Vrbo Host Requirements: What Do You Need to Host on Vrbo?
Vrbo presents a lucrative opportunity for anyone looking to get into the vacation rental industry. But can just anyone become a host? What are the requirements?
In this chapter of our Ultimate Guide to Listing on Vrbo, we’ll walk you through all the Vrbo host requirements you need to be aware of, from listing and photo specifications to safety standards and minimum age requirements.
Don’t see the form to download our Ultimate Guide to Listing on Vrbo? Click here.
Remember: Vrbo requirements start with local regulations
Before we get into Vrbo-specific requirements for listing, know that the platform expects its hosts to comply with all their local vacation rental rules and regulations. So, if you haven’t already, your first step should be to check the legislation in your area.
While laws vary by location, even at the city and county level, some common regulations include:
- Registration and licensing requirements
- Caps on the total number of vacation rentals allowed to operate
- Zoning ordinances limiting vacation rentals to certain areas
- Tax rules, such as the requirement to collect and remit transient occupancy taxes
- Homeowners association (HOA)-specific rules or even bans
- Regulations related to building safety and health codes, parking, and liability insurance
Do your research and look into each of the above items in your area before creating your Vrbo listing to ensure you don’t miss any important requirements!
Vrbo listing requirements
So, what do you need to host on Vrbo? Requirements to list on Vrbo are fairly straightforward. To list on their platform, Vrbo requires:
- Accuracy: Your listing must give an honest and accurate portrayal of the rental property.
- Location: You have to give a precise location of your property.
- Originality: Copying and pasting information from other listings is not allowed.
- One listing per property: Vrbo allows only one listing per property on each account (so you can’t create multiple listings for one property to try to increase visibility and bookings).
- Specificity: Each property listing must describe the advertised unit only—don’t describe additional units in the same listing.
On top of these requirements, Vrbo also asks that your listings comply with their Marketplace Standards and Content Guidelines.
Continue to our chapter on How to Create a Vrbo Listing for details on the specific steps involved and what to include.
Vrbo photo requirements
Adding professional-quality photos to your listing will be essential to your success on Vrbo, giving you an opportunity to show off your unique selling points and guests an idea of what to expect.
To help you on this front, Vrbo outlines some specific photo requirements for you to keep in mind. First, note that you’ll need at least six photos in your listing at all times. For multi-unit properties, these photos must include at least one building exterior photo, one interior/lobby photo, three guest room photos, and one bathroom photo.
These photos must meet the following requirements:
- Minimum quality resolution: 1024 x 683 pixels
- Ideal quality resolution: 3840 x 2160 pixels or higher
- Maximum file size: 20 MB
- Photo orientation: Horizontal/landscape
- Supported formats: JPEG/JPG, PNG, or GIF
But that’s not all. On top of the above guidelines, you should also make sure your photos are not:
- Inappropriate
- Low-resolution, blurry, or too dark
- Black and white
- Watermarked
- Collages
- Branded
- Featuring a border
- Copied from another listing
- Oriented incorrectly
- Blank or duplicated
- Copyrighted material
- Documents, certificates, illustrations, or posters
- Close-ups of plants
- Pictures of license plates
- Of areas/things unrelated to your property/area
- Of text, such as URLs or contact info
Vrbo’s platform has a feature that flags photos that don’t meet the above requirements, so be sure to double-check your photos before uploading them.
Vrbo host requirements for safety
Vrbo recommends that you comply with any regional laws and regulations pertaining to safety, but also provides some specific tips to help keep your guests and property safe:
- Provide a fully stocked first aid kit for emergencies.
- Supply proper equipment for fire safety, including a fire extinguisher and smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.
- Make sure all exterior doors and windows have working locks, checking them regularly.
- Ensure you have a clear emergency exit route and that guests are aware of it.
- Install adequate exterior lighting so guests can find their way in the dark.
- Maintain your property free of tripping hazards and poisonous materials, such as poison ivy or oak.
- Consider child-proofing your property if you advertise to families.
- Refer to Vrbo’s policy on surveillance devices if you use security cameras outside your property.
Be sure you include details about all the above items in your listing description, so guests know exactly what to expect and where to find your safety equipment. You may also want to provide them with contact information for local emergency services and hospitals.
Vrbo age requirement for hosts
While there’s not technically an age requirement for Vrbo hosts, Vrbo’s Host Terms of Service state that you must be 18 years of age to create an account. Chances are, most people looking into becoming a Vrbo host meet this requirement!
Start hosting on Vrbo
Prepared to meet the Vrbo host requirements? This marks the beginning of your Vrbo journey, and there are a lot of exciting things in store for you!
Your next steps are to actually create your Vrbo account and then your listing. We include step-by-step instructions in our next chapters, or you can download our full Ultimate Guide to Listing on Vrbo below!
Don’t see the form to download our Ultimate Guide to Listing on Vrbo? Click here.