The vacation rental industry is growing at a rapid rate. Hardly surprising when vacation rental homes represent such amazing value. But with that rapid growth comes the opportunity to make big bucks. Vacation rentals are now a multi million dollar industry.

It was only matter of time before the big boys waded in with service fees.

Airbnb have always charged a service fee. TripAdvisor followed the pattern, but also introduced a total barrier between guests and owners. No full names, no contact info, no video tours, no direct communication, no website links.

After publicly stating that they would NEVER charge guests a fee, VRBO caused quite a stir when it did an about turn and started doing exactly that.

A “Service Fee” was introduced in February 2016. HomeAway/VRBO announced:

“In order to invest in more marketing and product and services, and to cover operational costs, HomeAway is introducing a small service fee that travelers will pay when they book or pay through the HomeAway checkout. The fee will vary from 4 to 10 percent based on the total amount of the rental, but will not exceed $499.”

How Much Are Service Fees?

Vacation rental owner Kim Bergstrom who owns vacation rentals in Manzanita created this terrific infograph to breakdown all the service fees charged:

Vacation Rental Service Fees

You can read the great advice Kim gives about service fees in her blog: What’s Up With VRBO, HomeAway, Airbnb, FlipKey, TripAdvisor and Expedia?

Over in Curacao, Linda Lou Huiskes, owner of Villa Seashell, offers some great comparisons of just how much the service fees are: Save Money on Airbnb, HomeAway, VRBO, TripAdvisor and Flipkey

Are Service Fees Really Necessary?

The big listing sites would like you to believe so because service fees mean millions of dollars in revenue to them. But when you look closer, do service fees REALLY offer you a level of protection worth paying for?

This is a copy from the VRBO Book with Confidence Guarantee.
https://www.vrbo.com/info/about-us/legal/terms-conditions/bookwithconfidenceVRBO Guarantee for service fees

So what does the small print actually mean by MAY offer alternate accommodation? MAY offer to rebook another property? MAY reimburse you? Do those service fees give you any firm guarantees at all?

How Can You Avoid Service Fees?

Book Vacation Rentals by Owner – #BookDirect

Vacation home owners are not the only ones getting ticked with increasing fees. Hotel giant Hilton launched their fight against online booking agents like Expedia and Priceline with the launch of “Stop Clicking Around”. Hilton are encouraging guests to book direct rather than through an online booking service. The whole industry started a #BookDirect campaign in 2018.

There are some great reasons to book a vacation rental by owner:

  • No Service Fees: Booking direct with the owner cuts out all additional fees. You’ll get an itemized quote showing the exact rental cost and there will never be any hidden service fees.
  • Personalized Service: When you book a vacation direct with an owner, you are getting a one to one personal service. You’ll be dealing directly with an owner passionate about their home and location. Owners want you to have the absolute best vacation possible. Most seasoned owners are on hand to help with anything you may need to ensure a smooth, stress free vacation.
  • In-depth Insider Knowledge: Owners know the area inside out. They can act as your very own personal Trip Advisor to make sure you make the very best of your time. Help you experience everything you want to. Local eats, places to go, what to see – you’ll get the lowdown on all you need to know. No online booking site can hold a candle to the insider tips owners can give you.

Nancy McAleer, owner of Anna Maria Island Vacation Rentals, gives an in-depth look at all the perks of booking vacation rentals by owners: A True VRBO on Anna Maria Island

Teena and Russ Kulakowski, owners of Four Seasons Lodge in North Conway offer some great tips on How to Save Money and Rent Safely – check out Teena’s blog on the service fees.

How to Find Owners Directly – Check out our updated #BookDirect Page

Seasoned owners Donna and Jorge Martinez, owners of Sea Ranch Abalone Bay, CA, have laid out some great tips on how to find owners directly. Read the in-depth run down on: How to Save Money When You Book Direct.

Are Orlando Vacation Rentals Licensed?

Yes. Every vacation home in Orlando is regulated by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation.  You can check records to make sure the owner is licensed: License Check at MyFloridaLicense Most owners are individually licensed and should be easy to find, but some are licensed under their Management Company. Don’t be alarmed if you don’t find a license. Speak to the owner and ask them for their license number. They should be able to either show you a copy of the license or provide you with the link to the management company license.

That’s Orlando Vacation Rentals Covered, What About Other Locations?

There are thousands of seasoned vacation rental owners all over the globe. If you apply the above checks you won’t go far wrong. And you can avoid service fees by booking directly.

During our 11 year vacation rental career, we’ve built associations with some amazing owners. These are our hand-picked favorites, we know the owners personally and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend any of them:

Anna Maria Island, Florida Nancy McAleer Anna Maria Vacation Rentals

Villa SeaShell, Curacao  Linda Lou Huiskes Villa Seashell Curacao

Vacation Rentals Manzanita, Oregon Kim Bergstrom Oceanside Cabin Manzanita

Sea Ranch Abalone Bay, California Donna Martinez Sea Ranch Abalone Bay

Book Direct Vacation Rentals:

If you are looking for booking options without service fees, several websites are perfect for just that.

Take a look at Houfy (stands for HouseForYou) for worldwide properties.
For Florida properties, take a look at FloridaRentalsByOwner.

Happy & Safe Rentals Without Service Fees!

And Don’t Forget: If you are looking for vacation rental homes in Orlando, check out our selection of beautiful homes, we’d love to welcome you. And we’ll never charge you a service fee!

Vacation Home Search:

If you own a vacation rental property and need a book direct website, take a look at OwnerWebs.