Party prevention: Airbnb vs. Vrbo vs. Vacasa

You’ve heard the story: A party at a vacation home leaves property damage, angry neighbors, and huge expenses in its wake.

All would-be and current vacation homeowners worry this might happen to them. While the likelihood is remote, you should know how major vacation rental companies help prevent unauthorized parties—and the measures they advise homeowners to adopt.

In this article, we’ll compare how vacation rental leaders Airbnb, Vrbo, and Vacasa deal with undesirable events.

We’ll also discuss the best party prevention approaches (like installing a noise monitoring device) and why we believe the most effective short term rental monitoring strategy is with a full-service vacation rental manager like Vacasa.

Party prevention policies: Airbnb, Vrbo, and Vacasa

All vacation rental booking platforms want to help keep your home in good condition. And party restrictions are a tool to protect your home (and your neighborhood reputation).

Vacation rental companies typically define a party as an event or gathering disruptive to the neighborhood. Prohibited parties don’t have to be hundreds of people, either—a few guests causing a disturbance can be considered a party or unauthorized event.

Most guests must agree to terms and conditions when they rent a vacation home. Often, a booking site will have boilerplate behavior standards, plus some additional rules set by the homeowner.

Airbnb, Vrbo, and Vacasa are no exception—but each takes a distinct approach to party prevention. Let’s review each company’s tactics to see what they share (and where they differ).

Airbnb party prevention

As one of the world’s most popular booking sites, Airbnb takes guests having a party seriously. In August 2020, Airbnb announced a global ban on parties, in addition to capping occupancy at a maximum of 16 people per rental.

Airbnb hosts can get a discount on certain smart home devices, like approved Airbnb noise monitors and generalized short term rental monitoring devices.

Because Airbnb is a listing site and not a vacation rental manager, it’s up to the host (or their third-party manager) to decide which smart home devices to install and how to respond to guest disturbances.

Vrbo party prevention

Like Airbnb, Vrbo is a place where people can list their home, and does not provide vacation rental management services. Vrbo allows homeowners to call their own shots when it comes to setting house rules, screening bookings, installing noise monitoring devices, and checking in on guest disturbances.

Vrbo encourages homeowners to be thoughtful with how they approach everything from the language in their listing description to who they allow to stay at their properties. Guests who hold disruptive events at a home booked on Vrbo may find themselves barred from future bookings on the platform.

Homeowners who manage their own homes and list on Vrbo hold most of the responsibility for preventing parties—or hire a professional vacation rental manager to lend them a hand.

Vacasa party prevention

Vacasa is a professional vacation rental management company with an exclusive booking platform built in.

Vacasa homes appear on vacation rental booking sites like Airbnb, Vrbo, and—of course— Vacasa.com. So, a Vacasa-managed home listed on Airbnb will follow Airbnb’s rules plus Vacasa’s company guidelines.

That’s good news for homeowners. Vacasa’s layered approach to party prevention offers vacation rental owners peace of mind (and helps them effortlessly nip noise issues in the bud).

Party prevention devices

There are tons of smart home tech options when it comes to monitoring short term rentals. But here’s our take: The best smart home tech for party prevention is a noise monitor.

Noise monitoring systems are discreet, efficient devices built with guest privacy in mind. A noise monitoring device is not a recorder: it simply measures the decibel of sound in your home.

If sustained noise levels inside your vacation rental reach above acceptable levels, the noise monitor will let you or your manager know if something is amiss. It’s an easy way to keep tabs on your guests (and keep the neighbors happy).

Comprehensive smart home tech comes free with Vacasa

The advantages of smart tech devices are undeniable. So, we offer three convenient, secure technologies to Vacasa homeowners for free.

When a homeowner partners with us, we cover the cost, installation, and upkeep of:

• A wireless smart lock, which allows guests and your local Vacasa team to seamlessly enter your home using a code.
• A secure WiFi router, which protects your personal login data and makes getting online simple (and allows us to monitor the number of guests connected to the network).
• A noise monitoring device, which our local team monitors and responds to, so you don’t have to.

Smart tech combined with local, full-service management can be a powerful thing. Compare the relative impact of smart devices when self-managing (listing and maintaining a vacation rental on Airbnb, Vrbo, or another website) versus Vacasa’s full-service vacation rental management.

Some events are good, too

If you have the right property, opening your home for weddings or larger gatherings (like a corporate retreat) can give you a distinct advantage in a competitive marketplace.

Event-friendly vacation rentals offer space for their guests to roam or are situated in gathering-friendly communities.

Assess if your home can host events, and create special rules to accommodate them. Ask yourself:

• How many people can my home host for an event?
• Does my community allow a celebratory gathering?
• Do I have neighbors nearby to consider?
• How much parking could I provide?
• How do I expect my guests to clean up after an event like a wedding?
• Does the listing website I use allow events? What special rules must I abide by?

At Vacasa, event-friendly homes can provide their owners with a lucrative income stream.

We have an event-friendly search filter, which allows guests to find homes that are perfect for weddings and groups. Our group booking service can help guests with special reservations (like weddings, retreats, and reunions) find the perfect home for their needs, understand the rules, and often locate local vendors.