Hello, it’s been awhile I haven’t been very active here. I had some personal stuff going on for several months. Missed this forum. People here are really friendly and helpful!
I am thinking of also putting my list on Vrbo, is there anything I should pay attention or be worried? I don’t get any bookings for next February and March, so maybe Vrbo could bring some?
There was a recent thread talking about VRBO listing. I understand that their fee is a little higher, but I don’t use them myself.
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Thanks, Christine, I will check the thread. 
I have no personal experience with any other booking platform aside from Airbnb, but I know that what platforms bring hosts good business can be quite dependent on a whole range of factors.
Some platforms are used more by guests in some parts of the world than others, some bring good guests or bad, depending on your location, the type of market you cater to, the type of listing you have, and so on. I’ve read hosts saying the majority of their bookings are coming through VRBO, and others the opposite.
Since you only pay service fees on actual bookings, not simply to list, it seems like a matter of trying it out, and seeing if it works for you.
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We like VRBO.
They don’t generate as many bookings as Airbnb but they also don’ t get as involved as Airbnb does, which we think is a good thing.
Importantly to us you can require that the guest buy an insurance premium for damages. It costs the guest $79 for $3,000 of damage coverage. We’ve collected on it a few times.
They allow events and parties, but we don’t.
I think it’s prudent to be on more than one platform.
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Can you be on VRBO if the STR is a suite on the entire 2nd floor. (Locked door and no one else has access to unit). Kitchenette (not a full kitchen) ?
I don’t know the answer to your question. I wonder whether a private entrance is required. I looked briefly online but didn’t find an answer.
I suggest you call VRBO at 1-877-202-4291 and/or go through the enrollment process and see if at some point your answer becomes clear.
Hi, Glenn, thank you for your reply. I just put my listing on VRBO, I am using Wheelhouse to auto update my price on Airbnb. But it looks like the prices cannot be synchronized to VRBO. How do you manage your nightly prices? Appreciate your time.
You’re right. I am using Wheelhouse too. I manually adjust my VRBO prices from time to time.
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No, from what I understand, VRBO doesn’t allow homeshares.
A private suite with its own entrance is not a “homeshare”. Homeshare means that a guest shares common areas with other residents or that they do not have a private entrance, that there is no available kitchen, that sort of thing.
However, whether VRBO allows self-contained units in a owner-occupied structure I don’t know. It’s really no different from an apartment or condo unit in an apartment building.
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Hi, Glenn, I saw you ask guests to sign rental agreement on VRBO. How do you do that? If you don’t mind, can you share your template of rental agreement? I tried to search online but seems those free template requires us to fill up a lot information for every booking?
No, I don’t ask guests to sign a rental agreement. I’ve been thinking about doing so but have not done so yet. I’m planning on going on OwnerRez platform (Google it), at which point I could seamlessly have a rental agreement signed via that platform and DocuSign. I’m a little concerned though that it will be off-putting for my property, which is not high end. If I do go the contract route I will get a real estate lawyer to put it together.
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You don’t need DocuSign if you have OwnerRez. OwnerRez has a digital contract signing process.
OwnerRez does take time to learn how to use. It’s probably more than @Amy_nyma needs for a private suite in their own home. There are free or very cheap e-signature programs that might be enough.
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Yes, I don’t really want to do the agreement thing myself. I only have one apartment and making guests sign agreement sounds a lot work to me too. But VRBO doesn’t have space to put in all my house rules like Airbnb. That makes a little worried.
Well, actually, does allow you to upload what it calls a ‘rental agreement’ to the platform. It’s just not a signed agreement. So you could put all your rules there as well as your House Guide (don’t put in any confidential information like codes).
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Be careful about having a long list of House Rules. It can make the host look like a micro-managing fusspot who guests don’t want to book with. I suggest sticking to basic house rules like no unregistered guests or visitors, no pets or children (if that is your choice), no smoking, quiet times, etc. You can certainly list “asks”, like cleaning up after yourself before check-out, being respectful of neighbors and so on, but personally I would avoid long lists of “rules”.
And if you are an onsite host, you are already in a position of avoiding many of the bad scenarios that off-site hosts of entire homes often encounter. I list a private room/bathroom for one guest, and they share my kitchen and outdoor areas, and aside from one guest who brought someone back in the middle of the night, guests have been respectful and not in need of a list of rules, of which I have almost none.
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Hi, Muddy, I rent out my entire apartment. So I won’t be on-site most of the time. I have about 6 house rules about the same as you mentioned above. But VRBO only allows you to setup 3 rules. I might need to squeeze my rules into these three 150 character maximum boxes…
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@HostAirbnbVRBO is correct about uploading a contract. You can put your house rules in a pdf file and upload it, and the guests have to click to agree
It’s not as strong in court as a true signed contract, which is why many owners of large properties require the signed contract in addition to the click-to-agree one.
My listing is a homeshare, as they enter the house through the front door (on the main floor, where we live) then go upstairs to the suite. They do not share any of our personal space, as the suite is self contained. I didn’t see anywhere the description of the OP’s listing. I was just sharing what I found in checking into listing on VRBO. Sorry if I misunderstood.