{"id":9848,"date":"2026-02-09T15:23:31","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T21:23:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/breezyoakvillas.com\/breezy_oak_villas\/?p=9848"},"modified":"2026-03-08T03:25:37","modified_gmt":"2026-03-08T09:25:37","slug":"why-we-require-our-own-booking-form-account-security-deposit-and-insurance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/breezyoakvillas.com\/breezy_oak_villas\/why-we-require-our-own-booking-form-account-security-deposit-and-insurance\/","title":{"rendered":"Why we require our own Booking Form, Account\/Security Deposit, and Insurance on VRBO Bookings"},"content":{"rendered":"

Why we require our own Booking Form, Account\/Security Deposit, and Insurance on VRBO Bookings.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I received an email today from a new guest who just booked through VRBO<\/p>\n

VRBO is a great website, and we get a number of bookings from them each year. Unfortunately, just like with AirBnB and other websites, guests truly don’t understand what VRBO is, and their relationship with us as a host listing our properties on their site. This often results in misunderstandings and some frustration… for both the guests and ourselves.<\/p>\n

As a host with almost a thousand guest bookings completed, one starts to see patterns emerge amongst guests. Obviously in a group that large, some guests are going to be better to have, or let’s just say more enthusiastic than others. How? Some guests simply don’t like to take the time to read all of the information we provide them with. As a caring host, this is both surprising and frustrating. It is hard to imagine that someone could leave their home, fly across an ocean to go on vacation, go through customs, grab their luggage, and rent a car… all without knowing the address of the place they will be staying at! But it does happen! And inevitably it’s a guest that can’t be bothered to read anything.<\/p>\n

We require certain things from all of our guests, for the safety of ourselves, our properties, and our guests as well. We explain our booking requirements in many places, including our listings on VRBO.<\/p>\n

It’s a tough job being a very \u2018little guy\u2019 and trying to get folks to understand that a huge corporation with lots of market clout (who has actually been in this industry less time than we have) is actually doing things in a manner not consistent with best practices or guests best interests. However, when one remembers that VRBO is owned by Expedia (it was once a private company owned by actual vacation rental owners) it makes sense that their first loyalty is to their shareholders, above both guests and hosts.<\/p>\n

Forgive me for being completely honest, but it does get tiring explaining certain things about VRBO repeatedly to unaware guests, who assume they know and understand the ins and outs of using and booking through VRBO. But most often, as shown by the email exchange below, they really have no idea why and with whom they should be placing their trust.<\/p>\n

No one likes to have their beliefs challenged, or have something pointed out to them that makes them look foolish for not knowing it before hand. Often this results in embarrassment or resentment towards the one bearing the bad news. In this case, that’s usually us, and it happens when we attempt to elevate the guest from an simply an internet ad shopper, to someone in a guest\/host relationship.<\/p>\n

The truth about booking through VRBO<\/h1>\n

Hello Cheryl,<\/em><\/h3>\n

Thank you for your email.<\/em> Let me begin by saying that I really do appreciate your booking with us, and choosing our property. It\u2019s is a wonderful, magical place and I know you will really enjoy it.<\/h3>\n

Please see comments\/responses below.<\/p>\n

On Feb 9, 2026, at 3:58 AM, Cheryl wrote:<\/p>\n

Hello Robert<\/p>\n

Thank you for your email.<\/p>\n

We have been using Vrbo for many years.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As have I. That\u2019s why I\u2019m an absolute expert in it! (That\u2019s a bit of a joke! )<\/p>\n

Therefore when I booked your villa I took out their ‘accidental damage protection’.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I don\u2019t know why you would choose to do this, especially if you have history using VRBO.<\/p>\n

VRBO is a website, run by Expedia. They do not own or rent out any properties, nor do they have any experience in doing so. Their purpose is to make money providing mostly what is an advertising service online.<\/p>\n

All of the properties that they advertise for are independently owned, and each has and sets their own policies.<\/strong> One of the unfortunate things about a marketplace like VRBO is that they present themselves as \u2018involved\u2019 in the transactions and relationship between guests and hosts, when nothing could be further from the truth.<\/p>\n

The reason that they do this is because, well\u2026 it is basically how they make money. And they can make more money if guests think that VRBO is somehow involved in the transactions and\/or relationship between the guest and the host.<\/strong><\/p>\n

VRBO understands that guests are intrinsically weary of conducting business online with an unknown entity; a vacation rental host. And they understand that they can make money off that hesitation be presenting the appearance of a safe marketplace<\/strong> for guests to look for a vacation rental. And they can make much more<\/em> money<\/strong> if they present the appearance of somehow protecting that guest in the transaction<\/strong>, and even through their eventual stay in a host’s property.<\/p>\n

It is actually a strange balance they have to maintain, because VRBO wants the guest to be weary enough to use their website, but not so frightened of booking an independently owned vacation rental online that they give up on the idea altogether. VRBO could actually help the hosts by assuring guests that the vast majority of properties and hosts are perfectly safe to deal with, and what steps the guests can and should take to protect themselves booking online, but instead they actually scare guests enough by telling them that booking a vacation rental online is safe, as long as you do it through their website.<\/strong><\/p>\n

If only that were true.<\/p>\n

Let’s take a look at the ‘Accidental Damage Protection’ that VRBO promotes to guests when they book a property.<\/h1>\n

VRBO\u2019s accidental damage protection has absolutely nothing to do with us as your host, and it provides us with absolutely zero protection<\/strong>. It is of no interest or concern to us. It is something that makes VRBO (I imagine) a lot of money, because they offer it to thousands of people making bookings, who accept the charge and pay them some extra money believing they are buying something other than what they actually receive.<\/p>\n

But here is how the \u2018protection\u2019 works from a host\u2019s point of view:<\/h2>\n