VRBOs new Terms of Service

[Patricia Andriolo-Bull]

I finally got around to reading the new terms of service.  A few interesting things but one in particular:

3.7.1 To purchase a Subscription Listing, Host must make an order by means of the Site's online order form and pay Vrbo the fees for the relevant Listing, which may or may not be accepted by Vrbo ("Subscription Listing Fees"). The price of a Subscription Listing is specified in the list of current rates on the Site. If you act as a consumer and unless any of the legal exceptions apply, you have rights to cancel the Subscription Listing Fees during the cooling off period. The 'cooling off period' is fourteen calendar days from date of entry into these Terms. If you change your mind during the cooling off period, you can cancel by notifying us by contacting Customer Service (English), Customer Service (French) or Customer Service (Portuguese) (as applicable) and we'll refund you (if applicable) any monies paid within 14 calendar days. Vrbo is not accepting new Subscription Listings and will only allow the renewal of prior Subscription Listings.

It sounds like most don't do the subscription listing from what I read here but it's always been a no brainer for me.  With one good in season rental week it pretty much pays for itself to have 3% fee all year.  They are no longer accepting subscriptions?  They must really be desperate for income!

Also interestingly re: ranking, I've been struggling with VRBO ranking in the last 6 months.  I've tried everything and done everything "right" according to what everyone says (professional photos, changing rates, premier host, updating listing frequently)...well this was a surprise..."rate consistency".  My rates are very inconsistent and wondering if that is what hurts.  My in season rates can be up to 3 times as much as off season.  Thoughts?

As always VRBO and Airbnb are for VRBO and Airbnb...

[John Underwood]

I have been on the Vrbo subscription from the start. It auto renews.

It's worth every penny to me as they keep my calendar full.

[Jon Martin]

So your place pops up at the top of the search if you pay a subscription? Kinda like a slotting fee in a grocery store?

[Patricia Andriolo-Bull]

Quote from @Jon Martin:

So your place pops up at the top of the search if you pay a subscription? Kinda like a slotting fee in a grocery store?

No. Still doesn’t help. I have 3 listings, 2 with subscription, 1 without. It doesn’t help. Subscription just means you pay them a processing fee only and not commission. 

[Ken Boone]

Quote from @Jon Martin:

So your place pops up at the top of the search if you pay a subscription? Kinda like a slotting fee in a grocery store?

 No, the subscription fee is like $699/year.  But instead of paying VRBO I think 8% for each booking, you only pay 3% per booking.  So someone who only books casually on VRBO might be better off not doing the subscription, but if you book a lot it will pay for itself real quick.

[Lauren Kormylo]

When I first listed with VRBO 2 1/2 years ago, they had stopped subscriptions. The only option then was the commission. Where does it mention that rate consistency will help your ranking?  Like a lot of people, I use PriceLabs, so my rates are different every day. I didn’t know they were down on that now too. 

[Patricia Andriolo-Bull]

Quote from @Lauren Kormylo:

When I first listed with VRBO 2 1/2 years ago, they had stopped subscriptions. The only option then was the commission. Where does it mention that rate consistency will help your ranking?  Like a lot of people, I use PriceLabs, so my rates are different every day. I didn’t know they were down on that now too. 

 I just signed a subscription for a new property in March without incident. 

re: rate consistency in section 6.1 “The quality of the experience is based on a variety of factors such as calendar accuracy, Host response times and booking acceptance, rate consistency,”

[Lauren Kormylo]

Quote from @Patricia Andriolo-Bull:

 I just signed a subscription for a new property in March without incident. 

Did you have an STR already on VRBO before this new one?  They were grandfathering current hosts in and allowing them to add additional properties on the subscription plan. But this was my first.  I even asked them about it, they said no subscriptions for new hosts, just the commission plan, back then anyway.  It doesn’t matter as much to me now, because bookings from VRBO have dropped off for me so much this past year, I’m probably better off paying the percentage. 

[Monique P.]

Glad this post of yours was restored Patricia, i like the topic, thanks for posting.

My rates have always fluctuated too however it hasn't hurt my ranking with VRBO.

Personally, i noticed for my listing, the ranking improved once i achieved greater than 50+ reviews and once my listing matured (listing age greater then 4 yrs). This is just what stood out to me about my listing.

Always have had the subscription plan and try to keep up with tweaking it several times a week. It doesn't take long to make tiny adjustments on the dashboard.

For new hosts looking for ideas, here are some rank boosting tips!

[Patricia Andriolo-Bull]

Quote from @Monique P.:

Glad this post of yours was restored Patricia, i like the topic, thanks for posting.

My rates have always fluctuated too however it hasn't hurt my ranking with VRBO.

Personally, i noticed for my listing, the ranking improved once i achieved greater than 50+ reviews and once my listing matured (listing age greater then 4 yrs). This is just what stood out to me about my listing.

Always have had the subscription plan and try to keep up with tweaking it several times a week. It doesn't take long to make tiny adjustments on the dashboard.

For new hosts looking for ideas, here are some rank boosting tips!

 Thanks Monique.  So strange, I have had a great ranking for 4+ years and suddenly in the last 6 months I've fallen off the list.  I have over 50 * reviews, update the listing at least 5 days per week (prices, photos, words).  I thought it might be that I have a subscription or that my prices vary greatly from in season to out of season but sounds like your listing still ranks well.  No clue!

[Patricia Andriolo-Bull]

Quote from @Lauren Kormylo:

Quote from @Patricia Andriolo-Bull:

 I just signed a subscription for a new property in March without incident. 

Did you have an STR already on VRBO before this new one?  They were grandfathering current hosts in and allowing them to add additional properties on the subscription plan. But this was my first.  I even asked them about it, they said no subscriptions for new hosts, just the commission plan, back then anyway.  It doesn’t matter as much to me now, because bookings from VRBO have dropped off for me so much this past year, I’m probably better off paying the percentage. 

 Yes.  I've had a listing for over 4 years and added another one in March.  

[Collin H.]

If you are a "legacy" subscription host, you can continue adding properties under the subscription model.  But that price is going up at around $100 per year.  At some point, they'll have everyone on the commission.  

[Patricia Andriolo-Bull]

Quote from @Collin H.:

If you are a "legacy" subscription host, you can continue adding properties under the subscription model.  But that price is going up at around $100 per year.  At some point, they'll have everyone on the commission.  

Thanks. I renew in a month and haven’t seen an increase yet but it did increase $100 last year. 

[Sarah Kensinger]

We haven't done the subscription either due to our market being mostly Airbnb. But when it comes to rankings, I've heard numerous people say once they mastered Airbnb and applied the same principles to VRBO their rankings came up. 

[Patricia Andriolo-Bull]

Quote from @Sarah Kensinger:

We haven't done the subscription either due to our market being mostly Airbnb. But when it comes to rankings, I've heard numerous people say once they mastered Airbnb and applied the same principles to VRBO their rankings came up. 

Not sure what that means? Mastered Airbnb. I’ve been too 1% guest favorite in Airbnb (super host too) but that definitely doesn’t help my VRBO ranking. I used to be 75% VRBO, 10% Airbnb, the rest direct or Booking.com (negligible). In the last 4 months it has completely reversed and most of the times can’t even find my listings on VRBO. No logic whatsoever. I analyze my comps and the worst properties appear on page one. 

[Lauren Kormylo]

Quote from @Patricia Andriolo-Bull:

Quote from @Sarah Kensinger:

We haven't done the subscription either due to our market being mostly Airbnb. But when it comes to rankings, I've heard numerous people say once they mastered Airbnb and applied the same principles to VRBO their rankings came up. 

Not sure what that means? Mastered Airbnb. I’ve been too 1% guest favorite in Airbnb (super host too) but that definitely doesn’t help my VRBO ranking. I used to be 75% VRBO, 10% Airbnb, the rest direct or Booking.com (negligible). In the last 4 months it has completely reversed and most of the times can’t even find my listings on VRBO. No logic whatsoever. I analyze my comps and the worst properties appear on page one. 

Have you tried looking in private or incognito mode to see what the public is seeing?  Make sure you're appearing on the map in the correct place, and that your description is reading correctly.  Many people have had problems in the past year with that.  Vrbo completely messed up mine last spring, adding sentences such as that I had a waterpark, and then running all of my paragraphs together so that it was virtually unreadable.  Even now, hosts are finding Vrbo is saying they have a hot tub when they don't.  Just last week, I tried going to my calendar on Airbnb for next summer to look at pricing, and the calendars on all platforms were blocked from Jan 1st on.  Vrbo was the culprit - somehow they changed the setting on me.  I have a 4 bedroom house, and have noticed when searching for a place for 4 people, I don't appear on their map unless it's zoomed way in.  But if searching for 8 people, I appear ok.  

On another note, I did just get a booking on Vrbo last night for July 2025.  The guest split payments, and made the required payment last night, with the balance due in May 2025.  This morning, I see that Vrbo sent her a past due notice for the balance!  Unbelievable.  

[Patricia Andriolo-Bull]

Quote from @Lauren Kormylo:

Quote from @Patricia Andriolo-Bull:

Quote from @Sarah Kensinger:

We haven't done the subscription either due to our market being mostly Airbnb. But when it comes to rankings, I've heard numerous people say once they mastered Airbnb and applied the same principles to VRBO their rankings came up. 

Not sure what that means? Mastered Airbnb. I’ve been too 1% guest favorite in Airbnb (super host too) but that definitely doesn’t help my VRBO ranking. I used to be 75% VRBO, 10% Airbnb, the rest direct or Booking.com (negligible). In the last 4 months it has completely reversed and most of the times can’t even find my listings on VRBO. No logic whatsoever. I analyze my comps and the worst properties appear on page one. 

Have you tried looking in private or incognito mode to see what the public is seeing?  Make sure you're appearing on the map in the correct place, and that your description is reading correctly.  Many people have had problems in the past year with that.  Vrbo completely messed up mine last spring, adding sentences such as that I had a waterpark, and then running all of my paragraphs together so that it was virtually unreadable.  Even now, hosts are finding Vrbo is saying they have a hot tub when they don't.  Just last week, I tried going to my calendar on Airbnb for next summer to look at pricing, and the calendars on all platforms were blocked from Jan 1st on.  Vrbo was the culprit - somehow they changed the setting on me.  I have a 4 bedroom house, and have noticed when searching for a place for 4 people, I don't appear on their map unless it's zoomed way in.  But if searching for 8 people, I appear ok.  

On another note, I did just get a booking on Vrbo last night for July 2025.  The guest split payments, and made the required payment last night, with the balance due in May 2025.  This morning, I see that Vrbo sent her a past due notice for the balance!  Unbelievable.  

Yes. I do incognito at least weekly. All looks good other than the ranking. My AM also has no idea why. They are unbelievable. I think they are struggling and trying different things with their algorithm. 

[Shannon Strickland]

This has been an insightful thread—thanks. OwnerRez has helpful recorded webinars with both platforms, where they give suggestions to improve ranking and conversions. Five weeks ago, I made most of the changes VRBO suggested, and the next day I got one booking, but I haven’t had a booking from them in four+ weeks now. That was my catalyst to add Airbnb this week. It looks like I’m in famine mode in the slow season, which I didn’t think would arrive until winter. I’m very much looking forward to spring!