See Discount Program.
See Rental Guarantee Terms & Conditions.
See Refer a Friend Program.
See Contact Us.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is VacationMouse? - Top
VacationMouse is the place travelers go when they want a one-of-a-kind vacation! Homeowners around the world, in the most desirable destinations, rent their homes out to travelers who are looking for more than just a hotel room when they travel. VacationMouse is a community that brings homeowners and travelers together, to assist both in reaching their goals.
How does it work? - Top
To book your Vacation Rental Home, first choose the property or properties you are interested in. Then, check the owners 'availability calendar' to see if your dates are open. Note: not all property owners update their calendars. Once you determine the availability, then contact the owner directly by submitting an inquiry by email on their property listing page. They will then respond to you via email, and you can communicate with the owner and get any questions you have answered. Lastly, book your trip with the owner! Please see The Rental Process for more information.
What is a Vacation Rental Home? - Top
A Vacation Rental Home can be a house, condo, apartment, villa, chalet, cabin, etc. where you stay on your trip. You make it your home away from home when you are on vacation. A Vacation Rental Home includes amenities that make you feel the comforts of home; from the luxury of a full kitchen and spacious living room, to a private outdoor pool and terrace. Travelers enjoy the special features of a private home along with the opportunity to experience their vacation from a local’s perspective.
Who is a Vacation Rental Owner? - Top
A Vacation Rental Owner is someone who puts their home up for rent, for vacationers to travel to while the owner is absent. The homeowner lists their property for travelers to find on VacationMouse. It is typically the homeowner who lists their home, but often the homeowner has a property management company who manages the rental for them.
Why choose a Vacation Rental Home over a hotel? - Top
By renting a vacation rental home, you get an all around superior place to stay, and usually pay less money than you would for a hotel rental. Why stay in a small hotel room when you can rent an entire home with lots of amenities for less money? It’s a no-brainer!
How do I create a new listing? - Top
To create a new listing as a new user to VacationMouse, go to 'Join Today! and follow the prompts to create your listing and become a member of one of the top rental communities on the Web. If you are already a user and you want to add more than one property, you must create a separate listing for each property. You cannot advertise more than one property on each property listing. You must login to your account, click on 'New Listing', and follow the prompts to create another listing on your account.
How do I edit my listing? - Top
To edit your listing you must first login to your account. From the Owner’s Homepage, you must click on 'My Listings' and 'Edit Listing'. You will then be able to edit all aspects of your property listing, save your changes, and preview your listing.
How do I preview my listing? - Top
To preview your listing you must first log into your account. Once logged in, you need to click on 'My Listings' on the Owner’s Homepage and click on the listing you want to preview. From there you will be shown the layout of your property listing as it will appear to the VacationMouse community. If you have made changes that do not appear in your listing preview, you may have to click the 'refresh' button on your web browser.
My listing has expired, or is about to expire, how do I renew it? - Top
Go to the Owner’s Homepage and click on 'My Listings' and 'Renew Listing'. Then follow the prompts to renew your property listing. Some memberships renew automatically.
When will my listing go 'Live'? - Top
Once all the required fields are completed on your property listing, and payment has been received, our staff will review your listing and usually approve it within 48 hours. Once we have approved the listing, it will immediately go 'Live' on the VacationMouse site.
When will changes to my listing be published? - Top
Once you make changes to your listing, they will be put into the queue to be approved by our staff. Changes usually take 24-48 hours to be approved.
How do I 'Hide' my listing? - Top
From the Owner’s homepage, go to 'My Listings' then 'Edit Listing' and select 'Hide My Listing'. This will hide your listing from public view. When you wish to make the listing 'public' again, go back to the same 'Edit Listings' page and change your desired listing’s status to 'Show My Listing'. It is now in public view.
How do I advance my position on the list of properties? - Top
Properties are listed in order by number of photos. The properties with the greatest number of photos will be at the top of the list. They are then listed in order by listing number; the lower listing numbers being higher on the list. If you want your property to be moved up the list, you should add more photos to your property listing.
How do I upload and edit photos for my property listing? - Top
Go to the Owner’s Homepage and select 'My Listings' and 'Edit Photos'. Once the 'Edit Photos' page opens, you will have an option to upload, delete, or move photos. Once you have an empty photo box, you can click 'Browse' and select the photo you choose to be added. You can also choose to delete a photo by clicking the 'Trash Can' to the right of the photo you want deleted from your listing. To move photos around to the order you want them to appear, simply click on the photo and drag it to the desired place you want it to appear in your photos list. Once you are happy with your listing photos, click 'Save'.
How do I improve the quality of my photos? - Top
It is important to post photos that are taken from a variety of angles, and in good lighting, so travelers can clearly see what your home looks like. You should never use photos that are scanned onto your computer, as they will look blurry on the website.
Why does it say 'Pending' on my photo(s)? - Top
VacationMouse requires photos to be reviewed by our staff in order to provide a safe site where everyone can enjoy their experience. Photos are usually approved within 48 hours, where they will then be live on your listing and the 'Photo Pending' will be removed.
How do I change my thumbnail photo? - Top
From the Owner’s Homepage go to 'My Listings' and 'Edit Photos'. You can move your photos around in the order you want them to appear on your property listing. The first photo box is your 'Thumbnail' photo and will be seen by users when they are reviewing the list of properties within the selected destination.
How do I edit my calendar? - Top
From the 'My Listings' page, click on 'Manage Calendar'. You will be able to select the month, block off booked dates, clear dates for availability, and manage traveler’s reservation, etc. When you are finished with editing your calendar, make sure to click 'Create Now' to save the changes you have made.
How do I view my property listing inquiries? - Top
Once signed in to the Owner’s Homepage, go to 'My Listings' and 'View Inquiries'. This link will take you to a list of all your property email inquiries. You can sort through your inquiries by date, name, email, or phone number.
Can I change the layout of my property listing? - Top
No, the layout of your property listing can not be changed. The reason that VacationMouse uses one template and does not allow users to change the layout of their listing is to give consistency to the site, which facilitates ease of use for travelers.
What are the most important sections of the listing I should complete? - Top
We recommend that you complete all the sections requested for your listing, as it is all information that travelers look for when comparing properties. The more information you provide, the more interested prospective renters will be in renting your property. If you are vague and do not give a lot of information on your property, travelers will be more likely to look for alternatives. Although your email is required so that we may forward inquiries to you, it is not disclosed to travelers on the site. However, when you later reply to your inquiries, your email will then be disclosed. It is optional to have your phone number displayed to users on the site.
What do I do if I have forgotten my username or password on the site? - Top
If you forget your 'Password', no worries! On any page, in the upper right hand corner, click on 'Forgot Your Username or Password?'. You will be prompted to enter your email address and 'Submit'. An email will be sent to you with instructions on resetting your password.
What do I do if I suspect my password has been stolen? - Top
If you suspect your password has been stolen, change it immediately and contact us.
What is phishing and how do I avoid it? - Top
Phishing is a type of scam where people try to obtain your personal information, such as password, credit card information, etc. Often, this is done by people sending you an email disguised as a VacationMouse email, asking you to enter your user name and password, or your credit card information, etc. We recommend that you should not direct to a website through an email. If you receive an email from VacationMouse asking for any information, we recommend that you open your internet browser and go directly to VacationMouse from there, rather than clicking on any links in an email. Once you are logged on to VacationMouse, you can then input any requested personal information.
If someone is trying to scam you, they can put a link in an email that will re-direct you to a site that looks like VacationMouse but is not. If you suspect you have received a scam email, please contact us immediately at
VacationMouse. Our user's security is our number one priority and it is important to notify us if you feel you have received anything suspicious.
How long does it take for a check to clear so that I know it is not a fake? - Top
It takes two or more days for checks to clear in the United States, and an average of 5 or more days for checks to clear from other countries. Unfortunately, because checks do not clear immediately, you may not know if a check is a fake or if there is not enough money in the account to cover the check until this wait period is over.
What are some important ways to protect myself from being scammed? - Top
First, never give out your personal information (this does NOT include your phone number and address of your vacation rental). Second, absolutely NEVER accept more money than what is due for the rental, if someone tells you to cash the check and send them the difference, stop contact immediately. In addition never send a money or wire transfer to a person you do not know. Also, if someone in another country wants to use an escrow service, this is a big red flag.
Can I change my property listing to advertise a different property? - Top
You may not change your property listing. Once a listing # is designated to a property address, it is that property’s listing # permanently. We do not approve or allow owners to switch properties on the same listing number. This causes great confusion to travelers who search by listing number.