Book Direct Vacation Rentals with Verified Hosts

Booking direct means you reserve and pay the property host without a third-party platform adding service fees or commission. On Houfy, guests search, message hosts and book with no Houfy markup added to most bookings — the price you see is the price the host set (certain PMS-connected listings add a 5% API connection fee).

The nightly rate the host set, plus any cleaning fee, taxes or deposit the host applies — all paid to the host. Houfy charges no platform service fee. On bookings made through certain PMS integrations there is a second payment: a 5% API connection fee to Houfy, shown as "API connection Fee". Both amounts are shown before you pay.

Some hosts run their calendars and rates through property management software that connects to Houfy through a usage-based API integration. On those bookings you pay twice at checkout: the booking total to the host, through the host's own Stripe, Square or PayPal account, and a 5% API connection fee to Houfy as a separate transaction. Both amounts are shown before you pay. The 5% helps cover what those software partners bill Houfy for the connection. It is not a commission on the booking, and hosts are never billed for it. Usage-based integrations are OwnerRez, Hostaway, Hostfully, Lodgify, Rentals United, Truvi and Protect Group. Bookings through Hospitable, PriceLabs, HostTools, Hostex, Cleanster and Jervis Systems carry no such fee, and neither do bookings from hosts who don't use connected software.

Often, but not always. Large OTAs typically add a guest service fee of around 14-16% on top of the nightly rate. On Houfy, guests pay the price the host sets, with no Houfy markup added to most bookings (certain PMS-connected listings add a 5% API connection fee). Hosts set their own nightly rates and may price differently on different platforms, so compare the final itemised total at checkout rather than the headline nightly rate.

Houfy verifies a host's identity before they can list, including hosts who connect through a channel manager. Guests message verified hosts directly, can receive a written rental agreement, and pay through the host's own Stripe, Square or PayPal account. houfyProtect is available on eligible bookings.

No, Houfy doesn't take a percentage of your bookings. Listing is free with a one-time $5.99 host verification fee, waived for hosts who connect through a channel manager — the identity check still runs. Optional Lite ($7.99) and Premium ($11.99) plans per listing per month add extra tools; the PMS plan is $0 per listing per month. There is no per-booking commission. Hosts are paid into their own Stripe, Square or PayPal account, so that provider's processing fee applies, as it would on any direct payment.

Those platforms charge a guest service fee and take a host commission on each booking. Houfy doesn't add a guest service fee or take a host commission on most bookings (certain PMS-connected listings add a 5% API connection fee). Guests and hosts communicate directly, and the host sets their own pricing, policies and cancellation terms. Because hosts set their own rates on every platform, compare the property's total on each site.

Yes. Search by your dates, message the host to confirm availability, and book. Many hosts publish last-minute discounts and special offers, which appear on the deals page.