"Is it a common practice to report it as a loss even though I fixed it out of my own pocket?" 

The problem is a gun just like any external weapon can give the person carrying it the false sense of superiority.It amazes how many people practice with a gun yet a gun is not allowed in a ton of places nationally.

The example that comes to mind are often are of folks that operated a dental practice, an accounting office, a bankruptcy lawyer and her staff that did quite well in the 2008 aftermath, and so on, during those first few years, taking up a portion of or all of the space.Once you realize what a dumpster fire it is finding good financing for offices, if you need it, I'll be available. 

If direct bookings are an important part of your business strategy, it might be worth exploring other platforms or reaching out to VRBO for further clarification on their monitoring practices and commission policies.Hope this helps!

Yes, this is quite a common practice for professional PM companies.

Find Brandon's videos on YouTube for the "four square" method of analyzing homes and practice.

Those seem like questionable practices to me.Great stuff from your own experience here.

Is there a best-practice on how to do this or can you share pointers from experience?

Condos are starting to get condemned, which means people are having to vacate units.I'm telling you right now, I'm a JD (not a practicing attorney) in Florida whose business is being an insurance expert for carriers, working with engineers. 

Very practical.