VRBO and Homeaway

[blkhwkbob]

Anybody else use these places for lodging rentals? I have for a while, but I think I've had enough. Every time I book something it seems as if there is a new fee. Now they are charging the renter a "service fee" of 6% of the total rental. Some places have cleaning fees, huge damage deposits, damage insurance, terrible cancellation policies, etc. They have made it pretty much as expensive and annoying as possible to rent a house through them. It sucks because for large groups it's getting hard to find places, but I'll find other ways.

 

[snobuilder]

I had a place in nw WI listed as a rental for about 7 years. I always thought that the only charges my clients paid were those that I personally put into the short term lease.
But I also avoided giving VRBO.Com any more control than the listing itself and no one ever mentioned that a fee was charged beyond our contract.
Shoot me a pm if you are looking for a lake home this next summer.

 

[xcr440]

I had a house I rented out on weekends for almost 2 years, year round. Only place I advertised was Craigslist. During that time, I only had one "group" that did not leave the place as clean as they found it, except for cleaning bathrooms and washing sheets/towels, which even some did. It would truly amaze you who was the cleanest, and who wasn't.

Bottom line, 99% of people can be trusted if you talk to them on the phone vs. this anonymous communication the internet provides.