Guides Checked 1 November 2026
Vacation rental
photography.
Shoot every room in landscape, at least 1024 × 683, and never drop below 6 photos on Vrbo. Below: what Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com each require, what gets photos rejected, and a room-by-room shot list.
What each site requires
| Site | Rule | Minimum size | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airbnb | No minimum count published. Every room needs at least one photo to appear in the photo tour. The first 5 photos show on the listing page and the first is the one in search. Landscape. | 1024 × 683, 3:2 | Official |
| Vrbo | At least 6 unique photos at all times. Below 6 for more than 30 days can mean an indefinite suspension. Ideally 3840 × 2160 or larger. | 1024 × 683, landscape | Official |
| Booking.com | At least 5 to finish sign-up, 10+ recommended. No watermarks, maps, licence plates or switched-on screens. | 2048 × 1080, landscape | Official |
What gets photos rejected
| Site | Rejected or not allowed |
|---|---|
| Vrbo | Black and white or sepia, collages, text or URLs on the photo, watermarked borders, extreme close-ups, duplicates or near-duplicates. |
| Booking.com | Watermarks and logos, personal information, licence plates, switched-on TVs and laptops, maps and directions, photos that are not of your property. |
| Airbnb | Photos must show the listing as guests will find it. Experiences photos may not carry text, logos or collages. |
Before you shoot
Clear every surface
Counters, tables, nightstands and the bathroom shelf. Leave one or two props at most.
Hide the evidence of you
Family photos, post, fridge magnets, toothbrushes, cleaning products, bins.
Lights on, screens off
Every lamp and ceiling light on, curtains open, TV off — Booking.com rejects switched-on screens.
Cars and people out of frame
Booking.com bans licence plates and personal information. Blur any plate you cannot avoid.
Room-by-room shot list
- Cover photo. The best wide shot of the main living space or the view — it is what guests see in search. Landscape, daylight, every lamp on.
- Living room. A wide shot from the corner, and one from the opposite side so guests understand the layout.
- Each bedroom. The whole bed from the foot corner, plus storage or the view. Make the bed tight; plain bedding photographs better than patterns.
- Kitchen. The full kitchen, then one close shot of what guests ask about: the coffee machine, the oven, the dishwasher.
- Each bathroom. Door open, towels folded, toilet lid down, no toiletries. Shoot from the doorway — Vrbo requires a bathroom photo for multi-unit properties.
- Outside and the extras. The front door, parking, garden, pool, balcony, hot tub, workspace. Whatever guests filter by deserves its own photo.
Phone technique — level camera, the right lens, daylight — is in the hotel photography guide; it applies to rentals unchanged.
After the shoot
Dark rooms, yellow light, leaning walls? The photo lab fixes light, colour and verticals for up to 20 photos at once, checks nothing real was added or removed, and cuts Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com sizes. The first photo is free.
Open the photo lab→Photos already good? Cut them to every rental site’s size for free in your browser.
Free bulk resizer→Also: brighten dark rooms · blur number plates · is sky replacement allowed?
Questions
How many photos should a vacation rental have?
Vrbo requires at least 6 unique photos at all times and can suspend a listing that stays below 6 for more than 30 days. Booking.com needs 5 to finish sign-up and recommends 10 or more. Airbnb publishes no minimum, but every room needs at least one photo for the photo tour, and the first 5 are the ones guests see on the listing page. In practice, 20–30 photos covering every room and outdoor space works on all three.
What size should Airbnb and Vrbo photos be?
At least 1024 × 683 pixels on both; Vrbo says 3840 × 2160 or larger is ideal. Upload your phone’s full-resolution photos, landscape, and never enlarge a small photo — it only gets softer.
Can I take rental photos with my phone?
Yes. Shoot in daylight with all lights on, hold the phone level at chest height so walls stay straight, and use the 1× lens from a corner rather than the 0.5× lens up close.
Can I edit or enhance my rental photos?
Brightening, colour correction and straightening walls are fine — they show the place more accurately. Removing a stain, a neighbour’s building or a crack, or swapping the sky, changes what guests will find. Airbnb asks for photos that represent the listing accurately, and guests can complain on arrival.
Should I hire a photographer?
If the listing earns enough for one booking to cover the fee, a good photographer usually pays for themselves. If not, the shot list and prep on this page get most of the way there with a phone.