What Are Vrbo Monthly Rentals: How to Host Them?

Vrbo is typically associated with short-term rentals, but many travelers also look for longer stays on the platform. This is where Vrbo monthly rentals come in.

In this article, we’ll explain what Vrbo monthly rentals are, how they work for hosts, what requirements they face, and how to price them right. We’ll also cover the pros and cons, give you practical tips for success, and show you how PriceLabs can help you earn more.

What Are Vrbo Monthly Rentals?

Monthly Vrbo rentals are vacation properties that are listed on the website for one month or more. Guests who need housing away from home for work, school, relocation, or extended vacations often book them. For hosts, this means fewer guest turnovers and more stable income than with nightly bookings.

Learn more about the key differences between short-term rentals vs long-term rentals.

Does Vrbo Offer Monthly Rentals?

Indeed, Vrbo provides monthly rental listings, also known as long-term vacation rentals. As a host, you can choose to make your property available for longer stays and adjust the rules, pricing, and discounts accordingly to attract travelers planning extended trips.

Learn about the main differences between listing on Airbnb vs Vrbo.

Vrbo Monthly Rentals: Listing Requirements

Now that we’ve cleared the answer to the question “Does Vrbo do monthly rentals?,” let’s figure out what is required to list your property on a long-term – rather than short-term – basis.

While the platform doesn’t have any specific rules for monthly rentals, hosts need to comply with the general Vrbo listing requirements:

• List an entire property: You cannot out rooms on Vrbo.
• Furnish your property comfortably taking into account the needs of extended-stay guests
• Provide accurate information in the listing headline and description
• Include the exact location of the rental
• Offer detailed house rules and policies including check-in and Vrbo check-out instructions, your Vrbo cancellation policy, and your Vrbo refund policy
• Supply and list all necessary amenities for Vrbo monthly stays: Some common examples include a well-equipped kitchen, a laundry machine and a dryer, comfortable bedding, and fast WiFi.
• Install and confirm required safety equipment, such as carbon monoxide detectors, smoke alarms, and fire extinguishers
• Compliance with regulations, including local short-term rental laws and zoning regulations

Some special considerations to keep in mind when listing a monthly rental on Vrbo are:

• Minimum night stay requirement: To list a monthly Vrbo rental, you need to set up the minimum stay requirement to 28 days or more. This can be done from the Settings menu on the Calendar.
• Monthly discounts: Extended-stay travelers expect Vrbo monthly rentals to cost significantly less per night than short-term ones. While there isn’t a standard discount rate, most hosts offer 10-20% off for monthly stays, with some reaching up to 40%. For instance, this Vrbo host shared on Reddit that they have a 12% discount on all stays of 7+ days:

Shortly, we’ll discuss how to set up the best price for your Vrbo monthly rentals.

Are Monthly Vrbo Rentals a Good Idea for Hosts?: Pros & Cons

Vrbo Monthly Rental Pros

• Steady income: Long stays reduce gaps between bookings, which results in a more predictable income.
• Less turnover: With fewer guests arriving and departing, you have less check-ins and check-outs, vacation rental cleanings, and communication to manage.
• Less marketing and advertising efforts: You have to put less effort into your vacation rental marketing strategy as you don’t have to be constantly looking for new guests.
• Lower operating expenses: Longer-term rentals come with less wear and tear, which translates into less maintenance, as well as fewer cleanings between guests. Also, property managers usually charge lower rental management fees for monthly rentals.
• High demand: Many digital nomads, remote workers, traveling professionals, students, and even retirees search for monthly rentals Vrbo listings.

Monthly Rentals on Vrbo Cons

• Lower nightly rates: Long-term rentals come with an expected level of discount, which means a less attractive daily price, while you still have to cover the Vrbo host fees.
• Less flexibility: It gets harder to block your property for your personal use or for maintenance work if it’s reserved for an entire month.
• Missed opportunities: If a monthly rental covers the time of a public holiday or a local event, you miss the chance to raise the pricing during the more demanded period.
• Policy risks: Last-minute cancellations have a stronger impact on your revenue as it’s hard to find another guest for a whole month. 
• Scam risks: Scams by guests, such as squatters, tend to happen more often with monthly rentals than with nightly ones.

5 Tips for Successful Vrbo Monthly Rentals

1. Provide the Right Amenities

Travelers staying for weeks need comfort and practicality. Add a full kitchen, laundry machine, strong WiFi, and a desk for remote work.

Create your own Market Dashboard with the help of PriceLabs to identify the most common vs the most desired amenities for monthly Vrbo rentals in your market. Use this knowledge to tailor your property to the requirements of guests and stand out from the competition. This eliminates the need to learn how to find monthly rentals on Vrbo to get a list of the most popular amenities without knowing whether guests actually enjoy them or not.

2. Set Clear House Rules

Monthly rental Vrbo guests need to know the limits you have set in your house rules. Be upfront about pets, extra guests, smoking, and scheduled maintenance visits. This avoids costly damages or disputes later on.

3. Use Professional Photos

In your listing on Vrbo, show every angle of the home in high-quality photos. Highlight workspaces, the kitchen, sleeping spaces, and storage. Put emphasis on the outdoor space. Guests booking for a month want to see the full living experience.

4. Offer Flexible Discounts

Monthly Vrbo rentals tend to win bookings when priced competitively. Provide various long-stay discounts depending on the length of the reservation and the time of the year to optimize revenue.

5. Communicate Early and Often

Before confirming a reservation, ask guests about their needs. During the stay, check periodically to ensure everything runs smoothly. A month is a very long time during which many things can happen. Frequent check-ups build trust and lead to positive Vrbo guest reviews.

How to Price Your Monthly Rental on Vrbo Optimally

Pricing is one of the most important factors for success in the vacation rental business, whether you rent out daily, weekly, or monthly. Guests expect sizable monthly discounts compared to nightly stays. But you also need to balance profitability and account for the Vrbo service fee.

Instead of guessing the right daily rates for Vrbo monthly rentals, you should use dynamic pricing tools. The PriceLabs Vrbo Pricing Tool helps you automatically adjust your prices based on demand, seasonality, and competitor data, in real time. Meanwhile, you can set up rules for discounts based on length of stay, last-minute bookings, and far-out stays to strike the perfect balance between rates and occupancy.

Launching Vrbo Vacation Rentals with Strong Performance: Final Words

Vrbo monthly rentals give vacation rental investors the opportunity to enjoy some of the benefits associated with owning a long-term rental property without losing all flexibility and freedom and while still maximizing income. While they come with special requirements, with the right setup and pricing, they can be very rewarding.

By offering the most in-demand amenities, setting clear guest policies, and using PriceLabs’ Dynamic Pricing, you can ensure your monthly Vrbo rentals deliver strong results, month after month.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Does Vrbo Have Monthly Rentals?

Yes, Vrbo has monthly rentals. The platform even has a special section where guests can look for extended stays.

2. How to Search for Monthly Rentals on Vrbo?

Travelers can filter listings by length of stay. By setting the check-in and check-out dates for one month or longer, they can easily access properties that allow monthly stays.

3. Are Vrbo Monthly Rentals Profitable?

The profitability of monthly rentals listed on Vrbo depends on multiple factors. It all starts with buying a vacation rental investment property with a strong ROI potential in a top market for extended stays and concludes with setting up a dynamic pricing policy.