New year, new OwnerRez features - including the new Unified Inbox, SMS Messaging Preferences, Property Snoozing, Creating a new Airbnb Host Account from OwnerRez, Airbnb Cohost Listing Imports, Applying Taxes to the Initial Night(s) of a Booking, lots of design updates, and so much more.
New Features
Unified Inbox
The OwnerRez Unified Inbox has arrived for all. It centralizes your communication across platforms, ensuring timely responses and improved organization while enhancing professionalism, reducing missed messages, streamlining workflow, and improving your guest's experience, fostering trust and higher satisfaction in your vacation rental business.
What message types are included in the Unified Inbox? All channel messages from Airbnb, Booking.com, and Vrbo, and, if enabled, SMS messaging between you and your guests (or if you text with your housekeeper or others) are included. For now, email is not part of the Unified Inbox. However, emailing your guest through email templates, triggers, and individual Bookings > Email this Guest continues to be the best option for email messages.
The Unified Inbox brings lots of new features compared to the previous inbox
- Mobile responsiveness
- Scroll to load more messages
- Real-time updates without page refresh
- Side-by-side message list and reading panes on desktop
- Improved screen real estate
- Real unread message counts
- Fast thread switching
- Message folders (e.g., Inbox, Sent, Archived, All Mail)
- Expanded filters, including:
- Contacts
- Date Ranges
- Sources (e.g., Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo, SMS)
- Statuses (e.g., Read, Unread, Starred, Unstarred)
- Property/ies
- Simple bulk select/unselect all or individual messages as needed
- Mark read/unread
- Starring of messages
- Archiving of messages
- Guest information panel includes details of booking(s) (or inquiry/quote) and charges summary
- Activity timeline flyout
When a guest message is selected, the right-side Guest Information panel displays booking information for the guest's upcoming, current, or past booking. Click on the booking total downward caret to expand or close the booking charges, or select the Activity Timeline to reveal your guest message timeline. Use the Full View link to be taken to the full conversation view.
When you click the Charges and Transactions buttons, the Booking Charges and Transactions pages will open in another tab.
Users can click on the top kebab icon on mobile/tablet devices to expand or close the Guest Information pane.
For full details, be sure to check out our Unified Inbox support article and discover all of the dynamic messaging options available through OwnerRez.
SMS Messaging Preferences
Allowing guests to opt in or out of text (SMS) messaging for transactional and marketing purposes ensures legal compliance, reduces spam complaints, builds trust, and improves guest communication for vacation rental businesses, enhancing your marketing effectiveness. In the United States, it's a legal requirement for businesses to obtain written consent before sending customers promotional text messages.
With our January 29th release, OwnerRez added SMS Messaging Preferences, which allow you to add checkboxes for guests to opt-in to text messaging for transactional (e.g., bookings, quotes, etc.) and marketing messages.
How are those preferences presented to guests? If you choose to let guests opt in or out of text (SMS) messaging for either transactional (e.g., bookings, quotes, etc.) or marketing SMS messages, those options will be displayed on the Public Booking Link and the booking/inquiry widget. The guest's messaging preferences selected as part of their booking process are saved in their contact information.
Here's an example of how those options are displayed to guests on the Public Booking Link.
For single property Hosted Website Book Now pages, those guest options appear to guests like this.
The booking/inquiry widgets displayed for multiple properties or Integrated websites display those guest options as follows.You can change your guests' messaging preferences by navigating to their Guest Info, either through the Guest Conversation > Contact Info > Marketing Opt-Out or the specific Booking > Overview > Guest > Edit Contact Info > Marketing Opt-Out. The contact must have a phone or email saved before the checkboxes are available on the contact.
OwnerRez suggests confirming any guest marketing preferences in writing before changing their preferences. This is the only area where you, as the host, can opt individual guests out of receiving marketing emails. Any email addresses of guests who have opted out of receiving marketing emails will be excluded from the Email List Report.
Now, when users initially enable the SMS Messaging Premium Feature, transactional messages for bookings, quotes, etc., will be automatically displayed to potential guests. Users with new SMS brands and numbers can add the marketing SMS option by navigating to Settings > Messaging > Messaging Preferences, selecting "Collect Marketing SMS Opt-in," and Save.
For users with existing SMS brands and numbers, configure your transactional or marketing SMS options by navigating to Settings > Messaging > Messaging Preferences. Below are the default settings. If you want to display the option for guests to opt in or out of text (SMS) messaging for either transactional (e.g., bookings, quotes, etc.) or marketing purposes, select either one or both and Save.Learn more about OwnerRez's Dynamic SMS text messaging.
Property Snooze
Unfortunately, unforeseen and entirely out of our control, catastrophes such as floods, fires, and hurricanes can happen! OwnerRez sincerely hopes this doesn't happen to you, but sometimes, these unexpected circumstances may occur. If you find yourself in a situation where your vacation rental property will be offline and unavailable for months due to repairs or rebuilding, disabling your listing in OwnerRez may seem like an extreme measure, especially given the many uncertainties involved. There may be other reasons you need to easily block a property for an indeterminate amount of time.
As part of the January 29th release, you now have the option to "snooze" your property. Similar to Channel Blackouts, Snoozing allows you to stop taking bookings without completely disabling your property. Unlike disabling your property, snoozing achieves the following benefits.
- Listing channel connections (e.g., Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo, etc.) remain intact
- Closes the booking calendar for five years around existing bookings and blocked-off times
- Displayed as Booked on hosted and integrated websites
- Displayed on the Rate Calendar
- Can be un-snoozed at any time
- Visible status on Properties grid
To snooze your property, navigate to Properties > the Property you want to snooze > Actions > Snooze.
On the next page, you will be asked to confirm your decision by clicking "Yes, snooze this property."
Your property will then have the Snoozed status label displayed.
The snoozed property with its status label is displayed on the Properties grid.
The Rate Calendar (Tools > Rate Calendar) reflects the unavailability of the snoozed property.
The snoozed property is displayed as booked on widgets for Hosted and Integrated Websites.Unlike Blocks, snoozing your property allows you to add bookings even when your calendar is closed by overriding your property rules during the booking process. Remember that snoozing your property does not change your monthly billing with OwnerRez, as the property is still maintained in the system.
Start building your vacation home maintenance checklist by reading our Vacation home maintenance checklist vacation rental guide.
New Airbnb Account
After configuring your property settings (such as description, rules, surcharges, photos, etc.) in OwnerRez, you may want to connect to Airbnb as soon as possible. In the past, you would have had to sign up with Airbnb on their platform and then connect it to OwnerRez. But what if you don't have an Airbnb host account? With our January 29th release, you can create a new Airbnb account (and then your listing(s)) directly in-app with OwnerRez, connecting it to the Airbnb API simultaneously.
Create a new Airbnb account directly in OwnerRez by navigating to Settings > Channels > API Integrations > + Connect a Channel > Connect Airbnb.
OwnerRez users who don't already have an existing Airbnb account can select Create a new Airbnb account and click on Create.
Enter the Profile email, name, and birthdate information that you will use to log into Airbnb.
After your Airbnb connection has been completed in OwnerRez, you'll receive an email from Airbnb asking you to confirm your Airbnb account by clicking the "Activate your account" link.Explore all of the OwnerRez Listing Channel integration options.
Airbnb Cohost Listing Import
As more OwnerRez users adopt cohosting, the rise in Airbnb cohosts highlights the demand for streamlining operations and enhancing guest experiences. After the December release of the Airbnb Listing Import tool, OwnerRez added the ability for Airbnb cohosts to utilize the import tool with our January 8th release. It is recommended to import using the owner account when possible, but in some cases, cohosts want to import with their account.
Check out all of your OwnerRez Listing Channel integration options.
Apply Tax to Initial Night(s) of a Booking
As part of our January 8th release, OwnerRez now supports applying taxes to the first X nights of a booking. In some jurisdictions, sales tax applies only to the first X nights of bookings (or between a certain number of nights, and no tax if longer than that period). This is particularly the case for mid-term bookings, so this setting helps manage the reduction of tax obligations automatically.
You can configure your taxes to only apply to the first X nights of bookings by navigating to Settings > Pricing > Taxes > and selecting the affected configured tax or + Create Tax > Criteria > Applicable Nights, selecting the First button, and entering the number of nights.Of course, this tax configuration works as expected for your direct bookings and channels (Vrbo, GVR, Airbnb). However, users should note that Airbnb only uses the average nightly rates instead of the actual nightly rates to apply a nightly tax.
New Design Progress
Guest Conversation
Effective guest communication ensures a smooth experience, resolves issues promptly, and enhances guest satisfaction, leading to positive reviews and repeat bookings in short-term rentals. On January 22nd, the OwnerRez Guest Conversation area was subtly redesigned to ensure it is on par with other recent design updates.
Hosts communicate with guests through various methods, including channel messaging, email, and SMS. Note the left timeline icons that identify the messaging type on the left side of the Guest Conversation. This example includes a Vrbo message icon, an email icon, and an SMS icon.Users can access their Guest Conversations by navigating to Contacts > and selecting an individual guest or heading to an individual Booking > Conversation.
Explore all of our dynamic OwnerRez Messaging options.
Communication History
The Communication History area (Tools > Communication History) was redesigned with our January 15th release. Some of the changes are subtle, but others are far more impactful. Here's a screenshot of the previous Communication History grid tabs.
The Communication History grid tabs feature a cleaner, more modern design by removing the tab outlines.
The email delivery information display is also updated when specific email messages are selected.
This release also includes the number of times your guest has opened the email you sent to them. You can view these counts when you hover over the Opened label.The channel message delivery information display has been refreshed, too.
The Bookings Conversation History was also redesigned by replacing the yellow background with a light grey.
Be sure to explore all of the dynamic messaging options available with OwnerRez.
Amenities
Listing your property's amenities enhances transparency and helps potential renters make informed decisions. Clear amenity and accommodation details create trust, set accurate expectations, and attract guests seeking specific comforts, ultimately elevating their satisfaction and your property's appeal.
The Amenities page underwent a major redesign with our January 22nd release. Let's review what it used to look like.
Here's the new OwnerRez Amenities page. Notice that you can now check and uncheck each Amenity quickly and efficiently. Plus, you can add additional information by clicking on the Edit button to the right of the selected Amenity.This release moved Guest Check-out Instructions from Amenities to the more appropriate Guest Instructions > Check Out Tasks area as part of this release.
Billing
With our January 8th release, the OwnerRez in-app Billing page got a new look and feel. Here's what it used to look like.
And now, check out our new in-app Billing page, which includes sliders to enable or disable OwnerRez premium features. The functionality on this page remains the same as before.
Suppose you decide to close your account (which we hope you won't!). We've redesigned that page to provide some helpful options before you make such a significant decision.The next page will summarize what will be deleted or disabled, along with a brief question about your reason for leaving and an option to provide a detailed explanation.
Enhancements & Tweaks
Damage Protection
Protecting your vacation rental property against accidental damage is vital. OwnerRez's Protection option, powered by RentalGuardian®, is an optional feature that provides protection against any accidental damage a guest might cause while at your property.
As part of our January 8th release, we've updated the in-app display of your Damage Protection coverage, detailing the total, past, canceled, and future bookings covered and links to the latest Damage Protection Agreement and most current invoice.
We also added a filter option to display only the "Had Damage Protection that was Canceled" on the Insurance Detail Report.
Check out OwnerRez's Protection and Other Insurance integration options.
QuickBooks Customer Syncing
QuickBooks helps short-term rental businesses organize finances, track income and expenses, automate tax prep, and provide clear financial reports. With our January 8th release, new or changed customer first or last names in OwnerRez (or deleted in QuickBooks) are seamlessly synced to QuickBooks after you've synced your QuickBooks account.
You can see the QuickBooks customer syncing in action by navigating to an individual Booking > QuickBooks > Record Matchup > and clicking on the link for This Contact (First Name Last Name).
We've also improved our QuickBooks Deposit Failed to Sync message by now including the Deposit ID.
Explore all the Accounting integrations available with OwnerRez.
Airbnb Locked Attributes
Did you know that Airbnb released a feature in which an API-connected host making changes to listing content directly on Airbnb prompts Airbnb to lock those modified "attributes" so the OwnerRez API connection can no longer overwrite them? This can be any listing field, attribute, or amenity. At present, only rates and availability are exempt from this locking.
With our January 15th release, OwnerRez has made it easier for you to determine which, if any, attributes are "locked." You can view those locked attributes by navigating to Settings > Channels > API Integrations > your Airbnb API Integration and checking the status.
Lock Connection Notifications
Smart door locks ease the burdens of short-term rental owners and managers by using advanced technology to enhance security, streamline guest check-ins, and simplify management, especially when paired with OwnerRez Door Lock Integrations.
However, these integrated locks occasionally become unauthorized, resulting in door lock errors. OwnerRez has now added in-app notifications for users when their lock integration needs to be reauthorized.
In addition, we've added a Lock Problem Notification that you can configure to notify yourself of any lock connection problems.
Learn more by reading our Smart Lock Overview vacation rental guide.
Unlink Listing Channel Calendars
Sometimes, you need to change dates, move property, or cancel/reactivate a booking from an API-connected listing channel. Sometimes the calendar is managed automatically by the listing channel where the guest made their booking. Therefore, any changes of this nature would be made directly on the listing channel platform.
However, sometimes, you need to update the booking in OwnerRez, and it is possible to unlink a booking from the channel manually. Now, with our January 15th release, the calendar unlinking process is more manageable by giving you the ability to unlink the listing channel calendars for Avanti Florida Villas, Glamping Hub, Got2Go, Hopper Homes, Houfy, LocalOTA, and Whimstay bookings.
When you unlink a booking from one of those channels, OwnerRez will send you an "Unlinked Calendar Reminder" notification to remind you.
Worldline (Bambora)
Selecting the right payment processor is crucial for secure transactions, reduced fees, and a seamless guest experience, enhancing your vacation rental business's profitability. Worldline, formerly Bambora, is a recommended payments provider that offers merchant accounts and gateway processing, especially for businesses in Canada.
With our January 29th release, OwnerRez has enhanced and optimized our Worldline direct integration, making it one of our integrated payment processors.
OwnerRez API v2 Properties
OwnerRez's API for Apps is available to partners and users who want to communicate with our software. We've added listing_numbers fields to our API v2 as part of our January 8th release.
Bug Fixes
January 8th Release with 30 Bug Fixes
Disable and Uncheck Other Bathroom Features When Shower Only is Selected. When Shower Only is selected for Property > Rooms > Bathroom > Types, other bathroom features will be disabled to ensure they are correctly configured.
Remove Non-functional Staff Notification Edit for Billed Users. Billed users have not been able to edit their staff's notifications for some time, but there was still an inoperable link to do so on one of the staff pages. We removed that link, and billed users will no longer see that link.
Extend Vrbo Messaging Thread Search to 15 Minutes. On rare occasions, Vrbo message threads did not populate into OwnerRez due to delays in Vrbo's systems. OR resolved this issue by looking for Vrbo message threads up to 15 minutes after a booking is received.
Fix Adding Host Fee Twice to Airbnb Refund. This edge case occurred when an Airbnb host fee was inadvertently duplicated and processed in a refund. We fixed this bug, and Airbnb host fees will process from refunds correctly.
Fix Incorrectly Adding Pre-deducted Expenses to v1 Owner Statements. Some pre-deducted expenses were added incorrectly to v1 Owner Statements. OR resolved this issue to ensure that pre-deducted expenses are not added to v1 Owner Statements.
Fix Amenities Dropdown Not Showing Fully on Mobile and Hiding the Search Button. The in-app Amenities dropdown list was not fully displayed, and the Search button was obscured on mobile devices. We corrected this glitch, and the in-app Amenities dropdown list will be fully displayed and no longer obscure the Search button.
Fix Creating Manual Deposit Payments for Airbnb. The process for importing Airbnb deposit payments failed to recognize that a first payment was already included in an automated deposit, resulting in automatic deposit failures. OR resolved this issue, and Airbnb deposits will be processed correctly.
Fix Direct Rate Tester and Channel Rate Tester Showing USD Instead of the Property's Currency. The Direct Rate Tester and Channel Rate Tester occasionally incorrectly displayed a property's currency in United States Dollars (USD) rather than the correctly configured property currency. We fixed this bug to ensure that the Direct Rate and Channel Rate Testers display a property's configured property currency.
Fix Duplicate Inquiries From Vrbo. Occasionally, duplicate Vrbo inquiries would arrive in OwnerRez via message webhook and the inquiry mailbox, resulting in user confusion. OR corrected this glitch by eliminating duplicate Vrbo inquiries by verifying the double-blind email address.
Fix Duplicate Refunds for Modified Booking.com Bookings. This edge case occurred when a modified Booking.com (BDC) booking incorrectly resulted in two duplicate refunds processed 10 minutes apart. We resolved this issue so that BDC refunds are processed correctly.
Fix Error on Portal Dashboards Pertaining to Disabled Properties. Due to the addition of disabled property filtering for non-portal users, Portal users experienced some errors when attempting to filter for active properties. OR corrected this glitch to ensure Portal users can filter for active properties.
Fix Error on Public Link/Global Landing Page When No Channel. Public Links or Global Landing Pages without associated channels displayed errors. We resolved this issue by instead displaying regular Guest Form Error Messages for Public Links or Global Landing Pages without associated channels.
Fix Error on Team Page When Portal Site is Enabled. Some Portal sites incorrectly encountered team page errors when enabled. OR corrected this glitch to ensure that newly enabled Portal sites are displayed correctly.
Fix Error When Merging Tags. Some tag merges encountered errors when the tag source was empty or null. We fixed this bug, and merged tags with empty or null tag sources will no longer cause errors.
Fix Kaba Long-term Checkout Ends on Monday Instead of Sunday. Long-term Kaba door lock codes failed to set the correct period length, resulting in check-outs ending on Sundays rather than the expected Mondays. OR corrected this glitch so that long-term Kaba door lock codes correctly compute the stay length so they end on the expected Mondays.
Fix Listing Quality Analyzer Error When Validating Percentage-based Management Fees. The Listing Quality Analyzer (LQA) incorrectly flagged percentage-based Management surcharges as errors. We resolved this issue, and the LQA will correctly validate percentage-based Management surcharges.
Fix Lynnbrook Automatic Deposits and Reversals. Due to a regression, automatic Lynnbrook deposits incorrectly validated Lynnbrook reversals. OR corrected these glitches so that Lynnbrook automatic deposits with reversals will be processed correctly.
Fix Missing "Change" Button on Host Review After Canceling Bad Review. The Change button was missing and no longer appeared after hosts canceled a negative review, preventing users from modifying or submitting their draft review. We resolved this issue to ensure the Change button is visible and available after hosts cancel a negative review.
Fix Not Deleting a Payment in QuickBooks When Canceling a Booking Through a MoR Channel. This edge case occurred when a deleted payment for a canceled booking through a Merchant of Record (MoR) listing channel in OwnerRez failed to sync correctly to QuickBooks. OR corrected this glitch and deleted payments for canceled bookings through a MoR listing channel in OwnerRez, which will sync correctly to QuickBooks.
Fix QuickBooks Batch Update Tool Failing on Large Number of Updates. While the QuickBooks Batch Update tool attempts to match all bookings simultaneously in a single operation, a large number of updates would sometimes fail due to timeouts. We resolved this issue by optimizing the QuickBooks Batch Update tool to better handle a large number of updates.
Fix Quote Trigger Not Running and Not Showing in Forecast. Some Quote triggers with retries until cut off for "open" quotes failed to send templates and were not displayed in the Trigger Forecast. OR fixed this bug, and Quote triggers with retries until cut off for "open" quotes will send templates and be displayed in the Trigger Forecast as expected.
Fix Reporting Failure When Selecting Many Properties. OwnerRez clients with hundreds of properties encountered report failures when disabled properties were included. We corrected this glitch, and clients with hundreds of properties can run reports that include their disabled properties.
Fix Selected Checkboxes Should Show Checks on Conditions for Properties on Discounts Page. Selected properties on the Discounts > Conditions section incorrectly displayed solid green checkboxes rather than the correct green checkmark within the checkbox on the property multi-select dropdown list. OR fixed this bug, and selected properties on the Discounts > Conditions section will correctly display green checkmarks within the checkbox on the property multi-select dropdown list.
Fix Setting Door Codes for igloohome Locks in Some Instances. Some igloohome lock models encountered issues preventing them from setting door codes through igloohome's AlgoPIN. We resolved this issue to ensure that igloohome locks which support AlgoPIN will set door codes correctly.
Fix Triggers Not Running When Other Triggers Overlap. Some scheduled Quote triggers failed to send templates when there were other overlapping triggers. OR corrected this glitch, and scheduled Quote triggers will send templates even if other overlapping triggers exist.
Fix Various Airbnb Listing Import Bugs. Following the December release of the New Airbnb Listing Import, we located a couple of small issues causing errors. We fixed those bugs, and the New Airbnb Listing Import tool is working as expected.
Fix Vrbo Inquiry Showing as Not Available After Booking for the Inquiry. Vrbo booking IDs created through Vrbo Inquiry IDs were sometimes not correctly linked, resulting in unavailable dates. OR resolved this issue by ensuring Vrbo Inquiry IDs are correctly linked to Booking IDs to show correct availability.
Remove Booking Confirmation From Booking.com Channel Page. Since booking confirmation channel messages and triggers are automatically configured for all Booking.com (BDC) bookings, OwnerRez has removed the Booking Confirmation selection from the BDC channel integration page.
Remove Per-property Security Deposit Release Template. To avoid confusion, the infrequently used per-property security deposit release email template has been removed. The regular Security Deposit Release System Message remains unchanged.
January 15th Release with 17 Bug Fixes
Adjust LQA Photo Check to Better Handle All Cases (e.g., Google Vacation Rentals). Occasionally, the Listing Quality Analyzer (LQA) either missed issues or was too strict when reviewing photos, especially photos for Google Vacation Rentals. We have adjusted the LQA to address any photo warnings or errors more consistently.
Apply Pet Fees to Google Vacation Rentals Bookings. While Google Vacation Rentals (GVR) does not support pet fees, any pet fee surcharges configured were not displayed as expected on the Public Booking Link Page or the GVR rate tester. OR has fixed this bug, and pet fee surcharges will be displayed on both the Public Booking Link Page and the GVR rate tester.
Change "Public" Link" Booking Form Charges Display to Follow Pricing Preferences. The Public Booking Link didn't display booking charges as configured in an account's pricing preferences. We corrected this glitch so that an account's pricing preferences are adhered to on the Public Booking Link.
Evaluate eRentalLock Long-term Stays by Days Instead of Nights. OwnerRez incorrectly used the number of nights calculation to send a short-term code for eRentalLock door lock integrations, but eRentalLock used the number of days and was expecting a long-term code. OR resolved this issue and will use the number of days and send long-term codes.
Fix Error for Hosted Sites With No Homepage Configured for Hero Unit FB Image. OR hosted websites with no homepage configured for their hero unit Facebook image encountered errors. We fixed this bug, and hosted websites with no homepage configured for their hero unit Facebook image will no longer receive errors.
Fix Error When Syncing a New Payment to QuickBooks Online. Some new payments resulted in QuickBooks sync errors. OR resolved this issue so that new payments will sync correctly with QuickBooks.
Fix Failing Sync of Guest Details to QuickBooks. Following the January 8th QuickBooks Customer Syncing release, we experienced a code regression where some guest details did not correctly sync. We corrected this glitch to ensure guest details are properly synced with QuickBooks.
Fix Incorrect Airbnb Last-minute Discounts. This edge case occurred when an Airbnb last-minute discount was incorrectly calculated, resulting in incorrect nightly rates sent to Airbnb. OR resolved this issue, and Airbnb last-minute discounts will be correctly applied to nightly rates when sent to Airbnb.
Fix QuickBooks Customer Sync to Sync to Only Active Connections. Following the January 8th QuickBooks Customer Syncing release, some QuickBooks connections incorrectly attempted to sync to inactive connections. We fixed this bug to ensure that all QuickBooks connections will only attempt to sync to active connections.
Handle Airbnb Duplicate Quotes. Some Airbnb duplicate reservation requests or quote webhooks caused the original quotes to get stuck in a "pending approval" queue. OR corrected this glitch so that duplicate Airbnb reservation requests or quote webhooks will be handled correctly.
Only Render Billing Info for Pending Booking if it is Verified. A regression in our Jan 8 release caused some Pending Bookings with unverified payment details to produce an error. We resolved this issue by only rendering verified billing information for pending bookings.
Prevent Read-only Airbnb Accounts From Importing Deposits. The new Airbnb Listing Import tool incorrectly imported deposit transactions for read-only connections. OR fixed this bug so that the Airbnb Listing Import tool only imports the Aribnb property listing content, not deposits, until the user fully connects.
Push Correct Check-in End Times to Airbnb. Due to Airbnb's validation process for check-in windows, some check-in window end times sent to Airbnb were flagged as invalid. We corrected this glitch, and we will push the correct check-in window end times.
Remove Deprecated Vrbo Amenities. Vrbo has deprecated COVID-related amenities regarding enhanced cleaning practices and regional guidelines, so OwnerRez has removed those deprecated amenities sent to Vrbo while still making them available to be sent to other listing channels in OwnerRez.
Render All Email "Open" Events Grouping by Hour and Show a Count. For clarification on email message tracking, OwnerRez will track all email "open" events by grouping them by hour and displaying the total count with the corresponding count for each hour.
Set Sync Start Date for QuickBooks Customers to January 8th, 2025. Following the January 8th QuickBooks Customer Syncing release, some QuickBooks connections incorrectly attempted to sync for all time. OR resolved this issue by setting the QuickBooks sync start date for QuickBooks customers to January 8th, 2025, on a go-forward basis.
Support Import of Airbnb Listing Without English Description. Users with Airbnb listings with non-English descriptions faced issues importing their listings because the Airbnb Listing Import tool incorrectly attempted to load an English description. We fixed this bug by adding support for Airbnb listings with non-English descriptions to the Airbnb Listing Import tool.
January 22nd Release With 11 Bug Fixes
Channel Bridge Imports Negative Taxes as Positive for Vrbo. Vrbo sometimes adds negative taxes for chargebacks that OwnerRez incorrectly processed as positive during the Channel Bridge (CB) process, resulting in CB import failures. We corrected the CB tool to import Vrbo taxes correctly.
Fix Booking.com Booking Pending Notification From Using Incorrect Template Content. Some Booking.com (BDC) pending booking notifications were sending an incorrect template. OR corrected this issue by sending the correct BDC pending booking notification template.
Fix Communication History "Opened" Tooltip Formatting. The "Opened" tooltip in the Communication History did not render correctly, causing the text "<code>number of times</code>" to be displayed. We fixed this bug to remove the "<code></code>" text from the Communication History "Opened" tooltip.
Fix Crash on Property Accommodations Page When Accessibility Amenity Photo is Not Tagged After Importing From Airbnb. Users encountered errors when attempting to update Property > Accommodations because their Accessibility Amenity Photos were not properly tagged after the Airbnb Listing Import tool was run. OR resolved this glitch, allowing users to update their Property > Accommodations even if their Accessibility Amenity Photos are not tagged after the Airbnb Listing Import tool is run.
Fix igloohome algoPIN Lock Support for a Particular User's Lock Type. One OwnerRez user's igloohome lock encountered continued algoPIN type door lock code failures. We corrected this issue, and the igloohome lock configured with an algoPIN type door code will generate door codes correctly.
Guest Conversation Template Selection for Multiple Upcoming Bookings. When a guest had multiple upcoming bookings, the Guest Conversation template selection did not correctly populate the associated guest booking fields. OR fixed this bug to ensure that the Guest Conversation template selection correctly populates the associated guest booking fields for guests with multiple upcoming bookings.
Message Tooltip Shows Wrong Date for Paid in Full Event. The message tooltip for a paid-in-full booking message tooltip displayed an incorrect collection date. We resolved this glitch by displaying the correct date on the paid-in-full booking message tooltip.
Profile Menu (Three Dots) Not Showing on Smaller Screens. The in-app Profile Menu (i.e., three vertical dots) was not visible on very small screens. OR corrected this glitch so that the Profile Menu is visible on very small screens.
Schlage Reports Success Shortly After Failure. Some Schlage-connected door locks received a CommandTimeOut webhook, which was quickly followed by an Ok message webhook within seconds, indicating that the code had been set correctly. However, the system then sent notifications stating that the "Door Lock Code Failed to Generate," even though the door lock code had been set correctly. We resolved this issue by ignoring the CommandTimeOut message and waiting for the success message. We will assume there's a door lock code error if the "Ok" message is not received within five minutes.
Stripe Customer ID Not Recorded in Guest Forms When Payment Method Changes Midway. This edge case occurred after a booking payment was collected. Then, the guest attempted to use a different card for the security deposit, which failed, and then switched back to the original card, causing a new payment method ID and customer ID to be created in Stripe. Still, only the new payment method ID was recorded in OwnerRez, leading to customer ID failures due to ID mismatches. OR fixed this bug to ensure the correct Stripe customer ID is added to OwnerRez.
Vrbo Automatic 5-Star Reviews (Private Beta) (Coming Soon).
- Improve Vrbo Review Error Handling. Sometimes, when OwnerRez pushed automatic reviews to Vrbo, we encountered error code responses that we forwarded to the user without explanation. We addressed this issue by providing users with translated versions of the known Vrbo error codes when we receive error code responses related to pushing automatic reviews to Vrbo.
January 29th Release With 15 Bug Fixes
Add New Vrbo Review Categories. OwnerRez was receiving Vrbo review import errors due to unrecognized rating categories. OR resolved this issue by adding new Vrbo review categories.
Add Extra Rules for GVR Taxes and Fees in LQA. Google Vacation Rentals (GVR) does not support taxable surcharges, so OwnerRez adds extra tax adjustments. However, the rounding adjustments sometimes lead to price failures, which can cause drops in listing quality. We have implemented additional tax and fee rules specifically for GVR in the Listing Quality Analyzer (LQA) to address this issue.
Allow Customers With the Same Name to be Sent to QuickBooks. Due to QuickBooks validation checks while syncing, users with different guests with the same name could encounter "Duplicate customer name" errors in QuickBooks when syncing. We addressed this glitch by allowing customers or guests to have unique display names sent to QuickBooks.
Allow Payment to Succeed if Security Deposit Fails. Some payments collected simultaneously with failed security deposits resulted in payment failures. OR fixed this issue to ensure successful payments even if a security deposit fails.
Fix Airbnb Listing Import With Arabic Locale is Failing. Some Airbnb listing imports for properties with Arabian locales encountered failures. We corrected this bug to ensure that Airbnb listing imports for properties with any locale will be imported correctly.
Fix Bad Expense Category on Historic Records. Some historic records were missing expense categories and continued to be incorrectly displayed in fee descriptions. OR fixed this issue by correcting these historical records with missing expense categories.
Fix HA-XML Non-taxable Surcharges. Following the January 8th release of the Apply Tax to Initial Night(s) of a Booking, we encountered a regression affecting non-taxable surcharges. We resolved this glitch to correctly handle non-taxable surcharges.
Fix Importing Airbnb Transactions That Use BGN Currency. Airbnb transactions using the Bulgarian lev (BGN) were not properly imported into OwnerRez. OR fixed this bug to ensure that Airbnb transactions using the BGN currency are properly imported into OwnerRez.
Fix PM Owner Remittance Summary Showing Unselected Owners. The PM Owner Remittance Summary report incorrectly displayed unselected owners despite being correctly configured. We resolved this glitch, and the PM Owner Remittance Summary report will display selected owners as configured.
Fix PMv2 Incorrect Commission Expense Dates. PM v2 automatic commission expenses could not be edited, causing issues for PM users who wanted to change the expense date. OR corrected this issue by fixing the commission expense to be created with the correct expense date.
Fix QuickBooks Currency Not Being Set for New Customers. Some users of our QuickBooks integration encountered errors with bookings and customers in different currencies. We resolved this glitch by syncing the booking currency to the QuickBooks customer record.
Fix Schlage Authentication Stuck as Unauthenticated. When some Schlage API-connected door locks encountered errors, they occasionally became stuck in an unauthenticated state. OR fixed this bug by clearing the status when re-authenticating, preventing Schlage API-connected door locks from getting stuck in an unauthenticated state.
Mark Some Igloo Locks as Unsupported Instead of Displaying an Error. Unsupported igloohome door locks received errors without the explanation that that particular lock was unsupported. We resolved this issue by marking the affected igloohome door locks as unsupported on the property lock mapping page.
Prevent Users From Selecting Menu Items for Redirects. Hosted website redirect options incorrectly allowed users to select menu items, resulting in the redirect going to the home page rather than the intended redirect page. OR corrected this bug by preventing users from selecting menu items for redirects.
Remove Some Deprecated Vrbo Amenities. Vrbo continues to deprecate COVID-related amenities regarding enhanced cleaning practices, regional guidelines, and gap rules, so we have removed those deprecated amenities sent to Vrbo while still making them available to be sent to other listing channels in OwnerRez.
