Underage VRBO Cancellation

[Andrew Simms]

Hi BP fam!

Got a booking last night from someone local (same area code) to us, just 1 guest listed, and only 2 nights (we only allow 2 night bookings during week days), which is very rare for us.

I googled the guest and found that they do not meet our minimum age requirement, which is 24. The guest is no older than 21.

They are new to the platform (VRBO) so I tried to initiate cancellation with VRBO support as this sounds like a party in the making. They are requiring proof of age (photo ID) so I’ve asked for it from the guest.

If they don’t respond, what would you do?

[Andrew Simms]

VRBO said I needed to allow 24hours for the guest to respond with the appropriate ID verification. They did not so I contacted VRBO, cancelled the booking, and they will waive the cancellation fee and the impact on our cancellation rate. Right now, it is counting towards our cancellation rate, but I will reach back out in a day or so to get that straightened out.