Vrbo Long-Term Rentals: Should You Make Your Property Available for Longer Terms?

Vrbo is a popular online booking platform for vacation rentals where property owners can rent out entire properties to short-term rental guests. Like Airbnb, Vrbo also has long-term vacation rentals available to vacationers and business travelers who plan longer trips. These are fully furnished homes with all the amenities where guests can settle and live comfortably for a month or longer.

Vrbo Long-Term Rentals: Why Are They Popular Among Guests?

Vrbo allows hosts to accept month-long reservations on top of its usual short-term rental offerings. The platform focuses exclusively on entire home rentals and attracts a family-oriented audience who often seek traditional vacation stays in beach towns, mountain areas, and scenic resorts. Vrbo guests prioritize comfort, privacy, and home-away-from-home experience and tend to book longer stays.

Travelers who plan longer trips often book a stay on Vrbo long-term rentals rather than in hotels to save on costs because Vrbo lets hosts offer monthly discounts to encourage longer stays. Besides, guests can enjoy amenities that offer home comfort, including a full-functioning kitchen, a washer and a dryer, WiFi, and smart TV. Guests who don’t want to leave a Vrbo property after just a month can easily extend their stay because monthly vacation rentals allow them to continue their bookings.

Is It Worth Accepting Long-Term Bookings for Vrbo Vacation Rentals?

Of course, short-term rentals can generate a higher income than long-term rentals because you can charge a higher nightly rate during the peak season. But you can also use Vrbo to rent out your property long-term to increase occupancy during quieter months. This hybrid approach can help you sustain your vacation rental business during a slow season and maximize your property’s income potential if you market your Vrbo rental properly and manage it efficiently.

It will be easier to succeed in a highly competitive vacation rental market if you automate your hosting routine using vacation rental software like Hospitable. This way, you’ll improve your operational efficiency and will be able to manage your business hassle-free, even remotely.

Still, you should remember that allowing long-term bookings for short-term rental properties comes with benefits and drawbacks. It’s important to carefully weigh these pros and cons to determine what is best for your Vrbo business. Let’s look at the advantages of Vrbo long-term rentals and their potential downsides.

Pros:

• A more stable and predictable income stream that you can rely on for a longer period compared to shorter-term bookings.
• Easier operations since with monthly rentals, you can reduce the number of vacation rental turnover cleanings.
• Better relationships with neighbors because longer stays mean more opportunities for guests and neighbors to get to know each other and form connections.

Cons:

• You’ll have less flexibility to use your property for personal reasons, and you’ll need to wait longer until the stay ends before making changes or renovations.
• If long-term bookings overlap with peak days, you’ll miss the chance to charge a higher nightly rate and earn higher income from high demands from short-term guests.
• A significant portion of scams, like letting squatters into your place, happen during longer stays. Luckily, you can protect yourself with an additional measure of guest verification.

Vrbo Monthly Rentals: Tips for Setting Your Listing for Longer Stays

Before you list your property on Vrbo, you need to research and learn about the local rules and regulations for operating vacation rentals and long-term rentals to ensure compliance. They include zoning laws, building codes, business and short-term rental licenses, and tax requirements.

You also need to optimize your Vrbo listing and encourage guests to book your home for the long term:

• Set your minimum stay requirements—usually, long-term stays are a minimum of 28 nights.
• Offer monthly discounts to encourage guests to book a longer stay.
• Clearly outline your Vrbo cancellation policy and state how many days before the check-in guests can cancel the booking and what percentage of the amount paid will be refunded.
• Create a welcome guide and include detailed instructions on how to use appliances, recommendations for day-to-day living, and other essential information for your guests.

Still, you should be ready that guests staying longer at your property, may have many questions and expect quick answers. That means you need to maintain effective communication with your guests via messages, and it’s easy if you opt for Hospitable. Our tool uses Artificial Intelligence to help you automate 90% of your guest communication.

You should also optimize your vacation rental property for long-term stays, taking into account your target guests’ needs:

• Provide a well-equipped kitchen with cookware, utensils, a high-quality coffee maker, and appliances so guests can have the convenience of home-cooked meals
• Offer a washer and dryer and other essential supplies and amenities
• Provide a stable WiFi connection with fast download and upload time
• Create a dedicated workspace to attract business travelers and digital nomads
• Optimize storage space to ensure that guests who stay longer can have enough room for their belongings.

Final Thought

Vrbo allows hosts to decide the minimum length of stay for their properties, so you can rent out your vacation rental property for the long term if you choose to. Remember that Vrbo long-term rentals may not be as profitable as short-term rentals since guests typically expect a discounted price. However, monthly stays can be a good alternative that can help you ensure a more consistent income during off-peak season.