VRBO

[luvmyfam444]

I just booked a VRBO for the first time I was reading of people getting an unexpected $750 fee later. Anyone have this happen? I'm wondering if I should cancel.

 

[mjkacmom]

All of the fees should be listed on the booking (and yes, they add up).

 

[sam_gordon]

I just booked a VRBO for the first time I was reading of people getting an unexpected $750 fee later. Anyone have this happen? I'm wondering if I should cancel.

What is the "unexpected" fee for? As mentioned, all fees should be listed in the contract. And yes, it's more than just the "per night" charge.

We've done VRBO twice(?) for stays at Disney. Really worked out well for us. Much more space for just a little more money.

 

[nw6675]

Sometimes an additional refundable deposit is taken, but returned if contract requirements are met.

As others mention, all fees should be outlined. Also, some VRBOs are managed by a third party and you sign a separate contract outside of VRBO. The terms often don't match VRBO. Be careful on those. Refunds, etc , aren't auto processed and you have to wait for them to review and release.

 

[kymom99]

I’ve stayed in a couple and they always worked out fine. No surprise charges.

 

[_19disnA]

Know someone who rents their place on VRBO and there are never any 'secret/hidden' charges. Renter pays at the time of booking in order to confirm their reservation. I would not rent from a 3rd party since you are never sure of terms/prices and if something goes wrong you can't expect VRBO to get involved to resolve it for you.

Don't know what the people are talking about regarding extra charges. Was something perhaps damaged/broken that was only discovered once their rental time was up?

 

[mjkacmom]

Know someone who rents their place on VRBO and there are never any 'secret/hidden' charges. Renter pays at the time of booking in order to confirm their reservation. I would not rent from a 3rd party since you are never sure of terms/prices and if something goes wrong you can't expect VRBO to get involved to resolve it for you.

Don't know what the people are talking about regarding extra charges. Was something perhaps damaged/broken that was only discovered once their rental time was up?

I was just looking at a property, $350 for the night, plus $79 service fee, plus $200 cleaning fee, plus $64 in taxes, plus $600 refundable deposit. All for one night. We use vrbo frequently and just deal with the extra $.

 

[Babs Johnson]

Why would anybody pay a cleaning fee? That’s the owner’s cost of doing business. Most VRBO or Airbnb owners are just padding their pockets with those ridiculously high cleaning fees.

 

[mjkacmom]

Why would anybody pay a cleaning fee? That’s the owner’s cost of doing business. Most VRBO or Airbnb owners are just padding their pockets with those ridiculously high cleaning fees.

They all charge cleaning fees, Airbnb too. A lot don’t even live in the area so have to pay cleaners. If they charge $350 for one nignt and then have to pay an agency $200 (normal cost here), they’d only be making $100 a night. It’s not a hotel with a cleaning staff.

 

[China Expat]

I always use VRBO. Never had this happen.

 

[VandVsmama]

This nonsense is why I don’t use VRBO or AirBNB. When you book a hotel, there’s no deposit. Or extra cleaning fee. Or extra administrative fee. And there’s no surprises after the fact.

 

[John VN]

At our 50th Anniversary family gathering in an 11,000 sq. ft. residence on 50+ acre water front property everything was crystal clear including service charges and extra if place was left in bad condition.

 

[georgina]

We’ve used Airbnb and vrbo many times. It suits the way we travel More than a hotel. When we travel with the family it is nice to have a house with several bedrooms, a kitchen, living area, etc. we’ve had them come with bicycles to use, and kayaks with a waterfront property. Used them in Ireland, Hungary, Austria, London, Hawaii, as well as other cities in the US.

 

[StageTek]

I just booked a VRBO for the first time I was reading of people getting an unexpected $750 fee later. Anyone have this happen? I'm wondering if I should cancel.

We've never seen an unexpected fee when booking through VRBO. All fees are listed.

Perhaps you were reading from people who didn't like the fees - like a few people posting here - and didn't pay attention when booking. That cleaning fee is often thought of as just padding and even "unexpected".

 

[dioxide45]

This nonsense is why I don’t use VRBO or AirBNB. When you book a hotel, there’s no deposit. Or extra cleaning fee. Or extra administrative fee. And there’s no surprises after the fact.

This is us, worst you have with a hotel is a temporary hold on your credit card. We have never rented from a home sharing site. Many years ago, before these things existed we did rent a couple condos/homes in the Outer Banks of NC. These were private owners but the rentals were managed by an onsite agency. I don't recall any cleaning fees, it was all just baked into the rental rate. I do remember having to do a lot of cleaning before we left like stripping the beds, making sure all the dishes were clean and making sure we vacuumed the carpet and mopped the tile. Now we just use timeshare (not DVC) and it is so much better...

 

[StageTek]

I guess hiding the cleaning fee into the rate would make some people more comfortable.

Let's say the three bedroom home/condo rents for $350. One would have to charge $550 for a one night stay.
But the rate for a four night stay would be $412 per night. A six night stay would be $383 per night. I wonder if someone would then complain on social media...

I've often thought the same thing about "resort" fees. I see a "special" rate for $125 a night - but upon booking a stay I see a resort fee of $28. I'd rather see a "special" rate of "$155 per night with no fees".

What annoys me is what those fees are for:
free local calls (who doesn't have a cell phone), a free newspaper (often digital), access to the fitness center, acess to the coin laundry, a coffee maker (really?), notary service and boarding pass printing (again, who doesn't have a cell phone thses days).

At least with a cleaning fee I agree where the fee goes; with VRBO/airbnb it goes to a local person who earns their living cleaning rental homes/condos.

 

[indimom]

We've used both vrbo and airbnb multiple times with no hidden fees or issues.
Honestly, I doubt we'll stay in a hotel again. It's so nice having the extra space, kitchen, washer/dryer, private outdoor space. And at this point, it's always been comparable in cost to a hotel room with much fewer amenities.

 

[RedAngie]

If you’re only renting for one or two nights, you can be sure that the cleaning service is not doing a $200 job.

At least with a cleaning fee I agree where the fee goes; with VRBO/airbnb it goes to a local person who earns their living cleaning rental homes/condos.

At least 10% goes into the host’s pocket.

 

[kdonnel]

I've often thought the same thing about "resort" fees. I see a "special" rate for $125 a night - but upon booking a stay I see a resort fee of $28. I'd rather see a "special" rate of "$155 per night with no fees".

One of the reasons resort fees were created is to create a way to pay less commission to 3rd party booking sites.

If the hotel pays a 15% commission and the room rate is $125 then the commission is $18.75. The hotel can then charge a $28 resort fee and have an effective rate of $134.25.

If the hotel bundles the resort fee into the rate making it $153 then the commission is $22.95 and the effective rate is $130.05.

That $4.20 per room per night ads up.

 

[GAN]

I just booked a VRBO for the first time I was reading of people getting an unexpected $750 fee later. Anyone have this happen? I'm wondering if I should cancel.

I've used VRBO and AirBnB many times without any issues. I think that type of fraud is a fairly small percentage -do your due diligence and check reviews carefully!