Lodgix has integrated directly with the VRBO network of properties (including 17 international sites). Reservations taken on VRBO flow directly into Lodgix.
All VRBO reservations will incur an additional 0.5% fee from Lodgix. The fee is calculated on the nightly rate only. This fee will be billed once per month—usually between the 2nd and 5th—to the credit card on file in Lodgix for all completed VRBO reservations from the previous month.
Most users pass this additional 0.5% fee on to the guest using a rate multiplier, increasing the rates sent to VRBO from Lodgix by 5% to 7% to account for both VRBO fees and the Lodgix 0.5% fee.
Benefits
There are many benefits to integrating directly with HomeAway (VRBO).
No dual entry: Property setup data entered into Lodgix is used to create listings on VRBO and all domestic and international listing portals owned by VRBO.
Automated updates: Every time you update your property in Lodgix (rates, images, marketing data, etc.), that data is synced with your VRBO listing automatically once per day (2:00 AM EST).
Cash flow control: Once integrated, guest credit card data from VRBO is tokenized, and a VRBO reservation becomes like any other reservation taken from your website or over the phone. VRBO will only collect the guest’s credit card data—they will no longer process the guest’s payment.
VRBO Does Not Support the Following
Optional fees
Currencies other than AUD, CAD, EUR, GBP, NZD, and USD
Special offers via integration (must be handled via refund/price adjustment after booking)
Weekly rates
Length-of-stay discounts must be used to offer discounts for guests staying seven nights or more. Ensure these discounts are not applied to weekly rates so that existing weekly rates in Lodgix continue to work for channels that support them.
VRBO may refer to weekly/monthly length-of-stay discounts as “merchandising.” No additional setup is required in Lodgix—simply configure them as described.
All automatic discounts configured in Lodgix (last-minute, length-of-stay, and promotional discounts) are sent to VRBO.
Before starting the integration with VRBO, recreate all existing reservations in your Lodgix account.
If you have future platform bookings, VRBO’s implementation team can enable a flag allowing you to complete those bookings via the VRBO dashboard. These bookings will have VRBO as the merchant of record. If issues arise, VRBO may advise collecting payment through Lodgix and marking the booking as paid in VRBO.
Integration Instructions – START HERE
Prerequisites:
A working payment gateway (e.g., Stripe.com or Authorize.net) must be set up in Lodgix before proceeding.
Navigate to Settings > Integrations and click the VRBO tab.
Enable the feed and select which properties to send to VRBO. At least one property must be enabled.
Contact VRBO via the form link on the VRBO integration page in Lodgix.
This will send your subscriber ID and company name to VRBO and initiate onboarding.
Settings
Click the Settings button on the VRBO integration screen and configure the following global settings:
Commission: Optional percentage to pass through to owners (note: applies to Airbnb bookings if used).
Instant Booking vs. 24-Hour Review: Instant booking improves visibility in VRBO search filters.
Rate/Rules Export Period: Controls how far in advance properties are bookable (6 months to 3 years).
Booking Lead Time: Prevents bookings too close to arrival (0–10 days).
Guest Communications: Choose “Use Guest Email” or “Use VRBO App.”
Custom House Rules: Configurable within VRBO documentation.
Guest Communications
Use VRBO App: Messages appear in the VRBO app but do not support HTML, URLs, or attachments.
Use Guest Email: Supports HTML, URLs, and attachments, but messages will not appear in the VRBO app.
Property Settings
Configure per property:
Cancellation Policy: Choose a VRBO policy or create a custom one
Rate Multiplier: Adjust pricing for VRBO only (e.g., 1.10 = +10%)
Marketing Title: Use property name or marketing title
PC Status: Price consistency (enabled by default)
Status: Displays configuration errors
Enabled: Select properties for the feed
Cancellation Policies
VRBO supports both standard and custom cancellation policies. Configure custom policies in Settings > Templates > Documents, then assign them to VRBO listings.
VRBO Guest Cancellations
While Lodgix allows marking cancellations as “guest-initiated,” it is recommended that guests cancel through their VRBO “My Trips” dashboard to avoid potential penalties.
VRBO has stated that cancellations marked as “Cancelled by Guest” in Lodgix should not trigger host penalties if transmitted correctly.
Rental Agreement Requirement
A dynamic rental agreement must be set up in Lodgix (Settings > Templates > Documents). This agreement will be displayed to guests as a PDF during the VRBO booking process.
VRBO Service Fees
VRBO charges guests a service fee separately at booking. This fee is not paid to you. You are responsible for processing the guest’s payment using the provided credit card details.
VRBO Price Consistency
If pricing differs between VRBO and Lodgix, a “VRBO Pricing Adjustment” fee may appear on the Lodgix invoice. Small differences are typically due to rounding, but larger discrepancies may indicate tax or fee configuration issues.
Example: If a non-taxable cleaning fee is collected at booking, VRBO may still apply tax, causing discrepancies. To resolve this, collect such fees later (e.g., at final payment).
Moving Reservations Between Properties
VRBO does not support moving reservations between properties. This requires canceling and rebooking or manually creating a new reservation.
City Registration / Compliance
Some municipalities require property registration. Statuses include:
Pending VRBO
Compliant
Compliant (action needed)
Not compliant
Not allowed
Cannot be determined
Some statuses allow entering registration details, which are then sent to VRBO.
Adding New Listings After Integration
New properties added to Lodgix and enabled for VRBO will sync within 24–72 hours. Initially, they will show as “Pending VRBO.”
Once available in VRBO:
Go to See Properties List
Select the Unassigned tab
Click “Switch to Subscription” to activate listings
Listings go live quickly if minimum content requirements are met.
FAQs
Q: Will payments made in Lodgix update the guest’s VRBO “My Trips” account?
A: Yes, updates should sync via the Business Update Service (BUS).
Q: Are videos supported on VRBO listings?
A: Not via integration. Videos must be added manually in the VRBO dashboard.
Q: Why does my VRBO listing show no availability?
A: Add ?dateless=true to the property URL to display accurate availability.