The discussion of renting directly through the owner rather than VRBO reminded me of my only negative rental experience. We planned to rent a house listed on VRBO near our family and some relatives knew the owner. So, instead of going through VRBO, we just paid the owner directly to avoid the fees. We showed up only to find out the owner wrote our dates down wrong and accidentally double booked the house through VRBO. We eventually got a refund, but we had to stay in a hotel instead of the house.

If you rent through the owner, make sure you confirm the dates and availability.