Confused about how VRBO works

[dreamshark]

I'm having a hard time distinguishing between the owners and the property managers in some of these listings. In the past, when I used the email form on the VRBO page I always got an email response from the villa owner. But this time I got a response from the property manager (Great Caribbean Getaways). A nice, prompt, friendly response. But not what I was expecting, since the property manager wasn't even mentioned on the VRBO page. Is this common?

I was initially a little confused by the email since it was signed "Dave Redinger, Great Caribbean Getaways - Owner." At first I thought that this meant that Dave was the property owner, but after poking around a little I realized that he must be the owner of Great Carib Getaways.

I have also noticed that some of the VRBO listings have a 5% management fee listed in addition to the 10% VI tax. This is one of those properties. I'm assuming that the 5% fee is for the management company, not VRBO, correct? Because most VRBO listings just reference the VI tax and mention no fee. Do most VRBO owners that use a management company just roll that fee into their listed price?

I want to emphasize that Dave gave me a quote for the villa that mentioned the fee up front, and his response was quick and professional. I am in no way implying there was anything suspicious about it. I was just surprised to find myself communicating with the management company instead of the owner. I know from reading this forum that you should always talk to the owners directly before booking. Should I just call the phone numbers on the page and stop messing around with email?

I would love some clarification from property owners and friends of property owners just how VRBO works. Thanks, everybody!

[Bonny in CA]

We rented a VRBO property last year, and we only dealt with the owners of the property, and no management fee...

Hopefully you'll get more responses, I'll be paying attention too, it's almost time to make some reservations!

[Teresa_Rae]

VRBO has changed quite a bit over the last several years. It used to be that pretty much any time you rented through VRBO, you were dealing directly with a villa owner. These days it completely varies based on the owner. Some villa owners choose to manage their property rentals through VRBO, even when their villas are represented by other management companies. Others choose to have a VRBO listing for more exposure/advertising, but still have a management company do all the leg work. I believe it costs $500 a year for VRBO listing. VRBO does not get a percentage cut of the profits, just the annual fee paid by the owners.

I've even dealt with both a management company and an owner before on a VRBO listing. It was the off season and I inquired through VRBO if there were any discounts available on a particular villa. A villa management company emailed me back and said that the owner would be contacting me directly to negotiate. Other than the price, the villa management company handled everything.

I believe Great Caribbean Getaways, like Caribbean Villas, is one of the few companies who add a 5% service charge onto villa rentals.

[mindehankins]

I made two inquiries this morning. A management company replied to one inquiry with an informative email. An owner phoned me directly in, response to the other. The owner then emailed me, also. I'm hoping to book the unit who's owner I spoke with - will let you know how that goes. I've never used VRBO before, either.

[chicagoans]

What Teresa_Rae said...

I've used VRBO for 5 property rentals (2 on Kauai, 3 on STJ.) With all but one I dealt directly with the owner. The 5th and most recent one the owner got back to me regarding rates, fees, answers to my questions, etc., but then referred me to the management firm (Caribbean Villas) for the contract and payment. On all my prior trips the owners were nice to deal with and the properties were great. I'll find out in less than 3 weeks how it is to deal with the management company. (woo hoo!)

Though I've read some warnings about VRBO scams, my experiences have all been very good.

FWIW, of the 5 only one has agreed to take a credit card. That was Starlit Escape for our first STJ trip and it was great because we went with 2 other families and just paid separately with PayPal so we all got miles. Wish they all did that!

[michigan girls]

I've used VRBO many times in different locations. Usually I get a response from an owner, but twice now (including my upcoming trip) the response came from a management company. While it's nice being able to speak directly to the owner, it's also nice being able to pay securely to the management company with plastic and I am looking forward to the management rep meeting us and leading us to the villa this year.

[stjchica]

Minde....
You already booking for another trip???? I'm jealous!

[mindehankins]

STJChica, yes! Our regular April visit is still a go. The visit with Jillian was the unexpected gift from my hubby. I absolutely recognize what a wonderful gift it was - I don't take it at all for granted!

[Teresa_Rae]

Chicagoans...regarding the credit card thing...multiple times villa owners have offered to give me a reduced rate (3% ish) if I don't use a credit card.

[dreamshark]

What Teresa_Rae said...
I've used VRBO for 5 property rentals (2 on Kauai, 3 on STJ.) With all but one I dealt directly with the owner. The 5th and most recent one the owner got back to me regarding rates, fees, answers to my questions, etc., but then referred me to the management firm (Caribbean Villas) for the contract and payment. On all my prior trips the owners were nice to deal with and the properties were great. I'll find out in less than 3 weeks how it is to deal with the management company. (woo hoo!)

Our rental last September was thru Caribbean Villas. I booked directly from their website, so I was not surprised that all correspondence was with them. I believe they did charge a 5% service fee. They were friendly and efficient in handling the paperwork. But the on-island management was all handled (very capably) by the owners. So I guess the meaning of "management company" is really variable.

I'm still confused about the 5% fee in cases where one property is listed on multiple websites. If I book this same property on Villafish, which does not charge a fee, will I get it cheaper? Will Great Caribbean Getaways still be involved?

[News of St. John]

I do not recommend using Villa Fish. I sought them out last year when I was inquiring about Coconuts. I wanted to use them because their website did not mention the 5% fee and they accept credit cards. When I went to book it, they told me that they were going to charge the 5% fee and the owner Jack nearly begged me not to use a credit card. He talked about the 3% fee he would be charged but I told him that I preferred to use a credit card because it offered travel protection. He eventually caved, but not happily.

A few days later we realized that we needed to change the dates of our reservation by one day - to a day that was open according to their calendar. Jack told me that I could not. Long story short, I emailed the villa owner on this forum. He told me that he was not contracted with Villa Fish and that they were a third party. Longer story shorter, I then began working directly with Caribbean Villas, not Villa Fish and it was smooth sailing from there. I also have at least a dozen not nicely worded message from Villa Fish.

[Teresa_Rae]

I'm still confused about the 5% fee in cases where one property is listed on multiple websites.

Yes, if you rent through a company that charges the fee like Caribbean Villas, you will pay 5% more for the same villa than if it is available through one of the many companies that don't have the fee.

[philbetm]

Yes, to what Teresa_Rae just said.

We decided on a home that is listed with C.V. and also on VRBO. It is listed as well with another company we have used multiple times. Through the first two I was going to have to pay 5% up charge fee plus put up $500 cash damage deposit. With our Co. of choice...same house...same price...but no fees other than 10% VI tax. Also no extra $$ for deposit...just a $35 ins. waiver instead. I like that arrangement better...so booked it with them.

Sherry

[waterguy]

It all depends who owns the calender or maybetter to see who is the primary agent

[dreamshark]

It all depends who owns the calender or maybetter to see who is the primary agent

Ah, a key piece of new terminology.

How does one determine who is the primary agent?