The A-Z’s of Airbnb Checkout Instructions

Unfortunately for guests, their stay in your beautiful Airbnb eventually has to end. And while they most likely had a fantastic time using all the amenities you provided them with and explored the best sites in the area, they will have to check out and say goodbye to the vacation rental, whether it was a short or long stay. 

But how do you ensure they leave everything in place, similar to how they arrived? That is when Airbnb checkout instructions come into play. They are placed on your listing when you first upload your property on the site, and they inform the guests what is expected of them when it is time to say farewell. 

You want to ensure these instructions are simple and easy to understand. So, below is everything you need to know about Airbnb checkout instructions and how you can put together the ultimate list for your future guests. 

The importance of Airbnb checkout instructions

Let’s start off with why you need checkout instructions on your Airbnb listing:

Encourages guests to look after your property

Although you most likely have a cleaner to come in and tidy your property to perfection after a guest has checked out, you don’t want to make their job too difficult. You also want to avoid the chance of any damage to your rental, which may lead to costly repairs. That’s why checkout instructions are extremely important in ensuring there are no misunderstandings in the condition in which the guests should leave the property. 
 

The cleaning fee price should be reflected in how you word the maintenance of the rental in your checkout instructions. If you are charging them a high cleaning fee but asking them to leave the property in better condition than they found it, they may feel less inclined to do so. However, if the cleaning fee is on the lower side, they will most likely feel more comfortable putting in the extra effort before they check out.

Ensures a better guest experience

Checkout instructions ensure there is no confusion in what you expect of the guests before they leave and your responsibilities towards the property. If the instructions are clear and informative but not too standoffish, guests will feel like they know what they need to do, which can increase the quality of their stay. 

You are more likely to receive five-star reviews when you give your guests excellent instructions. They won’t encounter any trouble with you as a host if they have followed them well, and they will end their stay feeling satisfied enough to tell the world about it. 

Advertises yourself as a professional host 

Many guests want to know what they will experience when staying at an Airbnb. Therefore, if they can see there is a clear and comprehensive list of checkout instructions ready and waiting before they even make the booking, they will see you as a more professional host and feel inclined to stay in your property. 

Checkout instructions show potential guests that you care about the quality of your rental and that you’ve put rules to ensure everything is in place. When you appear as a caring and formal host, you will most likely see your booking rates start to soar. 
 

Writing your Airbnb checkout instructions
 

Checkout time

Every Airbnb needs a checkout time, and you want to ensure this has been clearly outlined at the very beginning of your instructions. Without a set time, you may find guests overstaying their welcome, making it challenging to get ready for the following people who will be staying in your property. If you have back-to-back bookings and you’ve reserved a cleaner to come to your property at a set time, ensure that your last guests are out an hour before. If there is ever a time when your guests have not left in time, there is an option to add a late checkout fee, but make sure this is clearly stated as well. 
 

Giving back the keys

It is all well and good telling your guests to leave at a specific time, but you can’t get ready for the next set of guests when you don’t have your keys back. How the keys are returned is up to you, and various options are available. You may want to use a lockbox, you can come and pick them up yourself, or you can tell the guests to leave them with a trusted member of your team. You never want your guests to have any confusion over where to leave them because this can cause issues with lost keys and getting them to the next guest. 

Electronic appliances

So, of course, there are a lot of different appliances and devices on your property that you will need to switch off before the next set of guests arrive. This is especially important if you don’t have another booking for a while because your energy bill may come back higher than you expected. Make it clear on your checkout instructions what the guests need to turn off, whether it is the lights, HVAC unit, or simply unplugging some devices from the wall. Similarly, you may need some appliances to charge for the next guest, so if you have anything like that, you will want to state this in the instructions too. 
 

Cleaning and trash

Nothing is worse than walking into a property with dirty dishes on the side and a full trashcan that hasn’t been taken outside. This is why it is vital to include the cleaning rules in your checkout instructions. While you will most likely be hiring a cleaner to come in after, it is common practice for guests to clean up after themselves when doing the dishes and taking out any trash left around the house. It makes the cleaning process go a lot quicker, and you can get your rental prepared for the next guest with a lot more ease.
 

Doors and windows 

While you may like to believe all guests would close and lock the doors and windows before they leave, this isn’t always the case. That is why it is pretty important to mention it in your checkout instructions. There isn’t any special way of saying it; just gently remind them to check that everything is closed before they leave and hand in their keys. You may also want to ask the neighbors surrounding your rental to keep an eye out on your property and ensure that everything is closed when it is vacant. Only do this if you trust them, though, for maximum safety.

Alerting your guests of the checkout process

Sometimes a guest may not notice you have mentioned the checkout instructions on your listing. Therefore, you’ll want to use more than one way of alerting them of the process. One of the best ways is to schedule a message the day before they leave and send them the instructions so it is fresh in their minds. Another great way is to print out a copy and hang it up in a prominent place in the property so the guests will always be able to see it. 
 

Placing your instructions on other sites

If you advertise your property on other vacation rental sites, you may also want to send your instructions to your guests there. Here is how you can send automated messages with your checkout rules included on two of the other main sites:
 

Booking.com

1. Select the property tab on the website
2. Head to the template scheduler
3. Click the schedule new template option
    

Vrbo

1. Visit your inbox
2. Find the paper icon
3. Add a new template to send
    

Using software to automate your instructions

If you’re a host with your properties listed on several vacation rental sites, it can become difficult to stay up to date on them. This is especially the case if you make changes to your checkout instructions. The best thing to do is find a form of vacation rental software where you can set up automated messages to send to guests, regardless of their platform. You won’t have to manually send messages by going between the different sites. It will save you time and ensure your instructions are always out there. 

Final thoughts 

Writing your checkout instructions for the first time is probably the most crucial part of this process. You want to ensure that every different rule you’re mentioning is absolutely clear and there is no room for interpretation. If a guest gets confused about what you are telling them, they may not leave the property in the state you were expecting.

Overall, check out rules make running an Airbnb or any other vacation rental property so much easier. It saves you money on having to pay a cleaner for a longer amount of time and ensures you can get more back-to-back bookings in. Once you have your original draft, it is also easy to make adjustments from there in the future.