Vrbo 12% Commission: Fees, Parity, and Direct Bookings

Vrbo now charges hosts a flat 12% commission on every booking made on or after October 29, 2026. Most US hosts paid 5% to 8% before.

The Host Terms that took effect the same day also add two rules that get less attention: Vrbo must get fees and policies at least as good as any other channel, including your own website, and Vrbo can charge its commission on a direct booking that started with a Vrbo inquiry.

We read the new terms the day after they took effect. Quotes below come from Vrbo’s Host Terms of Service, effective October 29, 2026, and from Vrbo’s compensation FAQ.

What changed on Vrbo on October 29?

Vrbo’s 12% commission is a single fee on the nightly rate plus host fees such as cleaning and pets, with taxes and refundable deposits excluded. It replaces the 5% rate most software-connected hosts paid and the roughly 8% (5% commission plus 3% processing) other pay-per-booking hosts paid. It applies by the date a booking is made, not the stay date.

A stay in March that a guest booked on October 28 keeps the old rate. If a guest cancels and books again after October 29, the second booking carries 12%. The terms also allow Vrbo to change fees again with 30 days’ notice, and staying listed after a change counts as accepting it.

How much does Vrbo’s 12% commission cost per booking?

Take a booking with $1,000 of rent and cleaning, plus $120 in lodging taxes (a common Florida total). The table shows what the host pays Vrbo, or Vrbo plus a card processor, under each setup.

Hosts who take Vrbo payments through their own processor carry the steepest jump. The 12% includes processing only when Vrbo processes the payment, so their card fees still sit on top, and those fees run on the total with tax. Their cost on this booking nearly doubles, to about $153. Airbnb’s 15.5% host fee on the same booking is $155. The Vrbo guest also still pays a traveler fee on top, which Airbnb guests on host-only pricing do not.

What does Vrbo charge the 12% on, and when will you see it?

Vrbo’s FAQ says the commission is charged on the nightly rate plus host fees such as cleaning and pet fees, and not on taxes or refundable deposits. So your cleaning fee now pays 12% to Vrbo too. If your cleaning fee was set at the cleaner’s cost, it no longer covers the cleaner on a Vrbo booking. Our Florida cleaning fee guide shows what other homes charge.

When the charge shows up depends on how you get paid.

• Vrbo processes the payment: the commission comes out of your payout. Compare a payout for a booking made after October 29 with one made before.
• You process the payment yourself: Vrbo bills the commission to the card on file the month after checkout. A November booking for a December stay shows up on your January card statement. Many owners will not see the 12% until the holiday stays check out.

Florida owners have one more line to watch. When the host processes the payment, Vrbo collects no Florida lodging taxes, so your software has to charge them. We checked this on a Vrbo booking made after July 1: the taxes appeared once, from the host side, and Vrbo added none. Our Florida tourist development tax guide covers who remits what.

Does Vrbo require the same price as your own website?

Clause 4.5.7 of the Host Terms is the parity rule. It reads in part:

“For so long as any Property is listed on our Service, you will provide to Vrbo Content and Host Ancillaries that are at least as complete, accurate, current, detailed, and favorable as the information, content, services, amenities, fees, policies, rules, restrictions, availability, booking conditions, and other materials that you make available through your own websites, applications, booking engines, call centers, social media channels, property management systems … or any third-party booking, marketing, advertising, distribution, metasearch, AI-enabled agent, assistant, automated service, or other channel.”

The terms define Content to include fees, taxes, cancellation policies, and booking conditions. Host Ancillaries covers extras such as cleaning options, pet fees, early check-in, and late checkout. The clause reaches your own direct booking site and AI booking tools, along with the other booking sites.

The word “rates” does not appear in the clause. Two other parts of the terms still bear on price. Clause 7.1 lists “rate consistency” among the factors in your Vrbo search ranking. Clause 12.7.2 bars making your content “materially more” complete or useful to travelers on any other channel. Vrbo can act on listings that fall short under clause 9.2.14, after giving notice and time to fix it.

A direct site with a lower cleaning fee or a looser cancellation policy is the plainest case the clause covers. The travel industry publication Skift reported on October 7 that Vrbo plans to let hosts price lower on their own sites. As of October 30 the published terms still name “your own websites.”

Does Vrbo take a commission on direct bookings?

Yes, when the guest first reached you through Vrbo. Clause 4.8 calls an inquiry, booking request, “or other contact” through Vrbo a “Vrbo Lead.” If the guest then books with you directly “as a result of and within thirty (30) days” of that contact, by phone, email, or your website, the booking is “deemed attributable to Vrbo,” and Vrbo is owed its commission.

Three everyday cases fall inside it.

1. The guest messages you on Vrbo, then books on your site. Commission is owed if the booking falls inside 30 days.
2. Your home is booked, so you offer another one you manage. Clause 4.8.3 charges commission on the other home too, “regardless of whether Host lists the substitute property on our Service.”
3. You report it yourself. Clause 4.8.5 makes the host responsible for reporting these bookings through the Vrbo dashboard. If Vrbo decides an unreported booking came from a Vrbo lead, it can charge the commission “unless Host provides reasonable evidence to the contrary.”

Clause 4.8.4 adds that when you use Vrbo’s payment processing, the processing fees count in the total the commission is figured on. Owners who move Vrbo guests to their own site to save the fee now carry the reporting duty, and the risk of a charge later if they skip it.

Vrbo vs Airbnb fees for hosts now

Our Airbnb 15.5% host fee post covers the Airbnb side in detail.

For a host who processes Vrbo payments through their own processor, the two channels now cost about the same per booking.

What should Vrbo hosts check this month?

1. Open the Vrbo dashboard and confirm the commission rate it shows for your listing.
2. Find your first booking made after October 29 and compare its payout, or its card charge next month, against an older one.
3. Ask whether your Vrbo prices and fees were set when the fee was 5%. If they were, they now pay you less.
4. Compare your direct site's fees, cleaning, and cancellation policy with your Vrbo listing.
5. Decide how you handle a Vrbo guest who asks to book direct, and how you will report it.

Our Florida pricing mistakes post covers how channel fees skew prices.

Frequently asked questions