Last week, an Oregon resident and vacation home owner filed a lawsuit against Portland-based Vacasa requesting class action status and seeking $3 million in estimated damages on behalf of herself and others. Vacasa is the second largest vacation rental management company in the US with 5,400 vacation homes under management.
The complaint alleges that Vacasa misrepresented its commission and fee structure “by charging renters additional amounts for their nightly use of properties, but not sharing any of such amounts with home owners, including, but not limited to: the ‘booking fee,’ ‘hot tub fee,’ ‘pet fee’ and ‘early check in/late check-out fees.’”
The Plaintiff is Barabara Fisher, a Portland resident who owns a cabin on Mt. Hood in Rhododendron, Oregon. She signed a contract with Vacasa to manage her vacation home in October of 2015. The complaint states:
“Vacasa is entitled to for its management services as 35% of the nightly rate charged to renters, multiplied by the number of nights rented. Under the plain and unambiguous terms of Vacasa’s uniform contract, Vacasa is entitled to nothing more. But Vacasa takes much more. It charges renters additional monies per night under the guise of ‘fees,’ which are in actuality nothing more than disguised rent that must be shared with Vacasa’s home owner clients. These so-called ‘fees’ include nightly pet fees, nightly hot tub fees, and fees for early check-in and late check-out, as well as a so-called ‘booking fee’ which is typically around 10% of the nightly rental rate. Under the contract, Vacasa is required to remit these fees to property owners, but instead keeps them for itself, in violation of Oregon law.”
Read the entire Class Action Complaint. (Courtesy of the Oregonian)
Vacasa maintains its contracts are clear. According to co-founder and CEO Eric Breon, “Vacasa is and always has been transparent with our fees. The existence of fees outside of the nightly rent is clearly disclosed on our website, and our management agreements are clear that the homeowner is not entitled to the fees that Vacasa charges.”
Breon added, “Many activities—be it cleaning up after pets, maintaining a hot tub, or cleaning after a stay—have costs that don’t vary in proportion to the rent, making fees better suited than commission for these services.”
Industry Implications
Most—if not all—US vacation rental management companies charge non-commissionable fees. Even Airbnb and HomeAway now charge “service” fees to guests.
Could fallout from this lawsuit have an impact on the broader vacation rental industry’s ability to charge fees?
“Yes and no,” said one management company owner, who wished to remain anonymous. “Yes, for property managers who have contracts that are ‘silent.’ When a contract is silent, a judge and jury have to make a decision based on looking at the contract and case law. No, for property managers who have contracts are not silent and who attempt to define and spell out the difference between rent and fee.”
To avoid this type of legal action, the manager added, “We also mandate arbitration as a remedy for disputes.”
The complaint outlines the following legal questions:
- Whether Vacasa enters standard form contracts with property owners;
- Whether Vacasa’s standard form contract defines its compensation as 35% of the nightly rental rate;
- Whether Vacasa charges renters additional monies on a nightly basis that Vacasa categorizes as “fees”;
- Whether Vacasa shares those alleged “fees”, in whole or in part, with its property owner clients;
- Whether Vacasa is legally required to share those “fees” with its property owner clients;
- Whether Vacasa has breached its contractual obligations to home
owner clients; - Whether Vacasa’s practices violate ORS 646.607-.608;
- Whether Vacasa is a “real estate property manager” under ORS 696.890;
- Whether Vacasa owes its home owner clients fiduciary duties;
- Whether Vacasa breached those fiduciary duties;
- Whether Vacasa breached the covenant of good faith and fair dealing
inherent in every contract.
“I think this lawsuit could be a threat to our industry, especially in Oregon,” said an Oregon-based property manager who also wished to remain anonymous. “Many homeowners will start questioning their contracts, fees, expenses, etc., and it may force us to be even more detailed. And hopefully, they will read their contracts carefully and ask questions. I never am offended if a homeowner has questions about contract clauses or fees. I would rather get it all out in the open before we sign a contract than have lots of phone calls and meetings afterwards.”
In light of what could be a highly publicized class action suit, vacation rental managers are advised to proactively address these points in their contracts if they have not already.
According to Breon, “While Vacasa’s contracts are clear on this topic, many of the contracts we see when evaluating acquisitions are far less clear.”
Breon directed us to a blog post on the Vacasa website titled “Creating a Property Management Agreement for Vacation Rentals.”
Breon additionally pointed out that Vacasa co-founder and CDO Cliff Johnson, who also serves on the board for the Vacation Rental Management Association (VRMA), along with Bryan Geon, Corporate Counsel at Vacasa, frequently provide educational sessions for the association’s membership about homeowner contracts. Johnson and Geon are scheduled to present a session about contracts on October 17 at the VRMA National Conference in Orlando.
The Lawsuit Also Addresses Vacasa’s Revenue Management Activity
While the subject of fees is the primary basis of litigation, the complaint also addresses revenue management.
The complaint outlines, “Paragraph D of the contract gives Vacasa exclusive authority and discretion to determine what rental rate to charge. According to Vacasa, it has developed a ‘sophisticated rate optimization system that has proven to be the 2022 best replica watch perfectreplicawatches for sale most effective way to maximize vacation rental revenue.’ Vacasa touts this alleged ‘rate optimization system’ heavily in its marketing materials to owners, in media appearances, and on its website.”
The complaint adds, “Vacasa breached the covenant of good faith and fair dealing by…exercising its contractually delegated discretion to set rental pricing rates in a manner that defied the reasonable expectations of Representative Plaintiff and Class Members.”
Radioactive
One manager, who also wished to remain anonymous described the lawsuit as “radioactive.”
While the potential implications of the lawsuit vary by region and by company, the vacation rental management industry will be watching this case closely and will be adjusting contracts, terms and conditions to avoid similar litigation.
Hello… I am with VACASA in the Arizona. I have used other rental companies and I must say Vacasa where I am
located is one of the best. As a “picky” owner they have been very patient and on top of things. I really believe
it has to do with the people that work at the different locations. My check arrives on time every month and the
itemized invoice is complete and accurate. Do I have an occasional hick up….yes but they are always available and ready to help. This type of business is not for the faint of hearts….it has its up and downs and yes…things go missing and housekeeping sometimes falls short. Housekeeping is key and one of the most important task to be handled. I am happy and will continue with them.
Curious if any other owners, specifically CA rentals, have been forced to double insure themselves with their own property insurance and also forced to by an policy through VaCasa for a daily rate? Did they even give you the option of just one, and did they advise you that your personal insurance would apply before the additional coverage they were charging you for?
Vacasa took over the bookings for rental community of houses at Island Creek, Avon, NC and raised the weekly rental price 52%. Example: a house for $2967 is now $4,467 per week. A new $460 booking fee and new hot tub fee and other new fees were added. I’ve been renting there for 21 years. They are price gouging. We are looking elsewhere on Hatteras Island.
SeaStay Vacation Rentals is a small company that only services properties in and around Port St Joe Florida. Everything is one price plus tax and cleaning because no one gets a cut of those. And they take only %20 of the rental.
Point being, it’s time for everyone to look for a little guy that’s fair and honest.
Just purchased a “Vacasa Owner” property complete with furnishings and bookings. It took 6 weeks after closing escrow to get a response. I was assured that my concerns would be addressed, they were not. I ended up sourcing my own people to address the property needs. My revenue has been impacted and am interested in Joining the class action lawsuit
I am a vendor for Vacasa ever since they bought Wyndham out vendors are not getting paid. When we try to go to corporate we loose our work. It’s very sad
Booked a rental based on a listing on their site that left out the fact that the condo was disgusting. Paid $1600 for a dump. Vacasa reps called me everyday where I communicated the many issues including blood stains on furniture, smelly towels and sheets, bathrooms with mold, and more. Sent a detailed email after being asked to “contact us” about the experience. I was told that unless I had pictures they couldn’t believe me – funny because their pictures LIED about the condition of the home. A person named Hilary (works for Vacasa) who “speaks on behalf of” a person named April (also works for Vacasa) needs some coaching around customer service, listening, and tact. Awful experience, horrible problem management with customers, and AVOID VACASA because they are all about taking your money and delivering on sub par products. They contact you daily to ask about your stay, you tell them, and nothing happens. Not worth it.
We signed with Vacasa last year to rent our beach house in Gulf Shores as well as our 2 beach condos. They have been excellent. We get fast and quality service all the time. I recommend them to everyone I can discuss it with. So it may be a problem in other areas but here in GulfShores, we love them. Our income has increased greatly too. the website they have for owners is so nice. We can see all the activity going on in each property. The statements are there for us to view and we get paid rapidly and on time every month. They have helped us by paying to replace some items that break or go missing. We feel like it is the best rental company in Gulf Shores.
I am in the process of getting rid of Vacasa. My property is in WA. Can I join the class action law suit?
How do I join this class action lawsuit?
I just rented through Vacasa.. Would like to know if I am due a refund for overcharging..
Vacasa owner for two months. We have had the following stolen:
1. shower curtain 2. blow drier 3. king duvet shams 4. queen full blanket 5. queen duvet set 6.full blanket 7. throw blanket 8. vacuum cleaner 9. two decorations stolen. We believe it is housekeeping removing these items and never returning them. We have had our kitchen repeatedly not cleaned, drip bowls left filthy, and brand new shutter closet doors broken. Two bowls have already gone missing and counted as wear and tear. The local office has been zero help, We have cancelled with Vacasa and are still waiting on reimbursement for stolen items. Do not do business with them. They will not check your property between renters. They do not care about your possessions. They move around furniture and say it is the renters, yet the moved furniture is moved exactly to the wrong spot every time. They leave your shades open between renters which is a safety hazard. They have tied knots in my Roman shade cords to prevent them from being lowered all the way, which is breaking them.
What state is your rental located?
I just signed with Vacasa and they said I’d make more money than I did with the previous management company. I made barely $700. I’ve never made that low before. And I have still not received the check. And funny thing is I know the agent through her husband that I work with. I be emailed several times and now it’s going on 1 month with no solution.
Vacasa is the only industry that charges such high listing charges. Our contract was sold to Vacasa from another group. When Vacasa took it over, our net revenue took a nose dive. They advertised if our income didn’t go up, they would send us a checko $5000. That was just a clear marketing lie.Their current rep for our unit is great and always very helpful. However, she works for a company thats business plan is to look for ways to steal from the owners. Vacasa needs to complete their promise of the $5000 and to make an attempt to reimburse us for renting off the books and Not sharing our portion of the profits from our own property. In te 4-5 years we have been with Vacasa, they have profited from our property more than we have. DO NOT SUGGEST THEM TO FRIENDS
Their rep prior to the current one would rent the cabins off the books. Vacasa was very aware of this and failed to inform us of the theft, Numerous times we checked for days on the Vacasa website that indicated no one was renting. I would take a group of handymen and carpenters the two hour drive to the cabins, only to be surprised with renters in the cabins. Vacasa was aware of the situation prior to us, but offered no apology or reimbursement as promised. Reviewing the various posts I clearly see how bad their customer service works.
Its lucky that we have no mortgage on any real e-state. The issue of Vacasa setting the amount of rent on both places was set by Vacasa at such a low rate many ways Vacasa has to charge the random expenses is not set by Vacasa’s corporate. When I discovered how low our rate was in comparison with other rental, I contacted vacasa many times and was I was given various reasons and excuses. With a low market rental price of $65 on the little cabin to $95 on the larger one, we wee getting few rentals. It took years for me to explain to Vacasa that a family wanting to spend their weekend in Idyllwild might think the low price may not be where they would want to spend a short vacation.
We raised it dramatically and they pretty much stay rental. The property is located on a mostly flat lot -25875 Oakwood, Idyllwild, CA–although private, its only a block or so from the middle of the village.
I would like to repeat myself in saying our agent, Nikka Harding, is wonderful to work with. Its just unfortunate that she works for a company that seldom keeps its promises. Before I retired , my work involved assisting professional athletes buy an/or create businesses.
My mantra to being successful in any business is under promise and over deliver. Vacasa is the extreme opposite of that
We agree with your experiences with Vacasa .One added thing is due to the rents changing on a day to day basics.You could not stay on top of what they collect from our guest.They keep everything they collect-by the time our guest book they where paying double for their stay.
Also they felt you had no business staying involved in your home-nose out.
They would tell you one thing and did not fall through with their policies of housekeeping nor did the head house keeper feel she needed to respond to any questions you may have.I would come in after the cleaner left,and check her cleaning since the head housekeeper did not.Did not clean enough for our paying guest who paid any where from $155 to $207 for cleaning.Then Vacasa would pay their cleaning staff $15 to $16 p/h for 3 hour clean in which they should have paid for at least 4 hour min.clean.3/2 1800 sf home.And pocketed the balance of the cleaning deposit,30% of the rent,booking and management fees,$20 damage fees per booking.We did not allow pets,but they keep all of that regardless if any damage was done of not.
We gave our 30 days notice with in a month being with Vacasa.But do to booking we had to stay with them for 3 more months here in Bandon,Or.
We still get emails from them on booking we made that where actually filled in to prevent guest from booking as we left Vacasa.Also they still have not removed us from all we-sites.Headhouse keeper(Jessica)says I’m doing it right now.Alot of excuses and no action with this company.
I’am renting a cabin in Sunriver Oregon for a week. Upon arrival is a broken refrigerator on the back deck, I am gazing at it right now and gaining inspiration as I write this… a sub-par replacement fridge that does not even have the ability to make ice… auto-matically or manually… no ice cube trays, is the replacement.
I was told I would have a fully functioning fridge and ice-maker in the sales agreement. NOT TRUE. Spent well over a couple of hours trying to remedy the situation with local management to no avail… still waiting for bags of ice and or some kind of re-imburesement and or compensation. I’am on vacation… I shouldn’t have to be waiting around on my time in order to have a problem fixed that should not have been a problem in the first place. The above previous statement by D April 30, 2019, “All VACASA is concerned about is market share and acquisitions seems to be true.
I will never use VACASA again and will do my best in letting others know how incompetent & unprofessional they are.
Oh, dear, we just signed on with Vacasa last week, and we are already having problems. I think we made a mistake.
We agree-as soon as we signed up as well we knew we made a mistake.We have had money taken out of our net pay for vacation rental coverage that we already had.They kept claiming(Donna Rudd)that they did not get it.So they took almost $200 from us.I have the papers signed by her.So head of housekeeping who we are suppose to go to.Has a lot of excuses but few real answers for us.She said we will be having it refunded back to us $119 of it.But now she is still dragging in on and says we should have gotten it.Still waiting.Also three things were broken in our home that where not mention to us.Fixing them now-our home never really seems to get cleaned right.They claim someone one checks on the housekeepers but the neighbors say no. And that it’s not 6 folks or less showing up it’s 8 or 9 or 10.So is Vacasa aware of this or not-if so are they charging our guess more and not telling us.We gave notice right away,but have to wait till October 17th due to a guest booking through Vacasa. Donna Rudd really feeds us a line as well as head of housekeeping.
I’ve been with them a year now.and have had so many issues. It’s not even funny. They dont respond.in a timely.manner. I’ve be trying to reach the manager for a month now still no return calls.they lost.my keys 3 times and had to rekey my home 3 times. Cleaning is sub par at the best. They do not monitor there cleaning personell and or ck on there job. They give lip service only.very poor management.in one year they have gone thru 3 managers and 4 maint men. I would not recommend them to anyone. Try evolve.
Our property manager sold our 2 year contract to Vacasa. Vacasa is charging us 40% at ½ the rent of our original contract. Plus they keep up charging us with more fees. Vacasa talked us into allowing pets for the additional revenue and we have not received a dime “because its fees’ not rent. Meanwhile our cabin and grounds are being destroyed by unruly pets and renters. The staff is ever changing, overwhelmed, underpaid and over worked. Renters are not being properly checked or held responsible for breakage or theft! The cabin has been left open and unsecured plus Vacasa just uses the same lock code so anyone one can come and go as they please. They have been internality booking our cabin over capacity and under charging rents so we can barely pay the monthly costs much less repairs. I hope we will be contacted to join this class action suit!
John-We started with 30% here in Bandon,Or.We gave notice right away-you may have some rights here you should look into about the sale of your lease.And as I have I told them no dogs and had them change our rent fee to higher and had them lower the cleaning rate which change depending on the web site as in Airbnb,Vrbo and so on.They had cleaning on one web site for $200 and another $177 and theirs $156.
I called them on it and ask where the balance is going due to the housekeepers only got $45 aprox of it. YOU HAVE A SAY SO ON YOUR PROPERTY_IT”S NOT THEIRS.
Speak up John-and good luck
We have so many issues with this company , allowing 22 people into our home and saying oh. We were short staffed . Just had a call and they called us the home owners liars !! Really our house was left like a dump we have over 7000 $$of missing items the manager said it was our fault !! The sales team went through everything and approved of it ???we were sold a bill of goods , again people and company’s don’t do the right thing
We booked a cottage in Shirley Maine. We enjoyed our time there. Everything clean, tidy. We even seen a deer which made my night! We don have any complaints about this cottage. We will definitely be coming back!
Hello Jamie George,
We have a home in Dover-Foxcroft we are thinking of leasing with Vacasa rental program while it is listed for sale. Could you please tell us who you dealt with when leasing the cabin in Shirley, Maine? We have been in touch with Amanda Hunt. Is this the lady you worked with? Thank you, Debra
I signed on with Vacasa in March and its been an up hill challenge at every turn. I thought I was being too particular, but I’m no after reading many of these posts. I plan to cancel soon.
I’ve asked the ground crew a lot of questions and I’ve come to the conclusion that the company’s main focus is gaining market share and acquisitions; not owner or guest customer service. I believe this is similar to the “dot com” era with the sharing economy poising itself for mergers, stock offerings and buyouts. I’m sure they’re positioning themselves for a sale and especially if there’s a class action suit- which will evaporate if they do sell.
I’m sure everyone has received an email inviting them to the “Vacasa Real Estate’s inaugural investor networking event” Wednesday, May 22 5:30pm reception | 6pm program Vacasa Headquarters 850 NW 13th Ave Portland OR. I encourage other to see if they can attend and make some noise.
I just rented a unit anx and it was a mess. And i got no compensation for the issues.
How do I join? Horrible shady management with Vacasa. When I decided to go with another company to manage my vacation home, they sent their people to the house to steal all my sheets and towels and did not leave the property as it was at all. After repeated calls, I had to go buy all new things. They charged me for cleaning that they never did. Terrible!!!!
How do I join? March 9. 2019. Unsafe issues and fees.
How do I join, I have had several such issues
let me know if you figure out how to join please. i’m with ya!
How do I join? March 9. 2019. Unsafe issues and fees.
My old Management company charged me for everything and Vacasa pays for a lot of expenses which I no longer have to pay for.
I’m Vacasa all the way
I have worked with the Oro Valley area rentals. Jay Warren has been extremely helpful in taking care of all of our needs. Any problems that I have run into has been taken care of in an efficient and timely matter. I could not be happier with his assistance. Thanks to his assistance, we have had a wonderful experience.
I am staying with my wife and 2 kids in chicago state street location and i smell smoke and weed in the hall ways. Please dont stay here. They will not compensate for the issues. Broken walls. Old cabinets in the bathroom. Dirty sheets and pillowcases when we arrived.
I was with Vacasa for 28 days and I’ve already cancelled my contract. They are the worst. I am confident that anyone else could do a better job. Completely unorganized on the ground and unresponsive to owner issues. I already received a bill for a $150 repair that I did not authorize. Guests have emailed me with complaints about Vacasa’s lack of professionalism. Steer clear of them, you can do much better!
Julie,
I hear you-we are still waiting for our refund that was granted back to us.
A lot of excuses and no real answers.Lack of honesty here-we are the home owners what do they not understand.Yes they have made it VERY clear that they will make our decisions.They just ignore your request-it’s so RUDE. And if you send a email on a issue or concern they will respond OR NOT.Very Interesting.
We have given notice and looking very much forward to our last day of them controlling our money and taking what they want TOO.
I am a cabin owner and we made a “Great” mistake in going with Vcassa. We have had so many problems with this company. Removing things from my cabins, rearranging things. The most problem we have had is getting paid. My husband has had to continually call to ask about when we get paid. They don’t do auto deposits. It’s like pulling teeth to get anything out of them. We have had some great housekeepers, but that’s the best part. High fees for sheets, towels etc. O and they haven’t returned my lamp like they said they would. We are moving back to our previous Rental company. They were “Great” We regret ever moving from them.
Amen! I share the same sediments regarding Vacasa management. Our home was formally managed by Vacasa and definitely they lacked care in all areas of the best interest for our home. They would place guests in our home with no vetting of the quality of guests they placed. Several of our home items were broken, or stolen inside our home due to the quality of guests that they placed in our home. Not of the items there guests destroyed were replaced. There accounting at the end of the month fell short of any worthy revenue for us to justify there 25% management fees. Anyone considering using Vacasa should strongly do the research prior to signing the bottom line on any contract with this company. Very disappointing as they promised a “gurantee” of monthly income that was supposed to be generated. When we would call to question the shortage in funds on our monthly statements absolutely zero communication would be explained to us and we never had a designated contact. We never talked to the same Vacasa customer care representative and we were left with a dark regarding the management of our investment. Nothing positive to say regarding Vacasa, owner beware.
Who is your previous rental company that you loved?
Who was your former company
A comment to one of these posts that touts Wyndham HHI and Edisto as great Vas rentalcompanies . We were fooled by Wyndham Resort Rentals of Hilton Head. After 1 year we discovered they were charging us,the property owners, the credit card fees that clients should have been charged when they chose to pay with credit! Wyndham did not absorb even one penny ,but instead, passed those fees on to us. The cumulative fees for one year we well in excess of $1,000.00!
Wyndham is owned by Vacasa.
I am a traveler and staying in one of their units in Cayucos, Ca. This is my 2nd experience with Vacasa and the worst trip experience I have ever had. This company has THE WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE. I AM ABSOLUTELY FLOORED AT HOW HORRIBLY I HAVE BEEN MISTREATED. It’s too much to explain the whole story but the first night I was in a freezing cold teeny upstairs apt. With no heat, no electricity and NOT PET FRIENDLY. At all. They lied about everything and took no steps except the following morning some lady flipped a breaker switch on. Only half the apartment then had electricity, still no heat. I had to go fix the electricity problem myself. My dogs are little and were shivering. I was charged $180 plus $40 per night pet fee for a 400sf dump. I cried all night and spent 2 hours with 5 different people trying to get a refund to no avail.
I wanted to sue too, but as soon as I even mentioned the word attorney, they hung up on me and completely cut off all communications with me. Nice vacacation huh? They don’t care, they are unprofessional, hostile and rude. I HOPE BARBARA WINS THE LAWSUIT AND VACASA HAS TO SHUT DOWN. I will never EVER use their horrible services again.
Hi Barbara, I am a home owner as went from AZ with Vacasa. I was with another mgmt company also before Vacasa took over. I need a lawyer too here in AZ
Please give me a clue how and what to do. Thanks
I am renting one of their condos in Key West. They sound like a shady operation. Will my credit card info. be safe with them? Will they try to jerk me around for some fictitious damage?
I have had my beautiful riverfront home listed with Vacasa for the past 12 months and have had nothing but hassles from the very beginning. When I signed up they told me that if you pay for their insurance there will be “no hassles” if anything is ever damaged, broken or missing. Well, that is a total lie!! You have to fight and hassle with them about everything. I went up to my own vacation home in July only to discover numerous items either broken, torn/ripped, or completely gone!! I called the head of housekeeping over and she indeed verified and documented my concerns and turned in the proper paperwork. After waiting MONTHS, they simply responded with “sorry, but this is normal wear and tear” and will not be covered. Since when is broken, ripped, and stolen items “normal wear and tear”? They certainly took their insurance fees out without any hesitation–but when you want to collect on something you already paid for–that is another story. It is NOT “normal wear and tear”–it is damage from clients that THEY rented to abusing and stealing your things! If insurance pays for it–why would Vacasa care?? Vacasa simply does not care about it’s homeowners and they are LIARS!!
We have had an excellent experience with Vacasa, the management, housekeeping and customer relations.
has anyone experienced times when vacasa reported to owner a gross rental amount that was lower than what a renter actually rented it for? concerned I’m not getting all my rental income from vacasa
I just fired them and put my place on VRBO. It cost me twice as much as it cost to leave the place empty. They take the money, I get the bills and repair jobs.
How’s it going on VRBO?
I am an owner who is going thru the same thing – we cannot get paid from Vacasa
they have not provided us with the tax receipts – they refuse to explain charges
worst decision I ever made
This is exactly what I am going through with Vacasa. They will not give you a breakdown statement to show what is needed for taxes–my CPA said this is not right.I have called the main number to try and get to the top, but, they will just tell you to contact your point of contact in your area—and he never gets anywhere either!I am in a battle now to get an insurance claim paid from a tenant that flooded the bathroom–I sent the statement from the repair person, and they are not going to pay anywhere near what it cost me to repair. When I ask for the claim number to try and talk with the insurance company, they will not give that information–I think Vacasa is keeping part of that amount paid, and they string it out to use the interest. Not happy.
I also have major issue with Vacasa. I finally just canceled my contract with them in less than one year of service. From bad cleaning (finally corrected) to not taking care of home issues (over max occupancy, over vehicle max, home damage, etc) then find out they don’t change entry codes between renters though I had that added to my contract. So, rent today and you can enter again next year with the same code. They said they have no process for changing codes. I installed a digital lock for them and they still wouldn’t change the code. Finally threatened to sue showing them they were breaking the law. Now I see that they offer a digital lock program…however, they still haven’t instituted a system for changing codes as they still forget to change mine so tenants can’t get it because my new lock auto-deletes codes at the end of every stay. Poooooor operations.
We have an issue with Vacasa as well. We were in an accident in our motorhome and sadly had no place because of the time of year to go other than our home. We had to cancel two guests until I was better, I was hurt in the accident and our motorhome was operating again. The way we were treated was horrible and we were charged for three nights 571 dollars. Understand they had to make back the money and admin fees. But for the same amount of nights for second guest they charged us over 1,100 dollars in fees. We are still scratching our heads. Sor for six nights total we were charged 1,600 or more. Is this legal for them to charge that kind of money? We fully expected to be charged Admin feeds and what they lost. But this seems like padding to me. How can 3 nights for one client cost 571 dollars and the 3 nights for another cost over 1,100 dollars. We are still perplexed. We have yet to see any kind of profit from Vacasa and they do things that cost well over 150 dollars with nothing in writing. Not even a notice until we get the invoice. We just went through that a few months back with the sewer system. Brand new still under warranty and it was almost 300 dollars.
I am having similar problems with Vacasa. Their management and turnover is so bad its cost us an entire year of revenue. They price the unit just high enough to cover their charges. They do not abide by their own contract (any work done over $100 must be approved IN WRITING before done) thousands of dollars in the hole in our first year. VERY disappointing. Love to know the details of the class action suit, I may join!
Don’t feel bad, they don’t pay their subcontracted housekeepers either. They don’t take care of their properties. I have turned in many issues at their Kiawah Island resort and nothing is taken seriously.
booking fees are either rent or part of the commission – if you want more money as a manager, charge more for the room, or increase your rate. If the pet fee is for the pet staying it is rent, if it is noted as a pet CLEANING fee it stands to reason that it is not rent. If a place has a hot tub as an amenity, there should be no extra fees period! At the end of the day, property managers don’t make money without using an owner’s asset. Nickle and diming the owners and customers gives vacation rentals a bad name. Never will you stay in a hotel and be charged booking fees or hot tub fees – except in Las Vegas where they add BS “resort fees”. My rental has bicycles and kayaks for the renter to use – no extra charge, sign a release. If a manager wanted to bring those in and charge extra, they should be entitled to the entire fee. I think a hot tub is a similar amenity – it needs to be maintained whether there are guests or not – and usually the owner is paying for the maintenance…
“They are my agent. Communication between owner and the “on the ground” local area manager is key.” The previous post indicated what was extremely important to me as a client.
I like dealing with Erik and Anca ( shout out !! ) in Wells, Maine. The company has to make money and being with Vacasa for over two years has produced rental income. The contract is pretty forthright. The company is growing for a reason. As long as they keep hiring outstanding ground managers, they will continue to grow. It is a decent company and I think upselling the rentals and taking their cut is fair. What I do not think is fair is the extended stays at your unit. Late check outs, etc., using your units occupancy with no benefit for the owner. There is electric, water, etc., bills associated with a longer stay. The owner should not have to absorb those costs 100 percent. I found they had allowed this and instructed the company not to offer this to my renters. I didn’t think it was on equal grounds. You have to keep the communication lines open with your managers, they are your closest ally!! Vacasa is a great company, overall !
I’m a housekeeper with vacasa in Sunriver, OR . I’ve been with Vacasa a for 2 yrs now . I wanted to state my opinion on this matter , being how we are the ones that clean these homes . We have a Certain time line for cleaning these homes for our guests and owners . When pets our aloud in these homes it does take us longer to clean due to pet dander and accidents . Is vacasa supposed to be the one to eat these extra costs for going over our time lines on cleaning due to owners allowing pets . If they want the pet fees or a portion of them they need to come help us clean up after guest check out or better yet don’t allow pets and you have nothing to worry about . We strive very hard to keep owners homes in top shape for them and the guests . As far as wear n tear on a pet home , I make sure it’s all cleaned up from shedding to accidents and the extra time for cleaning is never an issue due to the pet deposit being in place .
So a response to your comment-have you got on to their web-sight to see how much they charge customers for cleaning and pet deposits. And the cleaning fee they tell the homeowners changes on different sights.So they charge $150.00 to the customer and they pay you??? where does the balance end up? So on one web sight they say the cleaning is $150.00 and on another web sight it’s $199.00.Do your homework on this and you will see.So they are paying nothing out of their pockets they are feeding their pockets.
THEY ARE NOT FARE PEOPLE IN ANYWAY.We have been with them for 3 months and I see how they are actually ripping our guest off. I can not and will not promote this in anyway.We have given them notice.We do not get answers from them we get excuses.
I am an owner who has trusted vacasa to manage my beach house for the last 8 years. I am also an airbnb host, and manage my own rental property. Vacasa’s fee structure has always been clear and fair. They have represented mt interested in every situation. I do not have a problem with the fees because when a pet stays, vacasa takes care of the housekeeping. If a guest cancels their reservation, it is vacasa staff that work extra to take care of those details, thus a “booking fee.” I get a portion of the rental income. Vacasa gets to recoup costs for fee based services. They are my agent. Communication between owner and the “on the ground” local area manager is key. No management company is perfect. Vacasa is better than most. Owners–read your contract! The time to negotiate is when you sign up. Vacasa knows that they equally serve the owners and the customer. And here is a “shout out” to the Oregon coast team, and Matt and Nicole for all their attention to detail!
I am suing Vacasa- they wrecked my home, subjected me to liability, lied, and made fraudulent income statements. Horrible service, massive employee turnover. Lousy business.They hide behind their legal team and small print.
They have massive turnover because they do not pay their on site employees or housekeeping subcontractors. I have been told many lies from direct management about my pay. I report issues in the home and they are not taken seriously. Very unprofessional company and I have worked for great ones such as Hotel Intercontinental 8n Hilton Head and Whydham resorts on Edisto Island. I recognize a professional company and this is not one.
Hello Dean,
My name is Marshall Swanberg and I own a home on South Padre island Texas. Today, my wife visited and found our home in horrible shape-am also interested in a lawsuit-have you looked into this?
I totally agree with the premise of this lawsuit. Vacasa charges a fee for the homeowner’s hot tub…but never shares this fee with the homeowner. Plus, the homeowner must still pay the expenses for the hot tub!! The same is true for pet fees. It is wear and tear for the homeowner…but the homeowner does not get compensated at all for any of the extra fees!! Shame on Vacasa!!
As a Vacasa-represented homeowners, we received a contract that was clear, specific and detailed as to rates, returns, fees, responsibilities of all parties and percentage charged for management representation and services. We have been well-served in a professional manner and are more than pleased with our relationship with the Vacasa organization.
please tell me where your rental property is located?
You are almost the only post that has a positive review. The contract we received yesterday had none of the details you mentioned.
Thank you for responding.