We're proud to operate three of the most trusted online vacation rental marketplaces in the US: HomeAway.com, VRBO.com and VacationRentals.com. However, all online marketplaces can be targeted by people who want to take advantage of others, and our websites are no different.
We have integrated trust and security features throughout our sites and want you to get the most from them. Please follow the recommended best practices provided in this Security Center. By working together, we can safeguard the HomeAway marketplaces, and you'll enjoy greater peace of mind when renting your own home or booking a vacation rental from one of our owners or managers.
Read reviews on properties you like to see what past guests have to say about their experience
Contact the owners for information not included in the property description. A phone conversation can go a long way! Just as much as you are curious about the owner, they are curious about you. Engage in a healthy conversation and get to know one another.
When you are ready to book, review and sign a rental agreement and remember to read it carefully — each rental typically has their own cancellation policies and house rules.
We recommend calling the telephone number published on the property listing page to confirm your reservation and payment details. If the listing does not have a phone number, please contact us for assistance at 877-228-3145 .
Always follow our recommendations for safe payments.
Use HomeAway Payments*. Payments via HomeAway Payments are 100% guaranteed up to $10,000 against internet fraud. To locate properties that accept HomeAway Payments, look for the green and blue payments badge on the search hits, or use the filter 'Accepts Online Payments' on HomeAway or 'Book it Online' on VRBO.
An advertiser who does not use HomeAway Payments may wish to be paid by credit card, check, credit card funded PayPal account or bank transfer. Before sending payment using one of these methods, you should call the published telephone number on the listing and speak with the owner or property manager to confirm your reservation and payment details.
Never pay by cash or instant money transfer services such as Western Union or Money Gram. These payment methods are preferred by criminals, and using them will void any guarantees from HomeAway including the Carefree Rental Guarantee.
*Available on HomeAway.com and VRBO.com
Read the listing details and reviews, as this combination will help you get a sense of the owner and their rental practices. Call the owner and ask questions about the property such as how long they have owned it, and request references from past guests. You should also request a rental agreement, or if the owner or manager does not use rental agreements, ask for a printed list of your obligations as a renter.
We recommend speaking with the owner directly to try to resolve any issues. If the issue is more serious or hasn't been resolved after speaking with the owner or manager, please contact customer support — we take all complaints seriously.
Two-step verification adds an extra layer of security to your email account. When you sign in from a new or unrecognized device, your email provider sends you a text message or call you with a unique code to verify your credentials. View instructions below for enabling two-step verification for Google and Yahoo!. If you use another email provider, look for it in your security settings.
If you choose not to do this, or your email provider does not offer two-step verification, be extremely careful with your email password and change it regularly to keep it secure. Additionally, use caution when clicking on links from any email, and always begin an email session from the official log in page of your email provider.
Our owners and managers can communicate with travelers through email providers and systems outside of HomeAway's security walls. These external systems create the potential for phishing to occur. Phishing is when a criminal takes over an owner's or manager's email account. Once the phisher has control over their account, the phisher impersonates the owner or manager and convinces travelers to send money to the phisher's account rather than to the owner or manager. To protect yourself from phishing, always call the published telephone number on the HomeAway listing to confirm your reservation dates and payment details before paying. If no phone number is listed, please contact us for assistance at 877-228-3145.
We have a dedicated Trust and Security team looking for fraudulent listings. Be on the lookout for "too good to be true" deals, significantly lower rates than similar properties in the area, poor grammar and anything else which seems unusual as compared to other listings. If you are concerned about any listings, we encourage you to contact us.
Paying online with credit card or eCheck through HomeAway Payments is the most secure way to book a vacation rental on our sites. When the owner or manager sends an email invoice via HomeAway Payments, you are able to make immediate and secure payments by Visa, MasterCard, and Discover credit cards or an eCheck (US residents only). When you use HomeAway Payments, your payment is 100% guaranteed up to $10,000 against internet fraud. Ask the homeowner or property manager if you can pay with HomeAway Payments.
*Currently available to owners and managers who list on HomeAway.com or VRBO.com, and are residents of, or have bank accounts in the US, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, UK.
If the owner or manager does not accept payments through ReservationManager™, we recommend paying by credit card, check, PayPal or bank transfer after calling the telephone number published on the property listing page to confirm your reservation and payment details. If the listing does not have a phone number, please contact us for assistance at 877-228-3145 . Credit cards offer charge-back protection should there be any issues with your reservation. HomeAway guarantees your payment up to $1,000 if you follow the above recommendations.
Never pay by cash or instant money transfer services such as Western Union or Money Gram. These payment methods are preferred by criminals, and using them will void any guarantees from HomeAway, including the Carefree Rental Guarantee.
The Carefree Rental Guarantee from HomeAway guarantees the accuracy of listings up to $10,000 and protects against foreclosure and bankruptcy, double bookings, wrongfully withheld security deposits, and property misrepresentation. HomeAway's Carefree Rental guarantee may only be purchased on our website and is not 'free' or 'included' in any rental agreement offered by owners. The Basic Rental Guarantee from HomeAway automatically covers you up to $1,000 in protection. Learn more
While no one expects it, accidents do happen. Protect yourself against additional expense due to accidental damage to your rental with affordable Damage Protection. Damage Protection can reimburse you for costs due to accidental damage to your vacation rental if your refundable damage deposit is withheld or if you incur new charges because no deposit was held. Learn more
Vacation rental payments typically become non-refundable 30 to 90 days in advance of your trip. Don't lose your rental payments should something unexpected happen. Cancellation Protection protects nonrefundable vacation payments up to $50,000 if you have to cancel your trip due to sickness, injury, flight cancellations, mandatory evacuation, and job loss. At no additional cost, Cancellation Protection also includes lost, damaged or stolen baggage coverage, roadside assistance, medical and legal assistance, and a 24-hour assistance hotline. Learn more
Our online Help Center is available 24x7x365. And, if you need to get in touch with us, contact customer support 7 days a week, 7am - 7pm CT. Just select your brand and go: HomeAway.com VRBO.com VacationRentals.com
Have more questions? Ask the Traveler Community
The best way to protect your property is to get to know who you are renting to — before they arrive. While email may be convenient, we strongly encourage owners and managers to speak with potential guests before confirming their reservations. This enables you to learn more about them and their trip, and answer any questions they may have. Make sure the phone number on your listing is accurate and we recommend getting back to guests within 24 hours after they inquire.
* Per our online payment best practices, we recommend our travelers contact the owner or manager to confirm reservation and payment details before making any payment. Expect a phone call from your potential guests for every booking.
Paying via ReservationManager™ with credit card or eCheck is a secure way for a traveler to book a vacation rental on our sites. When the owner or manager sends an email invoice via ReservationManager, a traveler can make immediate and secure payments via credit card or eCheck (US residents only). Guest payments completed through ReservationManager are 100% guaranteed against internet fraud.
If you live in a country not currently supported by ReservationManager or advertise your property on VacationRentals.com, we strongly suggest you start accepting credit card payments through PayPal or another merchant account provider so guests can pay securely online.
Travelers should never pay cash or instant money transfer services such as Western Union or Money Gram. These payments are preferred by criminals, and anyone using them will not be eligible for guarantees from HomeAway, including the Carefree Rental Guarantee. Learn more about ReservationManager
Rental agreements do more than define the legal relationship between you and your guests—these agreements can help you communicate exactly how you wish your home to be treated, and describe your expectations to the potential renter. We strongly encourage you to use a rental agreement for each reservation and be sure to include the names of all parties, check-in / checkout dates, rental amounts, payment schedules, and of course, your cancellation and refund policies. We also recommend including house rules and policies around cleaning fees, pets, and smoking.
Property Damage Protection provides up to $5,000 in coverage for accidental damage to the vacation rental. Plans start at just $49 (for $1,500 in coverage) and with no deductible and a quick online claims process, you’re protected against accidental damages including broken lamps and windows, damaged doors, walls and furniture, stained bedding, towels, or linens, and lost or stolen keys including rekeying costs. Learn more
It can be awkward when a guest needs to cancel and is surprised that you are unable to refund their rental payment. Protect your rental income by offering guests Cancellation Protection up front, which protects non-refundable vacation payments up to $50,000 for covered reasons. Learn more
Fake (spoof) websites and emails try to look like our site and emails or pretend to be from your email provider. The scammers who create these sites and send these emails do so in the hope you will fall for the scam and enter your username, password and other personal information. If you receive a suspicious email, do not click on any links or reply. Common signs of a suspicious email would be one that doesn't include normal brand heading, has typos and errors, or asks for personal information via email.
If you receive an email that you think might be from HomeAway, but looks suspicious and claims to come from one of our brands, please call us at 1-877-228-3145. If you receive an email or message that asks you to re-enter your username and password for your email provider, close that window and sign into your email account from the email provider's website.
To access your owner dashboard on a HomeAway website, log in ONLY via our official websites.
HomeAway has invested in trust & security technology to detect spam and scam inquiries, but even so, occasionally sophisticated spam attempts get past our filters. When you receive a scam or spam email, please let us know so that we can try to prevent others.
We have numerous security features in place to keep your HomeAway accounts secure but we do not have any control over the security procedures of your email provider. Two-step verification adds an extra layer of security to your email account. When you sign in from a new or unrecognized device, your email provider sends you a text message or call you with a unique code to verify your credentials. View instructions below for enabling two-step verification for Yahoo! and Google.
If you have another provider, look for it in your security settings. Gmail Instructions Yahoo! Mail Instructions If you choose not to do this, or your email provider does not offer two-step verification, be extremely careful with your email password and change it regularly to keep it secure. Additionally, use caution when clicking on links from any email, and always begin an email session from the official login page of your email provider.
Set and keep expectations with travelers. Keep your profile, listing and photos current. Use a rental agreement to protect yourself (and your traveler) and abide by it. One of the most common complaints from travelers is their security deposits not being returned in a timely manner — please be sure to return it or provide a written reason why it wasn't in a timely manner.
If a traveler has been communicating with someone else about your property or even paid them, most likely your email or HomeAway account has been phished by a thief. These incidences should be reported to HomeAway immediately by calling 877-228-3145 (7 AM to 7 PM Central Standard Time) so we can assist you in taking the necessary steps to secure your account and protect future travelers.
Reviews matter to travelers and will help you gain trust and credibility; be sure to request a review from each and every guest who stays with you.
Travelers look for them — reviews from past guests give travelers confidence when booking your vacation rental.
Reviews aid in establishing trust and credibility. A vacation rental is a big purchase for the average family. Prospective renters want to read reviews of your home from past guests to reassure them that the home is depicted accurately. Build instant trust with potential renters by getting past guests to write reviews of their stay at your home. We also encourage you to respond to less-than-positive reviews so that you can help other potential renters put the review into context.
Every vacation rental is different. Reviews are even more important for vacation rentals because the traveler isn't considering two or three brand name hotels; they're comparing vacation homes rented by individual owners.
Our online Help Center is available 24x7x365. And, if you need to get in touch with us, contact customer support 7 days a week, 7am - 7pm CT. Just select your brand and go:HomeAway.com VRBO.com VacationRentals.com
Have more questions? Visit Community from HomeAway