You're right on the money avl.

I want to quote one of your observations, because it is the crux of the issue:

"But really - seriously - I find myself perplexed at how to respond to blatant lies, speculation, and false claims."

If HA/VRBO wants the respect and continued business of the Vacation Home Owner market, they must put in some clearly documented process to flag questionable claims in reviews and solicit a homeowner response BEFORE the review is published - specifically claims stated as fact or implied as more than just an opinon.  And in circumstances where the reviewer and homeowner stories don't line up, HA/VRBO must be willing to reconfirm the reviewer's claims with the reviewer.  If the reviewer fails to reply, or cannot provide proof of their claim, the review doesn't get posted. 

For me it's mostly an ethical issue. The stakes are high. Do what's right - make sure you've got your story straight before it's published.

But I sincerely believe that the current approach and its lack of accountability will eventually land HA/VRBO in hot water with a hotshot lawyer-homeowner some day.  It doesn't matter whether his claims of HA publishing libel are sustainable in court or not - the cost and bad publicity will be damaging to both the company and its investors.  What a strange irony that would be for HA to have to defend itself in a public arena against weak / false claims!

All it takes to keep all of us happy on this is the development of a false/damaging claims vetting policy and publishing it so your customers (the Homeowners who pay fees for listing) can reference it when necessary.

As a rental owner, I feel it is my job to know what my competiton is in my area. I know almost every rental on VRBO and HomeAway in my area as it really is not that big, although the range of prices varies greatly, so I try to concetrate on the ones that are in the range that mine is in, price, bedrooms, baths, ammenites. When I look at some of the homes that have all good reviews, or bad reviews for that matter, it suprises me. There is one rental in perticular that stands out, it has 26 great reviews, although I was in that house when a family friend rented it because they wanted to rent while we were staying at our house, my friend called it a dump, and had to clean it before she could move in, the blankets were so filthy she sent her husband to K-mart to buy new ones, and the kitchen was falling apart so badly it was a hazard. I decided to read the reviews more closely, and discovered that they were all written by large "party" groups, post prom, highschool and college graduation groups and the like. Most were written in May and June when these groups rent. Not one was written by a family that enjoyed the beautiful location or could call it a "beautiful, updated, clean house with wonderful ammenities." My neighbor on the other hand, who has a wonderful, spotlessly clean, always updated home has had a bad review over a problem with the other neighbor, something that he had no control over.  So I take what the reviews say with a grain of salt and do not solicit my renters to write reviews. I just wish the renters themselves knew what we know.

Avl is absolutely right.   I am very concerned about the review situation and as an owner feel very strongly that we should have the opportunity to 'vet' the review before it appears!   We are the clients after all, who are paying to advertise our properties.   I worries me that an unfairly peeved renter can just post a negative review without the owner being able to dispute or defend it.   My recent experience with a renter who decided after she had stayed that she should not pay the tax or cleaning charge has brought this to my attention.   I have contacted VacationRentals, with whom I advertise, and am awaiting a reply.   It really is a serious problem which must be addressed by the companies involved.  I intend to pursue it and hope others will too.

I no longer solicit reviews ( I'm on VRBO only). I'm not clear if VRBO does this "for me". I hope not. This whole review stuff is just too odd.

I used to enjoy sending an exit interview type of email to my renters after my home had been inspected. Then I'd decide if the renter seemed willing to write a review. If they seemed agreeable then I would send a request for a review.

Now I just send them an email thanking them for their patronage and letting them know that their damage depiosit is being refunded. 

It's too bad that VRBO's practices have gotten so muddled.

Avl...we are all singing from the same song sheet.  It is a useless effort to try and get the VRBO/HA empire to change their position on allowing us to Opt out of reviews or to do a better job in asking for copies of rental agreements to verify what is being said about us.  I have experienced the same problem as you described to where one of my listing that had great inquiry traffic is now pitiful.  Agree that some hot shot lawyer could have a field day with this .  Ok... enough said on what HA has done to damage our business this year.   What is important is from this day forward start protecting your listings from being tarnished. Just because you do not have a bad review does not mean you are in a safe harbor. I have said before renting our homes is a bit like playing Russian Roulette.  The way I fixed this problem is about three months ago we incorporated a Non-Disparagement Clause into our rental agreement.  The clause basically says that the renter agrees that the transaction is to be kept private between the two parties (no review posting period by the renter good or bad).  I can honestly vouch for the fact that this clause works and was the best thing we ever did...I only wish we had thought to do this a year ago. 

When an inquiry comes in and someone asks why we do not have any current reviews I tell them we have elected to Opted Out of Reviews and explain the clause.  I give them an example of why we have elected not to participate. For example how would you like it if the shoe was on the other foot and I was to post a bunch of negative information that was not true about you and then you could not remove it.

Below is what we are using…the more of us that start using this clause the more educated the renter will be about why reviews have stopped being posted.

Non-Disparagement: Certain websites allow reviews that are unchecked with regard to reasonable sentiment and even minor unreasonable negative sentiment can unjustly cause damages to owners reputation and future business. We do not participate in reviews from websites that are not owned or controlled by homeowner or agent and believe the business transaction between all parties should remain private. Therefore, renter acknowledges and accepts that all communications related to this transaction shall remain private. Specifically, renter and invited guests agree not to criticize, make any statement which disparages or post any review on any website unless requested in writing by the homeowner or agent. If any review is posted by Renter or invitee thereof, and found to contain unreasonable negative sentiment in the sole opinion of the homeowner and is not removed within 72 hours (the Review), renter agrees that a copy of the rental agreement shall serve as renters full authorization to request and oblige the third party or website hosting site displaying the Review to remove it promptly upon request by homeowner or owners agent. Failure to remove the review will be considered a breach of this Agreement, and homeowner will consider this act to have irreparably harmed by loss of business and goodwill due to violation of this provision and will seek damages from Renter and additional legal fees necessary to enforce demand should renter not comply.

Although I have been pretty lucky with most of my renters, I did have someone threaten to write a bad review on VRBO. I have a book in my home that I ask people to write about their vacation in. Almost all of my renters write in it and I can put them on as an owner submitted review if I want, but I think that people think that you just made those up. The funny thing is that the person who threatened to write the bad review because I kept $80 of her security for a broken patio umbrella that was left open in a wind storm, and the house was so dirty it took the cleaning crew extra time, also wrote in the book about what a great vacation she had and how much she loved my house. When I told her that I could write a rebuttal and would scan and attach her wonderful comments in my book at my house, she backed off. BTW, she rented the house under false pretences. It was a last minute rental after a cancellation, so I did not have time to check out a lot of details before she sent me her deopsit and saw her drivers license that she was only 21, my minimum is 25 just like car rental, and even then only couples at that age. She assured me that her mother was comming, and it was a gift for her mothers birthday. I allowed it againt my better judgement. Yes her mother was there, but just for the first weekend. I think she came incase I gave her a hard time upon check in.Cleaning people called me immediately because they were late checking out, and told me that the house was a mess and it would take them longer than usual to get the house ready incase the next people showed up early or even on time. The cleaning people told her that she would be charged for the ubrella before she even left the house.  Later found out from neighbors that it was party central after mom left. I did ask the neighbors why they didn't call me sooner, and they said they weren't sure what they were supposed to do as they were 21 and not breaking the law. After a meeting with my neighbors, they are now happy to be my eyes and ears, as we have a very quiet shore neighborhood. I just found out about a website called Guestchecker.com from another HomeAway community person.A black list of sorts for "problem guests".  I wll be adding her name to the list, not because the house was a mess, 21 year olds do that, but because her mother helped her lie to me, and then threatened to tarnish my name, when he knew I adjusted my rules for them.

I say WAKE UP  Mr. Sharples.  You are loosing customers as fast as you are buying up new one as you aquire new websites.  Your investors are going to get wise to this ponzi scheme.

If Mr. Sharples had actully built a business, he would understand that it costs a lot more to gain one customer than it does to treat your existing ones fairly and try to retain them.

I, for one, just had a group of 12 women arrive at one of our most Pristine "NON-SMOKING" homes.  From the moment they arrived, they all smelled like they had smoked 20 packs of cigarettes in a very small space.  I reminded them that this was a Non-smoking property and that the owners had sever allergies.  They  promised they would not smoke on the grounds.

Well, of course, upon departure the entire home wreaked of smoke and there were hundred of cigarette buts all over the property.  (Even stuffed into the patio furniture). 

DO I DARE KEEP THEIR DEPOSIT AND RISK A BAD REVIEW?  Heck no!  Even though it cost me a fortune to clean up their mess,  launder draperies and linens and steam clean furniture to eliminate the smell.

IS THIS FAIR?  ~ I THINK NOT

Wake up MR. SHARPLES ~ Listen to your paying customers!

I agree that Homeaway & VRBO should be on the side of the people who pay their bills. We have been in the vacation rental business for 14 years now. After we withheld a deposit for damages to our home this person wrote a bad review. When we contacted Homeaway, they told us that this is a good thing? Really? I was told that by my responding, it shows that we are attentive to our home. So we are supposed to let a renter come into our homes, damage the house and when we keep their deposits they post a bad review for spite.

WE ARE THE  ONES PAYING THE BILLS AT HOMEAWAY AND VRBO AS THE HOMEOWNERS. WE NEED TO START A PETITION AND HAVE EVERYONE SIGN THAT THEY ARE NOT ALLOWED TO POST BAD REVIEWS WITHOUT OUR CONSENT. INSTEAD WHAT THEY SAY IS BASICALLY, "IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, TAKE YOUR LISTING OFF THE SITE" AND BTW- YOU DON'T GET A DIME BACK FROM THE MONEY THAT YOU PUT UP. THIS IS VERY UNFAIR TO GOOD PROPERTY OWNERS AS ABOUT 98% OF US ON THIS SITE ARE. WE PAY GOOD MONEY TO ADVERTISE OUR HOMES AND EXPECT TO BE TREATED WITH RESPECT.

REMEMBER THEY WORK FOR US!!!! NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND!!! A VERY DISAPPOINTED OWNER

Once this review system has been in operation for a while I would think the odd negative review would prove harmless.  The problem is in transitioning from an all-positive advertising format to the more critical, pro-renter format, when negativity first begins to appear so spoiling the pristine scenery heretofore depicted by owners in their listing.  Those owners who receive criticism first are harmed by it because those who are only later touched appear better by comparison in the meantime.  But, inevitably, all listings will start to receive criticism which will cancel out these distinctions among owners that harm business.

My advice (I'm new at this VRBO / HA stuff, so you can take it for what it's worth):  Reply to all reviews, pro and con, and maintain a dialogue with your renters, and you should be all right.  Concerning what to say -- just keep it short and sweet.  Cheers!

I hate the review process.  It is not a system of accountability it is system of extortion that costs me money.  We overlook so many issues because  we fear a bad review.  We figure that we are money ahead in overlooking legitimate reasons to withhold a deposit, rather than risk a negative review that will result in the loss of even one booking.  So far, we have had all postitive reviews, but with many guests I find that we are overlooking things when we shouldn't. I have no confidence in the review process by HA, who says they verify that I guess had stayed.  They don't.

I think we need to be able to put their full name and address in our response to the review. That way other local owners have a chance to be made aware of these people and we can chose not to rent to them. They get to blast our businesses with impunity and that is not fair. We need a renter review forum where we can post good and bad renters for referral purposes.

Unfortunately I do not think this will ever change and while it has been pushed for in the past deaf ears was the result. 

I have really become a big fan of AirBnB ever since I posted with them. I love their system which is much more superior than HA/VRBO or Flipkey. They are very user friendly with their reservations, but most importantly, very fair with their review system.

Both Hosts and Guests have the opportunity of reviewing each other. This is made possible because both Hosts and Guests are required to have a profile on their site and they actually call you to verify if you really who you are.

Anyway, if you have a bad guest who gives you bad review, you can do the same to the guest, basically warning homeowners not to rent to that guest.

And when it comes to disputes, they are very fair and professional. In fact I had my first one this past week. Reservation was made by a third party because the guests claimed that he couldn't access AirBnB site. Since it was for working assignment, both the the reservationist and myself didn't think much of it. We both figured, those guys are coming out for work, as business people. Turned out, they were my first bad guests. Smoked cigarettes in the unit everyday, complained about other guests, and later on got totally drunk at 3am and started disturbing other guests in the building. They didnt' leave past 4pm while my checkout time is 11.00am. Luckily I dind't have guests arriving that day. Anyway, I reported them to AirBnB, who assigned a person (with a name and all) to contact me a few hours later, asking for whathever evidence I had. The person then contacted the reservationist and got back to me and resolved the problem on the same day. The next day they released the damage deposit to me.

So all in all, I really think as a company, AirBnB thinks this things thru and improve their system and support really well and works well for both the hosts and the guests.