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VrboCare Terms and Conditions
What is VrboCare
VrboCare is a program that helps guests feel more confident about booking a qualifying vacation rental on Vrbo and its regional variants (such as Abritel, FeWo-direkt, Bookabach, and Stayz). In certain situations, described in these Terms, Vrbo may offer financial or practical help — for example, by finding alternative accommodation, contributing toward a replacement stay, or refunding some of the money paid for a booking.
VrboCare only applies to qualifying vacation rental stays booked on Vrbo. It does not apply to hotel stays or multi-unit inventory. VrboCare is not a satisfaction guarantee or “money-back guarantee”; it is a limited program that may assist only in the specific situations and on the conditions described in these Terms.
Vrbo is not a party to rental agreements and does not own, operate, or inspect the properties listed on the Vrbo platform; those agreements are between guests and hosts. The assistance listed in these Terms may support guests in addition to any rights available under rental agreements or applicable law.
Guest eligibility requirements
Guests may be eligible under these Terms if all of the following requirements are met:
Qualifying vacation rental booking and payment
The booking is for a qualifying vacation rental stay listed on Vrbo, such as a home, apartment, cabin, villa, cottage, or similar vacation rental property, and is completed through Vrbo Checkout, including any approved integrated partner payment link flow completed after Vrbo Checkout. VrboCare does not apply to hotel stays or other hotel-style or multi-unit inventory, even if it appears on the Vrbo platform.
Guest conduct
The guest has complied with Vrbo’s Terms and Conditions and the property’s stated terms and has not engaged in fraud, serious misuse, or other clear breach that caused or contributed to the issue.
Prompt notice
Except in emergencies, the guest notifies Vrbo promptly after discovering any serious access problem or suspected material defect or misrepresentation and gives Vrbo a reasonable opportunity to assist before making long-term alternative arrangements where it is safe to do so.
Reasonable recovery efforts
Where applicable or if requested by Vrbo, the guest makes a reasonable effort to resolve the issue with the host and seeks recovery from their host, bank, card issuer, or payment provider before requesting help from Vrbo.
Cooperation and documentation
The guest cooperates with Vrbo’s review of the situation and, if Vrbo requests it, provides relevant information and documents (such as proof of booking and payment, communications with the host, and evidence of any refund or chargeback attempts) within a reasonable time.
Vrbo may decline to assist or refund under these Terms if these conditions are not met.
When does VrboCare apply
VrboCare may apply to reservations affected by one of the following four types of “protected incidents:”
● Internet fraud involving Vrbo Checkout
● Host denial of entry or host cancellation
● Material defects and misrepresentation
● Wrongful refusal to return payments or deposits
These are the only four protected incidents under VrboCare. Each has specific conditions and limits, as explained in the subsections below. The types of support Vrbo may offer are described separately in “What assistance VrboCare may offer.”Only guests that are eligible under these terms may receive assistance under VrboCare.
Internet fraud involving Vrbo Checkout:
VrboCare may apply where Vrbo determines, in its reasonable judgment, that the payment was taken in a fraudulent way.
Host denial of entry or host cancellation:
VrboCare may apply where:
The host either:
Prevents the guest from checking-in or reentering the property at or after the scheduled check-in time; or
the guest meets the eligibility criteria listed in these Terms (i.e., the guest has not contributed to nor caused the underlying circumstances leading a host to deny entry or cancel).
Examples include:
● The host double-books the property and refuses to honor the affected stay.
● The host does not provide keys, access codes, or other essential access details in time, is unreachable for a meaningful period, and check-in is not reasonably possible.
● The host cancels for convenience or due to an issue with the property (for example, personal use, a better offer, or repairs) and expects the guest to make their own arrangements.
Material defects and misrepresentation:
Because property conditions can vary and not every scenario can be listed, Vrbo uses commercially reasonable and fair judgment to decide whether an issue is material for this Program.
An issue may be treated as material when:
● There is a serious, undisclosed issue with the property, or a complete failure or absence of a key feature clearly promised in the listing; and
● For the time it lasts, that issue significantly interferes with how a reasonable guest would expect to use the property for its core advertised purposes, or makes normal occupancy under usual conditions impossible for a significant part of the stay.
Examples include:
● The number of bedrooms or bathrooms being materially different from the listing.
● Essential utilities (such as running water, toilets, heating in winter, or cooling in extreme heat) not functioning and not restorable in a reason nable time.
● Serious health or safety conditions (such as major structural damage, severe mold, or heavy infestation) making it unsafe to stay.
Routine cleanliness issues and defects with non-essential amenities are not considered material defects or misrepresentations.
Suspected material defects or serious misrepresentations should be reported to Vrbo promptly after arrival or when the issue first appears, with a reasonable opportunity for Vrbo to assist where it is safe to do so.
This provision does not extend to situations off the property limits, such as neighboring homes.
Wrongful refusal to return payments or deposits
VrboCare may apply where:
● A booking requires a security, cleaning, or similar deposit, or prepaid rent to be paid; and
● A host refuses to return all or part of such an amount, or to issue a refund required by the property’s stated refund policy; and
● Vrbo concludes there is no reasonable basis for that refusal under the applicable House Rules or other terms.
A good-faith disagreement about whether damage occurred, or what it costs to repair, is not by itself a wrongful refusal under these Terms. Vrbo will decide, using commercially reasonable and fair judgment, whether any deposit or refund is being wrongfully withheld.
What assistance VrboCare may offer
Where Vrbo determines that a protected incident has occurred and the conditions in these Terms are met, Vrbo may, at its discretion, offer one or more of the following forms of support:
Refunds of eligible booking amounts
● Refunding some or all amounts paid for nights the guest could not reasonably use.
● Refunding payments or deposits that Vrbo determines the host has wrongfully refused to return under the property’s stated terms.
Please note: if a guest pays the host, through an approved payment link, after completing Vrbo Checkout, Vrbo may ask the host to issue any refund that is due. If the refund is not processed, Vrbo may direct the guest to seek recovery from their bank, card issuer, or payment provider before offering VrboCare assistance.
Short-term alternative accommodation and rebooking support
● Supporting guests in finding a comparable replacement stay. At Vrbo’s discretion, this may include reimbursing the difference in nightly rate where the replacement stay costs more than the original booking. At times, Vrbo may arrange and pay for emergency short-term alternative accommodation (e.g., a comparable hotel), while a comparable replacement stay is confirmed.
● Across any combination of hotel nights and replacement vacation rental nights, Vrbo will not extend the total stay beyond the original paid booking dates.
Vrbo does not provide financial assistance under VrboCare for cancellations more than ninety (90) days before the scheduled arrival date.
Refunds in internet fraud cases
● In internet fraud cases, refunding amounts paid after completing Vrbo Checkout that are not reversed or reimbursed by the guest’s card issuer, bank, or payment provider. Vrbo will only compensate the remaining shortfall after the bank or payment provider has processed any refund or reversal.
In all cases, Vrbo retains full discretion over whether to provide assistance, which form(s) to provide, and in what amount, subject to the limits and exclusions in these Terms.
Except for any payments or support actually provided under these Terms, Vrbo will not be responsible under this Program for any other losses, costs, or damages, and any broader limitations of liability in the Vrbo Terms and Conditions of Use continue to apply.
What VrboCare does not protect
VrboCare is a limited program and does not protect, among other things:
Off-platform or unsupported payments
Payments made entirely outside Vrbo Checkout or approved integrated partner checkout flows (including cash, checks, and direct bank transfers to a host).
Trip expenses beyond the vacation rental booking
Airfare, ground transportation, meals, activities, or other travel expenses that are not originally included in the amount paid for the qualifying vacation rental booking.
Indirect or extra losses
Indirect, special, or consequential losses such as loss of opportunity, inconvenience, or loss of enjoyment.
Amounts already refunded or recovered
Any amounts that have already been fully refunded by the host or recovered from a bank, card issuer, or payment provider.
Guest-fault situations
Situations where the primary cause is serious guest misconduct or clear breach (for example, fraud, non-payment, or obvious unauthorized events) and the host is reasonably entitled to keep payments or deposits under the property’s stated terms.
Abuse of VrboCare
Any use of VrboCare that Vrbo reasonably believes involves fraud, abuse, or an attempt to game this program.
These exclusions apply in addition to the conditions and limits set out elsewhere in these Terms.
No modification of these terms from customer service
These VrboCare Terms are the entire agreement between Vrbo and guests with respect to the VrboCare Program. Even if a guest is told something that conflicts with these Terms by a customer service representative, these Terms will apply and control how Vrbo administers this program. If there is any conflict between these VrboCare Terms and Conditions and the Vrbo Guest Terms of Service, these VrboCare Terms and Conditions will take precedence in relation to the VrboCare Program.
Please note: We do not own, operate, manage, control, or inspect the properties listed on our platform. We do not guarantee the safety of any property, or the truth or accuracy of any listing or other content provided on our platform. We do not guarantee the safety or conduct of any host or guest.