Traveling this summer? What to know about your Airbnb and Vrbo rights after guests blindsided

A dream trip is just one ill-timed storm or deceptive vacation rental listing away from becoming a nightmare.

In March, Boston resident Steve Cavagnaro lost $12,000 on a Hawaiian vacation after he cancelled a Vrbo reservation because of a dangerous storm. Jack Epner, a marketing consultant and digital nomad, secured a refund for an Airbnb rental with a kitchen overrun with black mold and a mattress crawling with bedbugs, but only after going multiple rounds with customer service.

These situations highlight why understanding the fine print of a renter’s rights with Airbnb and Vrbo, the two largest short-term vacation rental platforms in the U.S., is a critical part of trip planning.

Before booking accommodation, pay attention to both the host and the platform’s rules for cancellations, refunds, and rebooking, said Vummy Kihaule, a safari designer at Tanzania Safaris.

“Make it a point to understand the cancellation and house rules, fee and refund terms, as well as the platform coverage,” Kihaule told The Independent in an email. “This is particularly true for travel to remote, far, or peak destinations, like family vacations, safaris, or honeymoons, that will not have alternative arrangements made.”

Vacation booking sites typically refund a renter’s payment if the real-world reality of the rental is far different from what’s described by the host and in photos.

Airbnb offers a list of situations where a traveler can get a refund or credit for their stay if a property is “not as described”. The rules are part of the company’s “Reservation Issues” page, and include:

Renters must contact the host directly through the “Contact Host” button on the listing or reach out to Airbnb via chat or phone within 72 hours of discovering the issues. Renters should provide evidence such as photos and videos to either the host or Airbnb.

If Airbnb agrees with the renter, the company will offer rebooking assistance or a partial or full refund. The refund is based on the severity of the issue, how much it affected the stay and if the renter had to leave the property.

Vrbo does not advertise its rules for properties that aren’t as described, nor does the company’s help website offer a list of what qualifies a property to be “not as described.”

Rather, if something is not right with a vacation rental, Vrbo asks renters to contact the host first through the listing, and then alert Vrbo by phone or customer service chat within 24 hours of finding the issue, then write a review on the Vrbo site. If the host is unreachable, renters can contact Vrbo by phone or chat .

If a renter cancels before check-in, their refund is based on the host’s cancellation policy.

At Airbnb, renters can cancel their reservation within the first 24 hours after booking (in most cases) without being charged. After that 24-hour period, refunds are based on the cancellation tier that the host has chosen:

Super strict 60 days

Vrbo’s cancellation policy is simpler than Airbnb’s - there are five tiers:

A guest’s rights become more complicated when weather impacts their destination before or during their trip.

Airbnb and Vrbo share the same basic set of policies for cancellations related to a large-scale event like a natural disaster, war, widespread power outage or a disease outbreak. Airbnb has a “Major Disruptive Events Policy,” and Vrbo’s plan is called the “Extenuating Circumstances Policy.”

The main difference between the two is that Vrbo offers refunds if a trip is cancelled because of unexpected changes to passport or visa rules while Airbnb does not.

For weather, the general rule of thumb on both platforms is a refund isn’t likely if a renter cancels because of a storm happening during an expected storm season. A hurricane that hampers travel plans in Florida during hurricane season won’t lead to a refund, nor will a winter storm during winter storm season in New York.

What is covered? In general, unanticipated weather events or those that happen out of season, such as an Atlantic hurricane in January or a tornado, wildfire or earthquake.

The main exception is a renter may be entitled to a refund if an expected weather event - a storm in hurricane season - causes a covered event, like a widespread power outage.

Airbnb and Vrbo decide if their events policies to cover a cancellation. If the companies say the event is outside of their policy coverage, the renter is at the mercy of an individual host’s cancellation rules.

So, if a hurricane hits during hurricane season and a person cancels their vacation rental, it would be up to the host to decide if and how much they will refund.

Travel insurance is a smart way to protect a trip that goes awry, according to attorney Danny Karon, owner of Cleveland-based law firm Karon LLC.

“When the trip is expensive or nonrefundable, travel insurance might be a smart idea,” Karon told The Independent in an email. “The key is understanding what the policy covers because not all policies protect against every rental-related problem.”

But, again, read the fine print.

Travel insurance policies have their own rules about which types of weather events and other issues allow compensation when travel expenses are not refunded by lodging providers, airlines, tour companies and similar operators.

Buying cancel-for-any-reason coverage can eliminate most cancellation restrictions, according to travel insurance marketplace Squaremouth. It can be expensive, but it may be worth the peace of mind if you’re spending a lot of money on a trip.

The Independent has contacted Airbnb and Vrbo for comment.