Vacation rental units and simple staycations are the raves these days! But whether you are a vacation rental property host or looking to start vacation rental, it takes a lot more to get enough exposure to stay booked and busy. Finding vacation rental properties is much easier with the help of websites and platforms. One of the popular options is Vrbo.
By listing your property on the site, you get several benefits, including access to a large audience, property and host protection, and strategies for boosting your short term rental business.
To start, here’s a review on starting a vacation rental business.
Making Money From A Vacation Rental Property
Having a vacation rental property is an investment that can bring you passive income. But the real question is, is it profitable? The short answer is yes, especially when you find the proper market and location.
The business can either be for long term or short term rental. You can also start a vacation rentals without owning the property by renting it long-term and making it available for short term rental.
Most would recommend listing your property on vacation rental service sites to reach the right market and provide your guests with optimized experiences.
What Is Vrbo?
Vacation Rentals By Owner, or Vrbo, is one of the first companies designed to help property owners promote and market their rental properties. It is a vacation rental software along with Airbnb, and more.
The vacation rentals available on the site go beyond simple properties, ranging between cabins and bungalows to boats and mills.
On the site, guests will find photos and detailed descriptions of the property and information on property owners, hosts, and managers to help them decide before booking.
Some of the information you can find on the property listing include host information, a phone number, number of guests, fees per booking, and the like.
Vrbo also offers hosts and guests insurance and guarantees to protect them from unexpected damages or fraud.
How Does Vrbo Work?
Vrbo mainly functions as the bridge between a host and a guest when booking a property. Here’s a detailed look into how the platform works:
Vrbo For Vacation Rental Owners
If you own an extra property or space, Vrbo is a great place to introduce it to the market. Most listings on Vrbo are full vacation rentals, so take note of this before setting up a listing.
When you list your property on Vrbo, you get total control! You are allowed to set the rates, house rules, photos, and descriptions. You can also communicate with your guests directly on the site.
Vrbo For Property Managers
For vacation rental property owners who cannot manage the property themselves, property managers take their place.
As a property manager, you would be responsible for bookings, guest communication, check-in and check-out, cleaning and other utility-related tasks. Vrbo has features that help you organize these in a single dashboard.
To make it more efficient, hosts can include their and their property manager’s contact information in the listing to make it easier for guests with queries.
Vrbo For Guests
If you’re using Vrbo as a guest, you have a vast collection of vacation rentals to choose from that vary in themes, prices, and locations.
Vrbo makes it easier for you to contact a host and arrange bookings with them. Every communication can be done on the platform, allowing room for safer transactions.
On top of communicating with hosts, placing reservations, and sending payments, you can leave a review of your stay directly through the platform.
How Much Does It Cost To List On Vrbo?
Keep in mind there are a few fees to cover when listing on Vrbo. The listing fee you choose varies on how long you plan to keep your rental property up.
Consider how much income you may receive and how long the rental business will be available to avoid loss of income from bookings due to fees.
The listing fees are as follows:
Annual Fee
If you’re looking to host on Vrbo for a lengthy period, you can pay a one-time annual subscription fee worth $499. It will cover the commission for all the bookings you will receive for a year.
Commission Based Fee
Hosts who may not be using Vrbo for a year can opt to pay for the fee per booking instead.
This option requires hosts to pay a 5% commission fee to Vrbo for each booking and a 3% credit card processing fee.
How To Create A Vrbo Listing
Here is a quick step-by-step guide on how to create a Vrbo listing:
- Create and set up an account on Vrbo.
- Gather information on your short term rental. These include the property address, the size, property type, number of rooms, photos, rates and fees, and banking or payment information.
- Open your Vrbo account and select the option to add a new listing.
- Select your property type from the list of options available.
- Fill in the necessary details wherever needed.
Bookings on Vrbo, like Airbnb, are customizable and aim to provide as much information on the property to guests in a straightforward manner.
As much as possible, include every detail your guest would need to know on the get-go. Doing so will make it easier for them to decide whether or not they want to consider your property.
Should You List A Vacation Rental On Vrbo?
Listing on Vrbo comes with several benefits for property owners, other than ease of use. Although it comes with a few limitations, it’s still worth trying out!
Here are a few of those advantages:
Higher Traffic
Vrbo has an audience of its own. By listing your property on their site, you gain access to their market, allowing you to reach prospective guests at a faster rate.
Your property will also be listed on the Vrbo affiliate sites, increasing its exposure by ten-fold and boosting your vacation rental bookings!
Safer Transactions
Communication can be done directly through Vrbo, so you know you’ll have evidence in case a problem comes up.
They also offer insurance and guarantees to protect their vacation rental hosts from possible damages that could greatly affect the business.
Listing Customization
A Vrbo host can customize each of the properties on the listing from the fees to additional elements. Security deposit, service and cleaning fees, and the like can also be adjusted on top of the listing fee.
Vrbo will show your guests each of these fees to make bookings run smoothly. So to be sure, include all the fees your guests would need to know before booking your Vrbo listing.
Guest Verification
Before accepting a booking reservation, you can screen the interested guest through Vrbo. You can check to see if they have good feedback from previous property owners for peace of mind.
Owners could also request extra identity verification from their guests through the platform for safety.
Conclusion
VRBO is a great way to get started in the vacation rental business. It’s easy to use and you can start making money right away. Have you tried using VRBO for your vacation rental? What has been your experience?
