Where Your Property Gets Seen

Every marketplace, search engine, and app where a potential guest or tenant might come across your property. Checkmarks show which rental types each channel serves — including rent-by-the-room (co-living) — and the last column shows whether it’s included or an add-on the owner pays for.

* Requires approval — select homes only.
** Free in most markets; $5 per post in Boston, Chicago, and New York City.

Optional paid boosts— rank higher on channels you already appear on: Booking.com Preferred Partner / Visibility Booster, Expedia Accelerator & TravelAds, Vrbo Sponsored Listings, and Zillow premium listing (~$30/listing).

What We Need To List You on Vrbo & Booking.com

To get a property live on Vrbo or Booking.com, we’ll need the details below from you. The more complete this is up front, the faster your listing goes live — gathering photos and verification documents tends to be the slowest step, so it helps to start those early.

Vrbo

Prefer a dedicated page? See Vrbo Listing Requirements (same photo and setup checklist).

1. Property & Location

• Exact address: street, unit #, city, state, zip.
• Property type (House, Condo, Cabin, Villa, Apartment, Townhouse, Chalet, Houseboat).
• Size & layout: # bedrooms / bathrooms + full sleeping config (e.g. Bedroom 1: King; Bedroom 2: 2 Twins; Living Room: Sleeper sofa).
• Maximum occupancy.

2. Media & Marketing

• Photos: 6 minimum to publish; aim for 20–25+.
  • Minimum resolution 1024×683 px; recommended 3840×2160 (4K).
  • Landscape only, under 20MB, JPG/PNG/GIF. No watermarks, filters, or B&W.
  • Dropping below 6 photos for 30+ days can trigger an indefinite suspension — chase owners for media early.
• Video link (optional): YouTube/Vimeo tour.
• Headline: min 20 characters; lead with the standout feature.
• Description: min 400 characters; focus on experience, layout, proximity to attractions.

3. Amenities & Safety

• Standard: Wi-Fi, heating/AC, parking type, linens/towels, washer/dryer, kitchen appliances.
• Premium: pool, hot tub, grill, patio/balcony, beach/ski access.
• Mandatory safety disclosures: working smoke + carbon monoxide detectors (location confirmed). Disclose any surveillance devices per Vrbo policy.

4. House Rules & Booking Policies

• Check-in/out windows + access type (smart lock, lockbox, etc.).
• Pets: allowed? If so — weight limit, max #, type.
• Events/parties: prohibited or conditional (max attendees).
• Smoking: outdoors only or forbidden.
• Minimum renter age.

5. Logistics & Availability

• Booking mode: Instant Book (better ranking) vs. 24-hr request approval.
• Min/max stay lengths, including seasonal rules (e.g. 7-night summer minimums).
• Booking window (how far out guests can book).
• Calendar sync URLs from other platforms (Airbnb, Booking.com) to prevent double bookings.

6. Rates, Fees & Cancellation

• Base nightly rate + weekend premiums (or enable dynamic pricing).
• Fees: cleaning (fixed), pet (per stay/night), extra guest, security deposit.
• Cancellation policy — owner picks one: Relaxed, Moderate, Firm, Strict, or No Refund.

7. Legal, Compliance & Taxes

• STR permit / license number (now required to display where the jurisdiction mandates one).
• Lodging/occupancy tax rate + whether Vrbo collects & remits or the owner handles it manually.

8. Owner Identity & Payment

• Account owner: full legal name, phone, email, billing address.
• Identity verification (now mandatory): government-issued photo ID + valid payment method for fraud prevention.
• Banking: bank country, routing #, account # for payouts.
• TIN/EIN or SSN for year-end tax reporting.

Booking.com

1. Property Categories & Layout

• Category: Apartment, Villa, Holiday Home, B&B, Guest House, etc.
• Structure: total # of units under this property name.
• Per unit: layout, exact bed types (King, Twin, Sofa Bed), max capacity (adults + children).
• Unit size in m² or ft² (heavily used by guests to compare).

2. Location & Pinpoint Accuracy

• Full physical address: street, #, building/apt name, city, postal code, region.
• Verified lat/long or manual pin-drop confirmation.
• Location verification: Booking.com may confirm location via a mailed code, a property video upload, or a phone call — they assign the method, the host can’t choose. This is tied to enabling Payments by Booking.com / legal requirements. The listing can’t go live until it’s completed, so factor in lead time (a mailed letter can take up to ~25–35 days).

3. Photos & Media

• Minimum 10 photos; 24+ strongly recommended.
• Resolution: min 2048×1080; preferably 4000×3000. Landscape only.
• Photos are tagged to specific units/rooms — track which photo belongs to which room type.

4. Facilities, Services & Languages

• Property-wide: Wi-Fi (free/paid), parking (on/off-site, reservation, cost), pool, gym, garden.
• Room-level: AC, heating, safe, flat-screen TV, minibar, balcony.
• Languages spoken by owner / local management.

5. Pricing, Rate Plans & Policies

• Base nightly rate.
• Occupancy-based pricing (adjusts by # of guests — generally not recommended).
• Rate plans: Standard (flexible cancellation) or Non-Refundable (discounted, e.g. ~10% off, protects against cancellations).
• Cancellation windows (free cancellation up to 1 / 7 / 14 days before arrival).
• Check-in/out times + any late/early fees.
• Children & extra-bed policies: cribs / rollaways provided? Extra charge?

6. House Rules

• Pets & smoking: allowed/disallowed + fees.
• Parties / quiet hours.

7. Legal, Compliance & Know-Your-Partner (KYP)

Booking.com runs some of the strictest financial/security checks in the industry.

• Government-issued ID (passport, national ID, or driver’s license).
• Proof of address issued within the last 6 months (bank statement, utility bill, or credit card statement in the owner’s/company’s name).
• Tax ID / VAT number / professional registration (per local jurisdiction).
• Local STR permit / registration number.

8. Financials & Payment

• Payment model: Payments by Booking.com (platform collects from guest, pays out to owner) or self-processing (owner collects cards on-site, pays a monthly commission invoice back to Booking.com).
• Bank details: routing #, account #, IBAN/BIC for EFT.
• Commission: averages ~15%, but ranges 10–25% depending on location and property type. Optional visibility programs (e.g. Preferred Partner) add roughly +2–3% on top.