Skip to main content

How do I publish a listing to VRBO?

Create a new VRBO property from a Host Tools listing: what the listing and your VRBO account need, what gets sent, and when it can be booked.

Written by Tom Krones

Summary

If a listing is in Host Tools but isn't on VRBO yet, you can publish it as a brand-new VRBO property from Host Tools instead of building it again on vrbo.com. Host Tools creates the property on your VRBO account at the listing's address, fills it in with the listing's content and photos, and takes it live with every date blocked. Once publishing finishes, VRBO shows as one of the listing's channels, like any channel you connect yourself.

Before you start

  • Connect the VRBO account under Settings > Channels first.

  • The listing needs a name of 10 to 80 characters, a description, a street address, a city, a postal code, a country, a map location, a currency, a base price and a maximum number of guests. In the US, Canada or Australia it also needs a state. At an address with several units, add the apartment or unit number VRBO knows it by.

  • Your VRBO account needs a phone number, two-step verification and your business details (your legal name and billing address). VRBO won't list a new property without them.

If anything is missing from the listing, the publish window tells you what to add before you can publish.

How to publish a listing to VRBO

  1. Go to the Listings page and click the + button next to the listing to open Connect Channels.

  2. Next to VRBO, click Publish new property.

  3. Pick the VRBO account to publish to.

  4. Under You rent it out as, choose Private host or Professional host. VRBO asks this of every new property.

  5. If the property's area requires a short-term rental licence or registration number, enter it under Licence or registration number. Leave it empty otherwise.

  6. Click Publish. If content sync was off for the listing and it's already on other channels, a Review changes step shows what each of those channels will receive; check it and click Publish and send. Publishing takes a few minutes, and you can close the window while it works.

What gets published

Host Tools creates the property with the listing's name as its headline, its description, property type, rooms and beds, amenities, photos, house rules, check-in and check-out times, fees and base price, answers VRBO's questions with what you chose, and takes it live with every date blocked. VRBO lists it at once, with no review. Content sync is turned on for the listing. If it was off and the listing is on other channels, those channels get your Host Tools content at the same time, after you've seen it on the Review changes step; nothing is published or sent until you click Publish and send. The text of your house rules and any extra-guest fee go to VRBO with the listing's next content update.

💡 VRBO lists the new property with its own booking defaults: instant booking, a Lenient cancellation policy and pay-per-booking. You can change them on vrbo.com. VRBO asks you for your payout details later.

Prices and availability

A newly published property can't be booked until calendar sync is on for the listing. Every date starts blocked, and calendar sync opens the dates that are free in Host Tools and prices each night. If calendar sync is already on for the listing, this happens right away; otherwise it happens as soon as you turn it on.

FAQ

What happens if publishing fails?

VRBO can't delete a property, so a property VRBO refuses stays on your VRBO account, unseen by guests. Host Tools shows VRBO's reason in the publish window and on the Errors page. Fix it and publish the listing again: Host Tools carries on with the same property instead of creating another one.

Why did VRBO stop the publish?

VRBO needs a few things on your account before it lists a new property: a phone number, two-step verification and your business details. It also needs to know the address, and the unit number at an address with several units. Host Tools tells you which one is missing. Add it on vrbo.com or on the listing, then publish again.

Can I publish a listing that's already on VRBO?

No. Publishing is only offered for a channel the listing isn't on yet. If the listing already exists on VRBO, connect it instead.

Can I publish through the Host Tools API or MCP server?

Yes. Both can publish a listing to VRBO in the same way, with the same host type and registration number.

How do I know when publishing has finished?

You don't need to keep the publish window open. When publishing ends, Host Tools shows a pop-up, plus a browser notification if Host Tools is open in a background tab: either that the listing is published, with what happens next, or that publishing failed, with the reason. Click it to open the listing's settings.

Related Articles
Did this answer your question?