Vrbo Rental Agreement: What You Need to Know

To ensure your STR business runs smoothly, you must protect your Vrbo property from damages and minimize the risks of dealing with problem guests. One of the ways to do that is to have a Vrbo rental agreement that clearly defines your and your guests’ rights and responsibilities. Read on to discover why a rental agreement is essential for both parties and what key things you should include.

What Is Vrbo Rental Agreement and When Should You Use It?

Vrbo defines a rental agreement as an agreement between a host and guest(s) about their expectations and legal relationship. These documents can help hosts outline their policies and guidelines on guest behavior during their stay.

If you have more than one Vrbo listing, you should create a unique short-term rental agreement for each vacation rental property. You must save your Vrbo rental agreement as a PDF file on your computer and then upload it to Vrbo. Then, your guests can review it before they book a stay.

While a rental agreement can be helpful in some cases to avoid risks and protect your property and your rights, Vrbo also recommends providing clear house rules directly on their website. The house rules supersede your rental agreement; you can include them for every STR property you list on this OTA platform.

Then, you can share the rental agreement details with each guest who books your property and request them to sign it. It won’t be a problem if you opt for vacation rental software like Hospitable. Our tool will allow you to automate every aspect of hosting, including guest communication, and take advantage of our Rental Agreements functionality, available for all Hospitable users, no matter what channels your guest uses to book your property.

Vrbo Rental Agreement: What to Include

Every STR property is different, and each host has a unique hosting style, so the policies and guest behavior guidelines included in a rental agreement will vary depending on a specific situation. But some basic points should be included in your rental agreement for Vrbo:

• Rental property details—include the legal address of your rental property and information about the property type, write a detailed description of your rental space, and specify what amenities you offer.
• Information about both rental parties—include your full legal name and the full names of all guests who will stay at your home during the specific rental period.
• Rental period—include the dates of the arrival and departure.
• Maximum occupancy—limit the number of guests allowed to stay at your vacation rental.
• Check-in and check-out processes—tell guests how to access your vacation home and state the exact check-in and check-out times.
• Payment details—specify the nightly rate, additional fees, and payment terms and outline everything related to payment.
• House rules and restrictions—outline your pet, noise, and smoking policies, age requirements, and if you charge penalties for breaking the rules, highlight that in your contract.
• Cancellation policies—explain in detail how a guest can cancel the rental agreement.
• Violation of agreement—explain the consequences of either party violating the agreement.

Vrbo Rental Agreement: What Are the Benefits?

Writing a clear rental agreement, a legally binding document, is worth your time and effort because it will protect you, your property, and your guests.

• It will give you more confidence when renting your home to strangers.
• It will ensure that you and your guests are on the same page about what is and is not acceptable on your property.
• It will help protect you and your guests from misunderstandings or legal issues during the stay.
• A rental agreement can be useful for record-keeping and will provide the proof you need if the IRS audits you.

Vrbo Rental Agreement: Protect Your Property with Hospitable

Not all STR hosts and property managers use a rental agreement when dealing with guests on Vrbo. And suppose you’re a busy host managing multiple listings on different channels. In that case, you may not like spending your precious time creating a new agreement for each property and reservation.

Each guest will receive a prompt to review and sign the rental agreement to ensure they agree to its terms before their stay. Before signing, guests must verify their identity by receiving a one-time code via email or SMS.

We’ll even send a reminder to your guests two days after the booking is accepted if the agreement has not been signed yet. Once the agreement is signed, our system will generate a unique document in PDF format for your records, and your guest will be able to download its copy.

This functionality also works for extra guest services, such as equipment rentals you may offer your guests to enhance their stay. For example, you can create a bike rental agreement for your guests to sign digitally.

Just remember that after you finish creating your template, you need to update your Vrbo listings and include the terms of your rental agreement. Then, your potential guests will know they will be required to sign a rental agreement if they book your property.

Check out our help article for more details. You’ll find step-by-step instructions to better understand how this functionality works.

Final Word

A Vrbo rental agreement can help set clear expectations and ensure that guests will respect your vacation home as much as you do. Since this critical document provides details about the rights and responsibilities of both parties, it can help protect you and your guests if there are any disputes. This way, you may avoid serious problems and conflicts with guests during and after their stay.