Integration overview
About
Vrbo is an American vacation rental online marketplace originally known as Vacation Rentals by Owner or Vrbo.
In 2006, Vrbo was acquired by HomeAway, and on December 15, 2015, Expedia Group, Inc. acquired HomeAway. As of April 2019, the site listed more than 2 million properties across the world that travellers could rent.
Minimum requirements to connect
In order to connect the Property Manager’s (PM’s) property to the Vrbo, the following requirements must be met:
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Company profile in Rentals United needs to be filled in (phone number, email address and so on).
Tip: First of all, make sure that you filled in the Merchant name and the Company name in the Company Profile. If the information are missing, you will not be able to connect to Vrbo. -
Address (Street treets number, Post code) and Location (Geo-coordinates) need to be complete;
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Licence number must be provided;
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Description: minimum 400 characters, maximum 10,000 characters;
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Bathroom: At least 1 bathroom. If the property does not have a bathroom room type, Vrbo will create a bathroom with a toilet automatically.
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Kitchen: There must be a kitchen at the property.
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Photos: minimum 6 photos (minimum width: 1024 px; minimum height: 768 px) are uploaded and the number of photos cannot exceed 50;
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Bedding composition across rooms needs to be provided;
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Prices and availability are provided for some seasons;
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Cancellation Policy: Cancellation Policy is selected;
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Arrival information, Normal check-in and check-out times, as well as Arrival instructions are provided.
Integration model
| Sync type | PUSH / PULL |
| Static data sync |
The static content is synchronised to the channel upon first-time connection. If the content is updated in Rentals United, the channel retrieves the changes once in 24 hours. |
| Availability, Rates & Inventory sync |
The ARI data is synchronised to the channel upon first-time connection. If the availability or prices are updated in Rentals United, the channel is updated automatically and no action is required. Additionally, the channel retrieves the changes once in 24 hours. |
| Instant bookings | Yes - see here |
| Booking requests | Yes - see here |
| Quote requests | Yes - see here |
| Reservation sync | PUSH |
| Reservation modifications |
Sales Channel to Rentals United Synchronised. See here. Rentals United to Sales Channel Synchronised. |
| Reservation cancellations |
Sales Channel to Rentals United Synchronised. See here. Rentals United to Sales Channel Synchronised. |
| Cancellation penalties | Cancellations are part of the data tracked by the Best Match algorithm. You are allowed to cancel 10 % of the bookings. It means that in order to cancel 1 booking, first 10 bookings need to be accepted. If more than 10 % is cancelled, you will be penalised and all the properties at your account will drop in ranking. See here. |
Additional info
| Accepted locations | - |
| Target guests |
- |
| Origin of the guests | - |
| Long stays (more than 30 days) | Yes. max. 90 nights |
| Channel website |
By connecting to Vrbo, your listing will be advertised through a multitude of channels. These include: the United Kingdom, Denmark, Spain, Finland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, France, the United States, Germany, Austria, Brazil, Canada (French), Canada (English), Australia, Mexico. |
| Affiliate channels |
Travelocity CheapTickets Orbitz Expedia Trivago KAYAK Other affiliates that specialise in vacation rentals. |
Inventory type
| Pick & Choose | No hotel type inventory is accepted. Must be self-catering (kitchen) and not be a shared space. |
| Multi-units |
Single-unit are accepted. Multi-units (hotel inventory type) in not accepted, but Rentals United creates one listing in the channel with the actual number of available units sent in availability. |
| Luxury inventory | No |
Channel performance
| Top location | - |
| Top inventory type | 2 and more bedrooms villas, cottages, houses |
| Top performance season | Depends on market and geography |
| Key amenities |
Set 30+ amenities at least. * Most popular hotel amenities:
* Most popular vacation rental amenities:
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| Best practices |
Tailor your content and curate your listing photos. Use attractive headlines and descriptions.
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* According to the Vrbo Traveler Value Index 2025
Charges & Payments
| Merchant of Record (MOR) | No |
| Charging party | Property manager is responsible for charging the guest, hence the payment method is not enforced. |
| Credit card details | CC details are available in Rentals United. |
Commission
| Commission |
5 - 15% There are two payment models offered by Vrbo:
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| Commission charging |
Commission is charged on the rental amount and any additional fees you charge the guest. |
| Commission application | Commission is charged from the rates provided to the channel (not added on top). |
| Negotiable commission | No |
Contract & Onboarding
| Average onboarding time | An average onboarding time is 3 - 5 business days, depending on your responsiveness to Vrbo and the quality of your property content. Rentals United cannot influence the time it takes to get live. |
| Onboarding instructions |
New clients: Connect to the channel and follow the instructions - see here. The channel will contact you in order to sign a contract.
Existing clients: Connect to the channel and follow the instructions - see here. Despite the fact that you may be an existing Vrbo client, you still need to sign a contract in order to connect to Vrbo through Rentals United. Once you complete the steps in Rentals United, you will be contacted by Vrbo to sign a new contract.
If you are switching from another PMS or API connection, and you have been already listing on Vrbo, Vrbo will also require that all upcoming reservations are mapped. Rentals United is not involved in the mapping process. Most likely, Vrbo will provide an excel sheet with the upcoming reservations and will request that the Rentals United reservation ID is inserted in the matching column. The property manager will need to add the reservations data into the PMS (if not there already) and the PMS needs to push those reservations into Rentals United, so that a Rentals United reservation ID is created. This reservation ID can be later used in the mapping spreadsheet. |
Contact & Support
Categorization
This channel is categorised as a Holiday Rental Website (HRW). An HRW website is a booking platform that follows a vacation-rental–oriented business model. HRW sites list each property as a unique unit - for example, an entire apartment, villa, or holiday home.
In this set-up, availability and pricing are managed individually for each property, reflecting its distinct features, location, and capacity. This model is tailored to guests seeking a “home away from home” experience, often preferring unique stays over standardised hotel-style rooms. For property managers, HRW platforms emphasise showcasing each rental’s individuality through photos, descriptions, and amenities, making differentiation a key factor in driving bookings.
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Rentals United property refers specifically to a single apartment;
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Single apartment belongs to the Advertiser ID.
For Vrbo, each user is provided with Advertiser ID, which is generated when connecting properties. It is possible to have more than one Advertiser ID for one user.
Good ranking in Vrbo
To be successful on Vrbo, it has to be understood how to receive a good ranking. Accounts positioned high in the ranking typically receive more bookings. To achieve this, Vrbo works with an algorithm called Best Match. This algorithm tracks your performance, which decides about your position in the ranking.
See more about how to rank higher on Vrbo.
The following aspects are taken into account:
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Follow Connecting to Vrbo;
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Cancelling a reservation principles must be followed;
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Response time in less than 15 minutes
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Competitive and market prices
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Calendars and pricing should be accurate for the next 12 months
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No changes in price throughout the booking process
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Less than 10% cancellation rate
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Comprehensive and accurate listing content
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Reviews (at least 5 per property)
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Average rating (higher than 4.5)
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Instant booking process is utilised;