REVIEWS / VACATION RENTALS / OWNER INSIGHTS
🦉 WE READ 169 OWNER COMMENTS
Vrbo: what owners actually say
Vrbo users report non-responsive hosts, unreliable listings, and a review system owners say can't be trusted
What owners complain about
- Outdated listings & ghost properties SOME
A user organising a ski trip contacted ~30 Vrbo properties; only 13 responded over 9 days, and many had already sold or rented the cabin for the desired dates but hadn't updated the listing
- Reviews disappear SOME
Owners report that accepted Vrbo reviews later vanish from the site, undermining trust in the review system
- Non-transaction-based reviews SOME
Unlike Airbnb, Vrbo's review system is not tied to completed transactions, meaning people who never actually stayed can leave reviews — a comparison multiple commenters drew explicitly
- Conflict of interest on negative reviews SOME
Commenters argue Vrbo has an inherent conflict because revenue comes from property owners/partners, creating an incentive to suppress negative reviews
- Pandemic support failure FEW
A renter booked a Vrbo property right before a lockdown that made travel to the county illegal; when they called Vrbo support for help, the experience was poor and support was overwhelmed
What owners love
- Useful for finding properties to book direct
Some users treat Vrbo (and similar sites) as a discovery layer, then use Google Maps to find the owner's direct contact and bypass platform fees entirely
- Preferred over Airbnb by some property owners
At least one vacation rental owner who advertises across multiple platforms actively uses HomeAway (which acquired Vrbo), suggesting it remains workable for the listing side
Surprising patterns
- A founder of a competing vacation rental site (Dwellable) started the company specifically because they had a bad Vrbo experience and were unable to post a review — the platform's review suppression motivated a new business.
- Experienced renters recommend finding properties on Vrbo/Airbnb, then locating the owner's own website or map pin to book directly, treating the platforms as free advertising rather than transaction intermediaries.
WHO SHOULD SKIP IT
Renters who need responsive support in emergencies, reliable listing accuracy, or a review system they can fully trust — the comments paint Vrbo as a discovery tool at best, not a platform to rely on end-to-end.
Synthesised from 169 real owner comments across 3 platforms. Every point is grounded in the comments — no marketing, no AI guessing. How we do it →