VRBO - anyone used it?

Lizheen

I only came across VRBO (https://www.vrbo.com) today for the first time. Is it as "safe" as Airbnb? Like are the listings verified; is there much danger of being scammed - some of the apartments I've looked at seem priced lower than comparable properties on Airbnb so I'm tempted - but wary. Any views?

ncmc

VRBO is the same website as Homeaway, which I have used multiple times and never had an issue. I think it is owned by Expedia now. Like all such websites, you just have to practice due diligence. Only send money through the website, check reviews carefully and do reverse image searches of the property pics to check if they are genuine. Also be wary of cancellation policies. It varies from property to property. I have found the the price of the same property can be different on Airbnb and Homeaway, not sure why this is the case though. And one property can be cheaper on one site, and another property can be cheaper on the other, so it's not as simple as one website having higher/lower fees.

As with Airbnb, owners on VRBO can cancel the booking which can be very annoying. Happened me earlier this year and I had a hard time finding an alternative. But that is a riskw ith all the holiday home websites.

Lizheen

Thanks very much ncmc - really helpful.

dennyk

I've used it many times in the States, though admittedly not for a few years now. It predates AirBnB by over a decade and only offers full property rentals (no sharing with the owner or other random guests). It'd be about as reliable as AirBnB itself, I'd say. It should be safe enough as long as you check reviews and don't do anything silly like transfer anyone money outside the website.