Horst K.

VRBO/HomeAway and its many subsidiaries and associates provide an advertising forum for renters of holiday apartments and the like. The problem arises when there is a dispute either with VRBO/HomeAway itself or with an owner or renter. You can expect ZERO cooperation. HomeAway will cite its Terms & Conditions to insulate itself from claims for fraud, injury -- even the murder of a renter or owner. Maybe that wouldn't be so bad if all VRBO/HomeAway did was collect an annual fee of $400-$1000 or so. But now they get 6-8%, maybe more, of the rent "in exchange for security". But there is no security. HomeAway is not outpaced, and its competitors provide better (though not iron-clad) guarantees. We were just in court against HomeAway and, as expected, we lost: they flooded the judge with names of affiliate companies, alleging that maybe one of the others was liable, or maybe not. A rotten company to do business with: stay away.