the maintenance of their rental unit.
• Use search engines like Google to look for rentals with their own websites that may have a lower price per night simply because they AREN'T paying listing fees to big websites.
• Always check with the Mom & Pop lodging facilities to see not only what they offer, but if they are willing to price match on comparable accommodations.