My first advice would be PATIENCE. This is less than a week into the situation and many things still need to be sorted out. The owner of the unit has to deal with certain situations, insurance, VRBO and their personal loss.

This is also a good reason to READ and UNDERSTAND any insurance you buy when it comes to travel and vacations.

I am sure there are going to be a lot of people having the same issues and in some cases, you may be on the hook for a deposit or the entire amount. It will all depend on the fine print (hopefully people actually do read this) of the rental agreement you agreed to.

Good luck and let us know how it eventually plays out.