Can anyone explain how Owner Rez an VRBO work in regards to fees w VRBO? What does it mean when VRBO states:
“If you use a property management software to manage your listings, you are charged a 5% booking fee for bookings made through our family of sites. “(I think I get this. It’s the typical fee they are charging owners if you do t have a subscription).
The part I don’t understand is: “If you source the reservation to our sites, and the reservation was not booked through our checkout flow, you will be charged a 10% booking fee.” What does this mean?
Lastly, is payment for a VRBO booking allowed to be collected through Owner Rez instead of VRBO collecting it? Is it better to do it this way?
thank you!
Hi Rachel!
Vrbo onboards all new API connections on a Pay Per Booking plan. If you were on an annual subscription plan prior to connecting, it seems that often, the system is smart and properties that previously were on subscription will be grandfathered back in to that. It that doesn't happen, you can reach out to Vrbo IPM support to request that you be placed back on that annual subscription.
If you create a booking in OwnerRez and allocate Vrbo as the listing source, but the guest did not step through the Vrbo checkout flow directly on platform, you will be charged a 10% booking fee for that booking. So, basically, don't do that normally, and if you do, make sure to adjust the charges so the guest is paying you more to cover that. Vrbo guests must book through the checkout flow in Vrbo in order for Vrbo to collect their channel fees from the guest. That is also how Vrbo grabs the card data to pass to OR via the API.
Payments for Vrbo bookings are allowed to be collected through OwnerRez when you are API connected, and processed via your payment processor. That being said, the Vrbo guest does need to initially enter their payment information on Vrbo's platform so that Vrbo can collect those channel fees from the guest. If you require a second payment on your bookings, OwnerRez will automatically charge the card on file on the due date, as long as your settings are configured to do so. Vrbo has already taken their cut when the guest entered their card for the first payment.
Hi Bri!
Is there a way for VRBO to charge the guest the 100% payout? In other words, can VRBO collect the total booking amount along with their fee and then pay me the remaining portion? I understand that many hosts use OwnerRez to avoid this situation, but in my country, there are significant limitations with credit card processors.
Im about to API connect but in my case vrbo will be a failure if I need to process their payments.
Thanks for your advice.
Hi Fernanda,
As long as you're API connected to VRBO then generally no. There's typically no means to accomplish what you're looking for yet.
We don't generally recommend not being API connected, but if you really need to you could try utilizing iCals instead.
This could lead to more headaches down the road such as double bookings, but it would allow Vrbo to remain in charge of the payment process.
Hi! I have been managing my channel rates for appropriate adjustments, and I have two properties on an annual VRBO subscription. I had a guest make an inquiry, and that inquiry shows an approximate 12% charge coming out of my rates to pay VRBO, not an added guest fee. Is this an Ownerrez mistake, a VRBO mistake, or a change in terms that went under the radar? Any help would be much appreciated!
Great question — this is actually expected behavior, not a mistake by OwnerRez or Vrbo. Let me explain what's happening.
What That ~12% Charge Is
When a guest inquires or books on Vrbo, Vrbo charges the guest a separate booking/service fee (which typically runs around 12%). This is a guest-facing fee charged directly by Vrbo — it is not coming out of your rates or your pocket.
Here's the key distinction for Subscription listings like yours:
You are not responsible for or involved in this transaction. It's purely between Vrbo and your guest.
Vrbo Common Issues & Questions > Financial Transactions > How do Vrbo's channel fees get paid?
Why It Shows Up in OwnerRez
OwnerRez does receive the booking fee amount from Vrbo via the channel integration and displays it at the bottom of the Charges tab of a booking for your reference — but again, this is purely informational. It does not affect your payout.
Vrbo Common Issues & Questions > Financial Transactions > How do Vrbo's channel fees get paid?
Bottom Line
✅ This is normal and expected behavior — no mistake on OwnerRez's part or Vrbo's part, and no change in terms. ✅ Your rates are not being reduced — the guest simply pays an additional Vrbo service fee on top of what you charge. ✅ Your subscription model means you pay no per-booking commission — only your annual listing fee.
If you have further questions about how fees are structured, feel free to reach out to Vrbo directly or reply here and we're happy to help!
