Vrbo Reviews 

I made a reservation using VRBO. Over 5 weeks later the host cancelled saying VRBO made a mistake that caused her to double book. It took her 5 weeks to figure that out? I then called VRBO and was told it was up to the host to update their calendar. My cancellation email from VRBO says the host cancelled because the primary renter minimum age requirement was not met. I am 65. Apparently VRBO has no controls in place.

Check in difficult, host ‘homerti’ not very helpful. My review of the property has not been published and seemingly you cannot submit a formal complaint procedure to Vrbo. Don’t use! We will never book with them again!

Absolutely horrible. VRBO dropped the property from the platform after I booked but allowed me to keep the reservation. I contacted them for check in details as the host had not responded. Their rep cancelled my booking hours before check in leaving me with no where to stay. They said they could not get me anything close by and they could not rebook the property even though they spoke to the host. Host and I were ok but they screwed us both over and would not fix it. Never again!!!! Host lost the booking and I have nowhere to stay!!

Don’t trust this site. Super sketchy. We booked through here for the first time and I took a photo of the cancelation policy just in case. The person we booked with reached out and said my cc didn’t go through and offered me an alternate portal to use. I had a cc verification charge of $1 and $227 pending so I was super sketch and called their support where they told me this was normal. I was getting the ick and said I wanted to cancel. After 2 days phone calls and emails they said the $227 was non refundable. I have the emails and screen shots to prove otherwise.

Having put our property up for sale in April with the reputable agent, Savills, imagine our suprise to be told by them a month later that it was being advertised as a short term let by Vrbo! The Savills sale material had been cut and pasted into a rental advert on Vrbo verbatim and noone at Vrbo bothers to check the proof of ownership or permission to let the property. This is an illegal breach of copyright and is an online scam to defraud holidaymakers of deposits - or more. But clearly Vrbo are not bothered provided that they are taking their commission. I reported the breach to Vrbo and asked them to remove the advert: they refused! I then threatened them with legal action and they said that they had considered my appeal and rejected it! Only when I contacted their owner, Expedia, Legal and Copyright email addresses did I get a positive response to my 24 hour Take Down demand. Even now I have no apology or explanation from them for this flagrant illegality. If you decide to take a rental via Vrbo be aware that there are no checks on the legality or existence of the property you plan to visit.

Horrible experience. They are extremely unhelpful, don’t provide PDFs for visa requirements and it caused me so many issues at my appointment.

More importantly, I had booked a property and never got the access information and the contact information for the owner was incorrect. I was left stranded outside the property for half an hour until I luckily found a worker who had the actual owner’s phone number. I was finally let in but got no support from their customer service team and if the worker hadn’t been there, lord knows how long I would have been stranded.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Five-Star Executive Resolution – A Great Company That Still Stands by Its CustomersI have been a devoted, loyal customer of Expedia and Vrbo for years, booking all family holidays exclusively through them. We love this company so much that we even booked our upcoming fall holiday through them months ago. One of the best things about Vrbo is accessibility—anytime you call, you get through to a real person right away. They are always there to help, and we never had a single problem until we hit an ignorant employee named Susan.Recently, our original reservation was cancelled last-minute by a host. From the beginning, the initial intake agents were excellent. They kept us calm, gave clear guidelines under the Vrbo Care Program, and instructed us to secure an identical replacement unit in the same complex for the same 5 guests. Because the host cancelled last-minute, alternative prices had jumped by about 50%. The initial agents understood that things were far more expensive due to this rush, which is exactly why they instructed us to book the replacement property.Under Vrbo’s guidelines, the company protects travelers by covering the cost difference for a replacement unit up to a maximum cap of 50% of the original booking value:Original Booking Total: $4,516.65 USDAuthorized Policy Cap (50%): $2,258.32 USDNew Booking Cost: $6,353.23 USDOut-of-Pocket Price Difference: $1,836.58 USDBecause our actual price difference ($1,836.58 USD) fell strictly below the maximum cap ($2,258.32 USD), we were fully within the guidelines to receive the full difference back.Unfortunately, our great experience stopped when our case hit a supervisor named Susan. She bungled the math, cut our actual loss in half to offer only $911, and implied that I was a liar when I recounted what the previous agent told me. Susan tried to bully me, gave me a 'take it or leave it' ultimatum, and flatly refused to let me escalate the call, telling me there was 'nothing I could do.'If Susan had treated the wrong customer this way, Vrbo would have received a one-star review and lost a customer for life over one person's bullying attitude. Bypassing her completely, I escalated directly to the Expedia Group Executive Corporate Team.The response from upper management was spectacular and lightning-fast. Immediately after I sent my email, a senior specialist named Mohit personally called my phone to look after this. I missed the call, but Mohit left a detailed voicemail. Even though they couldn't reach me by phone, they immediately sent three separate emails right in a row showing exactly how they were looking after us and apologizing for what Susan did. Within the exact same day, Mohit took over the file, issued a formal apology, and processed our full relocation reimbursement of $1,836.58 USD.Crucially, because everything is recorded on their phone system, the corporate team is pulling and reviewing the phone recording to check exactly how she treated me and how she called me a liar. They promised to follow up with me directly once their internal investigation is complete. I will post a follow-up review once they get back to me to confirm the action taken against her behavior.This completely proves why it is so important to book through a reputable platform like Vrbo instead of handling it yourself. Imagine the financial mess this would have been if I had dealt directly with an individual owner myself. Expedia Group truly stands behind their name. In today’s day and age, it is truly special to find a massive corporation that still takes full care of its customers and delivers five-star service when it matters most.

Great choice of properties, easy to book

Would not recommend this company to anyone customer service is non existent and they get a third party to deal with you 2cHolidays needed to change my dates due to unforeseen circumstances but they said No because it was less than 6 weeks to going yet only a few weeks before they let a host completely cancel another booking we had with them with no explanation 2 tier if you ask me

Disappointed that VRBO did not follow through with VrboCare™ guarantee. The home we rented did not have all the pet restrictions listed in the description and was further than stated from the airport. The rental company would not refund our deposit. VRBO sided with the company who owned the house, not with us as guaranteed even though the listing was incorrect.

Honestly, there is no support for hosts. I need to change my bank details for payouts and it is just impossible, been waiting two weeks for billing dept to call me back and they claim they cannot reach me...I am a pro host, my phone is always in my hand.

Overall, the user interface for hosts is a total shambles, Airbnb has an amazing interface in comparison. I would not recommend VRBO to any other hosts.

This was my first experience using VRBO and unfortunately it was extremely disappointing.

I booked a property in Paris for three nights for my wife, our two-year-old child, and myself. After a 10-hour drive from Switzerland, we arrived expecting to rest and enjoy our holiday. Instead, we found a property that was materially different from the listing and, in our view, unsuitable for a family stay.

The property had a strong unpleasant odour throughout. There was visible mould in multiple locations, including around door frames, walls, the washing machine area, and the bathroom. The bathroom itself was in poor condition, with signs of dampness, mould, and poor maintenance. We also found spiders inside the property.

One of the most shocking issues was the sofa. It was not simply old or worn—it was broken and had collapsed in the middle, making it unusable. This was completely different from what was shown in the listing photographs.

The property also advertised parking, yet we were only informed on the day of arrival that no parking was actually available. Had we known this before travelling, it would have influenced our booking decision.

I contacted VRBO immediately upon arrival and spent almost two hours on the phone providing photographs and evidence. Rather than offering relocation assistance or a practical solution, I was repeatedly directed back to the host and property manager. Their proposed solution was to clean the property the following day, despite the fact that many of the issues were not cleaning-related. Cleaning would not fix mould, damp odours, broken furniture, or the overall condition of the accommodation.

Communication with the property manager, Conciergerie Alliance FR, was equally frustrating. At one stage I felt dismissed entirely, and meaningful communication effectively stopped.

With a young child and no confidence in the property's condition, we had no choice but to leave. Late that evening I informed them that I was returning the keys and booked alternative accommodation through Airbnb approximately 30 km away. We eventually arrived around midnight after an already exhausting day of travel.

The replacement host was welcoming, helpful, and understanding. The contrast in customer service was remarkable.

What disappointed me most was not just the condition of the property, but the lack of support when a serious issue was reported immediately upon arrival. When travellers arrive late at night with children, they expect the booking platform to help resolve the situation. Instead, we were left to find and pay for alternative accommodation ourselves.

A partial refund was eventually issued, but that does not change the stress, inconvenience, additional expense, and lost holiday time that my family experienced.

Based on this experience, I would not use VRBO again and would encourage travellers to carefully consider what support they may actually receive if a property turns out to be significantly different from what was advertised.

I recently booked a property in Edinburgh Scotland via VRBO.

The property manager is called The Edinburgh Address. The property ID is 1873807 and the listing title is "Stunning view of Edinburgh Castle for a memorable stay in the City Centre."

The payment was split into two tranches (£2,338.88 paid on March 12, 2026 and £7,016.62 due on July 14).

The written cancellation policy on the VRBO site for the subject property says: "75% refund of amount PAYABLE [all caps for emphasis only] if you cancel by Jul 15, 2026. No refund if you cancel after July 15, 2026. Cancel by 11:59pm (property's local time) on the date listed to qualify for the refund amount."

Doing the math, 75% of the full £9,355.50 payable is £7,016.62. But that would clearly not be fair to the Host since I only actually paid £2,338.88 so far.

Side note to VRBO: I think you butchered the true meaning/terms of the written cancellation policy by shortening it too much.

In any case, I cancelled on June 1, 2026. So, well ahead of July 15th.

I reached out to the host and said that despite the written policy's clear plain text meaning, I was willing to accept a refund of 75% of the £2,338.88 already ACTUALLY PAID instead of 75% of the full £9,355.50 payable value at the time of booking.

But they are trying funny math (and English interpretation) to incorrectly claim that I am only entitled to 25% of the full amount, which equals about what I paid in the first tranche. They are also mischaracterizing the first tranche as a "deposit."

So in other words, despite my trying to be fair and reasonable under the circumstances, they are refusing to honour the written cancellation policy and refund me anything beyond a small amount (£111.38 for the visitor levy portion of my booking).

Their position is clearly illogical and seems to be a thinly veiled attempt at misleading/cheating people.

But VRBO customer service has been completely unhelpful. On the phone, they insisted that the policy was 75% of the amount PAYABLE instead of 75% of the amount PAYED. On the surface, that is clearly in my favour. But it's ultimately up to the host and VRBO now seems to be trying to wash their hands of it. The c/s person on the phone even refused to provide me an address to serve legal papers if i decided to go the court route.

I have trusted and booked through VRBO several times in the past. NEVER AGAIN!!!!!

Zero support - Despite their exorbitant fees I have been waiting almost 4 weeks for Vrbo tech support to correct the information about our property...If they bother to reply to this review it will just be the usual spivvy reply pretending they don't know what they are talking about (rather reminds me of Sadiq Khan being questioned on grooming gangs) "We understand the importance of concern to be addressed. We are trying all ways to resolve this for our partners. We have requested to share the information however we have not received it. Therefore, we are requesting you to connect with our 24/7 Customer Support for further discussion." Vrbo I have contacted your "support"so many. times the last few weeks - the replies are all about how it important it is to you - clearly from all these reviews customer service or support means nothing to you...and here is the reply "You may reach our 24/7 Customer Support for further discussion." How many times do they expect someone to reach out before they resolve???

My experience with VRBO customer service was extremely disappointing.

On the day of check-in, my travel companion and I encountered what we believed to be an attempted robbery while trying to locate our rental property. Several men approached us and came uncomfortably close, and a local resident warned us that the area was unsafe. While waiting for the check-in representative, I also discovered a recent guest review reporting a mugging near the property. The owner had acknowledged the incident in a public response but had never disclosed it before our cancellation deadline.

Concerned for our safety, I immediately contacted VRBO and asked for assistance canceling the reservation and finding alternative accommodations. The first representative placed me on hold for several minutes before returning to say that nothing could be done. I then requested a supervisor and explained the situation again. The supervisor reviewed both my messages with the owner, including the owner's statement that it was not safe to stand outside the property, and the recent guest review describing a mugging nearby.

Despite acknowledging these facts, VRBO's response was simply that the cancellation deadline had passed. No assistance with alternative accommodations was offered, no exception was considered, and no meaningful effort was made to address the safety concerns we were experiencing in real time.

When travelers contact customer service because they genuinely fear for their safety, they expect more than a rigid recitation of policy. Unfortunately, VRBO's handling of this situation left me feeling unsupported and unwilling to use the platform again.

Consumer experience warning:

I recently booked a vacation rental through VRBO and canceled the reservation shortly afterward. Based on communications I received, I believed a refund would be processed, but the matter remains unresolved and approximately $5,335 is still in dispute.

Over the past several months, I have spent significant time attempting to resolve the issue through customer service channels. My purpose in sharing this experience is not to attack anyone, but to encourage consumers to carefully review cancellation policies and retain all written communications regarding refunds.

If you've had similar experiences with vacation rental platforms, I'd be interested in hearing how you resolved them.

Vrbo does not show true cost of rental. Some host charge money for extra guest and pets and some don’t. The fees should be in property description. You should not have to start booking cost to find out what actual cost are. It’s a waste of time and very misleading.

Vrbo should make host list their charges for additional under property description.

Just drove 8 hours to vacation to find out I owe them 230.00 for 2 dogs that I told them about 3 months ago. Scam

They are terrible. I booked a cottage through Expedia but Vrbo took over. The web site didn't mention two other companies were involved. I had a lot of problems over paying. After an hour talking to Vrbo customer service no resolución. Endless emails which were utter gibberish I still don't know what is going on. Despite saying no more phone calls they keep calling just recieved 2 at 22.40 UK time Which I declined
Will totaly avoid this company in future and stop using Expedia who until they joined with Vrbo I found great.

Both agent and supervisor spoken to only provided already known information and ultimately lacked any ability to understand our issue to achievea resolution. Their complete lack of understanding was the most frustrating.
We received immediate resolution simply by reaching out to the host.
Ridiculous how incompetent the customer service center is.

Very terrible, we booked 4-5 days ago and when it’s time for the check in day. We got to know that the house is already sold. Now for refund, they give us cancel and refund, now there is nothing. We trust it but at the day, it made us nowhere. I want my refund full back and no humanity. Poor very poor.