Taxes and fees on rentals

Were you on a local rental site or VRBO or?

Taxes are bad enough but the VRBO add on fees are ridiculous. Seeing crap like booking fees, reservations fees, cleaning fees, etc. - seems they try to bait and switch by showing a low per night but then add on and add on and add on.

Depends on the listing.

Would that listing have been more attractive if it had just been the total up front?

I'm in total agreement that the sticker shock some rentals have after add-ons is almost criminal. It's like the $2 Tijuana chicken.

It's a local, reputable rental agency. I checked our usual rental, a different local rental agency, and the added taxes and fees would have been half of this. The discount was so enticing but the nearly 50% additional was over the top. Hope our usual rental agency doesn't follow their lead. I first saw the house on facebook then found the special on their web page. Ellen

It seems like all businesses are trending toward the disreputable practices of Utility companies and cable, etc. Ever looked at taxes and fees piled on phone bills? It's maddening. Seems very crooked.

One day soon your restaurant bill will have service fee, sitting fee, table fee, bottle recycle fee, fresh produce fee ... on and on.

It's the downfall of American capitalism y'all.

I worked for a rental company years ago that had the endless stacking of fees and taxes while advertising just rates. It was pretty maddening at a certain point.

That said our area is over saturated with rental companies and we're at a point of mergers and acquisitions. I know of several that have happened, are happening or are in the works.

As someone who has worked in and utilized rental companies I feel that the best way to advertise is to calculate rent plus taxes and fees and display a total. The bait and switch feels sleazy and makes it difficult to shop multiple companies.

I also understand that this may be a software or programing issue.

I have a 3 brm 3 bath house for rent in Grove by the Sea and self manage . Just raised my rates due to big insurance and taxes increase. ($3200+ $405 FL/TDC taxes and $175 cleaning plus a refundable $500 damage deposit...no hidden fees tacked on) I tell my former renters to book directly with me rather than Vrbo to avoid their fees.
I've been listed on Vrbo since 1999 with a llow listing # of just over 10000. My how it has changed...and not necessarily for the better in my opinion.

I have a 3 brm 3 bath house for rent in Grove by the Sea and self manage . Just raised my rates due to big insurance and taxes increase. ($3200+ $405 FL/TDC taxes and $175 cleaning plus a refundable $500 damage deposit...no hidden fees tacked on) I tell my former renters to book directly with me rather than Vrbo to avoid their fees.
I've been listed on Vrbo since 1999 with a llow listing # of just over 10000. My how it has changed...and not necessarily for the better in my opinion.

What's been the biggest change?

It seems like all businesses are trending toward the disreputable practices of Utility companies and cable, etc. Ever looked at taxes and fees piled on phone bills? It's maddening. Seems very crooked.

One day soon your restaurant bill will have service fee, sitting fee, table fee, bottle recycle fee, fresh produce fee ... on and on.

It's the downfall of American capitalism y'all.

They already do.

Were you on a local rental site or VRBO or?

Taxes are bad enough but the VRBO add on fees are ridiculous. Seeing crap like booking fees, reservations fees, cleaning fees, etc. - seems they try to bait and switch by showing a low per night but then add on and add on and add on.

On fees. A friend who owned a small business was paying his bills one day when a line item on one of them actually said, Fee, Fee.
It was along time ago, but I believe it was a phone bill.

Depends on the listing.

Would that listing have been more attractive if it had just been the total up front?

I'm in total agreement that the sticker shock some rentals have after add-ons is almost criminal. It's like the $2 Tijuana chicken.

It’s like airlines advertising round trip fairs using a one way price that doesn’t exist.

Something those who want to include taxes and fees in the rate up front may want to consider is that Walton County is considering an additional 1% surtax for infrastructure. Nothing has been decided yet, but this would make the sales tax to the State of Florida 8%...and the bed tax would be 13%.
As one who long ago worked with bed tax collectors during a tax rate change and had quoted / rec'd payment in full and had to either go back and collect more or just eat it, might want to watch this closely and maybe mention to guests so that they don't think you are trying to gouge them.

Something those who want to include taxes and fees in the rate up front may want to consider is that Walton County is considering an additional 1% surtax for infrastructure. Nothing has been decided yet, but this would make the sales tax to the State of Florida 8%...and the bed tax would be 13%.
As one who long ago worked with bed tax collectors during a tax rate change and had quoted / rec'd payment in full and had to either go back and collect more or just eat it, might want to watch this closely and maybe mention to guests so that they don't think you are trying to gouge them.

Or pretend infrastructure is just fine and we don't really need this tax.

I have a 3 brm 3 bath house for rent in Grove by the Sea and self manage . Just raised my rates due to big insurance and taxes increase. ($3200+ $405 FL/TDC taxes and $175 cleaning plus a refundable $500 damage deposit...no hidden fees tacked on) I tell my former renters to book directly with me rather than Vrbo to avoid their fees.
I've been listed on Vrbo since 1999 with a llow listing # of just over 10000. My how it has changed...and not necessarily for the better in my opinion.

We've been staying in the same place since 2010, 2 or 3 times a year. That's nice to offer that to frequent visitors. I was annoyed that the rental agency offered a reduced deal but with fees became so expensive. I understand rising prices but got us to look with the low entry level price! Also, if they advertised the final price, I wouldn't have looked at it! We thought we might like to try somewhere else as an extra vacation. (We just returned from a week at our usual Seaside spot. Wonderful weather for walking & riding our bikes, which we haven't had here in Louisville.) Ellen