vrbo

[robinb]

I've always found VRBO a bit bait-and-switchy. Whenever I search a whole lot of things come up in my price range but the second I click on one the base price increases. That's before I look at the bottom line with all the fees and taxes.

 

[mjkacmom]

Change of plans. This owner doesn’t charge ridiculous “administrative fees.”

https://www.vrbo.com/1542208?adultsCount=4&arrival=2021-08-21&departure=2021-08-28&unitId=2101931
Unfortunately I’ll have to reduce my vacation to only one week.

Actually we almost rented a house down the street from that one, at the very end of the street butting up to island beach state park.

 

[RedAngie]

It’s LBI! Love beach Haven though.

just for giggles I decided to look on LBI. My parents’ vacation home was in Beach Haven West on the mainland. I like the old Victorians in Beach Haven.

 

[mjkacmom]

I've always found VRBO a bit bait-and-switchy. Whenever I search a whole lot of things come up in my price range but the second I click on one the base price increases. That's before I look at the bottom line with all the fees and taxes.

Fees are included in the total, but not the tax, and the tax, at least here in NJ, is high. The price first listed is going to be the cheapest, but once you input your dates, the price should include fees.

 

[mjkacmom]

just for giggles I decided to look on LBI. My parents’ vacation home was in Beach Haven West on the mainland. I like the old Victorians in Beach Haven.

My grandparents had one in Avon, that area has a lot of Victorians too.

 

[HeatherC]

Have used VRBO for many many years and never ever had an issue. Yes you have to read the fine print, but most owners don’t tack on ridiculous fees. It is also nice to develop a relationship with an owner for subsequent trips. We have had many discounted stays this way. We have also been allowed to check in way early and depart later as well. A couple times we had owners give us an extra night free if no one was staying there prior to our arrival and

Even with units that appear similar, there can be huge differences. Some may supply extras like bike rentals, beach gear, etc. Others don’t. Our experience has always been that VRBO rentals come better equipped than going through a rental agency. The units we have rented that way tended to be scaled back on amenities.

We also like that if there is a problem, we deal directly with the owner and not some random person who really doesn’t care about the property.

Like anything, buyer beware and due your due diligence. But for us VRBO has been great.

 

[china mom]

My inlaws used to own a condo at Bradley on the Bay and another one up near the park where the Christmas display is every year. They got out of the business years ago because the costs for them could not be met with the price they had to charge to keep them filled. I was bummed because we stayed at Bradley a few times when a lot of family was visiting a couple times and we loved it.

The second one wasn't Hidden Harbour was it? 123-125/Bayside? That's the one we just sold. We operated at about $1,000 year loss but had unlimited use of it is the off season and made a bunch when we sold so no regrets.

 

[RedAngie]

VRBO was bought out a few years ago by Expedia. They added a lot of additional fees. Most of the fees you listed don't go to the owner. They go to VRBO. The owner doesn't have any control over it.

I used to list with VRBO. Luckily, I got out of the business just before those fees hit. It wasn't profitable then and it was certainly going to be unprofitable after the changes.

So in addition to the already high vrbo service fee, they take a chunk or all of the “owner’s fees”?

Why can’t they just include those extras in THEIR fees instead of leading potential renters to believe owners are greedy?

And some, like the $6800 per night place, didn’t have owners fees.

One listing I saw said it sleeps 8 and when I entered 4 guests there was a $350 Extra Guests Fee.

 

[_19disnA]

The owners I know who rent their place on VRBO always communicate with potential renters through the website. This avoids giving out your personal cell phone # or email address. Yes, the renters have a way to contact the owner, but it tends to be through the website. Perhaps some other owners operate differently.

 

[mjkacmom]

So in addition to the already high vrbo service fee, they take a chunk or all of the “owner’s fees”?

Why can’t they just include those extras in THEIR fees instead of leading potential renters to believe owners are greedy?

And some, like the $6800 per night place, didn’t have owners fees.

One listing I saw said it sleeps 8 and when I entered 4 guests there was a $350 Extra Guests Fee.

Our summer booking has no owners fees.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

I considered VRBO for a weekend beach trip in my state. I thought that may be the way to go since the hotel rates were so high. I noticed the fees too. Most places I came across didn't supply dish towels, sheets, bath towels, etc. One place it was bring your own toilet paper. Found a hotel to stay out, oceanfront, that was less expensive.

 

[mamamary]

I considered VRBO for a weekend beach trip in my state. I thought that may be the way to go since the hotel rates were so high. I noticed the fees too. Most places I came across didn't supply dish towels, sheets, bath towels, etc. One place it was bring your own toilet paper. Found a hotel to stay out, oceanfront, that was less expensive.

Our vrbo is bring your own sheets, towels etc. last year we had to bring two cars just to fit everything we wanted to bring. Will be doing the same thing again this summer.

 

[Starport Seven-Five]

The one time fees are why we rarely use airbnb/vrbo. We typically are only in a location for a few days so the cleaning fee alone generally offsets savings vs a hotel. That being said, I don't blame the owner as it is a real expense that they incur between rentals.

Down the road (after retirement) we hope to do monthly rentals and in those cases, we expect vrbo/airbnb to make a lot more sense.

 

[olwyngdh]

The second one wasn't Hidden Harbour was it? 123-125/Bayside? That's the one we just sold. We operated at about $1,000 year loss but had unlimited use of it is the off season and made a bunch when we sold so no regrets.

Yes! I couldn't remember the name of it!

 

[kirstenb1]

Have rented through vrbo many times. At places like Sea Pines in Hilton Head, and Amelia Island Plantation, it is much cheaper than renting through the resort.

In Virginia Beach and the Outer Banks, almost every rental agency has gone to "bed making service included". So no one has to bring their own linens unless they want to. The last thing I want to do after driving in summer is make up a bunch of beds, lol. OP, I was surprised that where you're renting is still offering bring your own linens. But, you're also getting what I'd consider a deal for the price for 2 weeks through your rental agency. There are only 3 condo buildings in Sandbridge (Va Beach), and it is expensive to rent there. Hence, we only get 1 week.

 

[Skippy918]

We’ve rented several Airbnb’s and VRBOs and with kids we love it. We’ve never had to bring linens, everything was there for us. Love that we have laundry access, full kitchen, etc. kids have their own rooms and bathroom. The ones we’ve found are similar in price to a hotel. 3 nights or longer makes the cleaning fee worth it.

 

[RedAngie]

This is definitely reassuring.

DIRECT OCEANFRONT, 1BR STUDIO, KITCHEN, BATH, 1 QUEEN BED, 1 QUEEN SLEEPER SOFA

We are open and accepting reservations June 1st to October 15th. Stay at the beach in the warm hot sun which kills the Corona Virus. We will accept nightly rentals until June 26th with a preference for a 3 nights or longer stays. However from June 27th to September 4th we will only be accepting Sat/Sat week rentals (No Exceptions)! If you want to stay less than 7 nights, then you will have to pay for 7 nights.

 

[RedAngie]

Our summer booking has no owners fees.

I’ve wasted several hours today browsing different locations on vrbo. In some areas most listings have no owners fees; in other areas, like the Delaware beaches, most do.

Perhaps the fees are included in the base rent, which is how I like to see it. The separate fees remind me of the dreaded hotel Resort Fees.

I haven’t yet encountered @ronandannette ‘s $25 media fee, but there were a few unexplained “Third Party Fee”s and other nonsense.

 

[PAsFab5]

If you look on VRBO and find a place you like click on the owners information and see if it’s a rental agency

if it is a rental agency look them up and do a mock booking using their site. I find it’s always cheaper if it’s listed by a agency to rent directly through them.

If it’s just the owner using VRBO you don’t have many options except to check Airbnb. I find Airbnb’s fees more reasonable and will only use them right now.

 

[MIGrandma]

We used VRBO to rent a beautiful log cabin in Whites Creek, Tennessee twice with no problem. And this past January I rented a condo on Mackinac Island through VRBO again with no issues. After the initial booking I dealt with the actual owner of the condo, first by email until it got closer to the time of the rental then by cell phone. It was a beautiful 2 bedroom condo. Her winter rates were extremely reasonable. Summer was way out of my price range. She texted me a few times while we were there to make sure everything was all right, and I did have to text her about an issue with the toilet constantly running and it was fixed a couple days later. I don’t recall the extra fees being exceptionally high. I wouldn’t have rented it for the month if they would have been unreasonable.

I‘ve checked a few Airbnb places though and their fees were ridiculous so have never gone that route.