check out policy

Brad3
Level 3
Tucson, AZ

check out policy

Why doesn't AirBnB have a check out policy? Both myself and my partner have had issues with tenants not checking out on time. It creates a real headache when you have a 11am check out and another 2pm check in. 

 

I have granted late check outs if I have no one coming in that same day, but only when they ask in advance. This week my partner has had two guests still asleep when she knocks to clean at her check out time of 11 am. In both cases the guests took their sweet time leaving, making the turn over a rushed affair. One guest two weeks ago wasn't even in the property at check out time and needed to be located to tell him that he was supposed to be out of the unit already.

 

I propose that AirBnb have some sort of policy like hotels do. If you are not checked out by the check out time and no provision has been made in advance for a late check out, the guest is automatically charged for another night. I guess that could cause problems if you have another guest checking in, but in cases detailed above, we as hosts had zero leverage. The guests all basically took as much time as they wanted to vacate.

 

Thanks!

 

Brad

40 Replies 40
Gerry-And-Rashid0
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

You can set whatever policy you like - the only rule  I find is that on both your initial correspondence and on while they are with you, you restate the check out time - saying the room needs to be remade for next guests and just remind them nicely the day before. Alwasy works. You can also put in your description that if people want to use the room for x hours after the normal check out time then there is a charge of £x and you set this up as a special offer. 

 

Assume you also were honest in your reviews about  your guests..?

 

I think sometimes hosts can just be a little bit too soft and generous...

I agree with the host above. If the guest doesn't request and recieve extra time to check out you can charge them a fee high enough to get their attention.

 

I put this in my house rules which Airbnb makes the guest agree to before confirming the booking.

 

CHECK IN/OUT
Check in: 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Check out: 10:00 am
Text or call Peggy with an ETA of your arrival. We want to be able to greet you and provide a walk-through of the home with the primary occupant.

 

HOLDOVER
If Occupant remains in possession of the Premises for any period after the agreed booking period without the Owner's consent, Occupant will pay (your choice)% of the Occupancy Fee required for the rental per day.

 

As long as you are upfront people will understand and you are getting paid for your waiting time.

 

 

  1. What if you have another guest checking in at 3pm? That gives this guest the right to stay over another night and then you have a double booking. Then you are on the phone 3 hrs waiting for AIRbnb to solve the problem.

Gerry and Rashid!

What a helpful tip! Clear boundries make for happy hosts and better guests. 

 

I'm updating my info right now! 

 

T. 

I am in this situation right now and not sure what to do. I haven't seen my guests in the last couple of days so didn't remind them about the check out. The guest told me she does AirBnB in China so perhaps I assumed she knows the routine.

 

Anyway....there are currently out. I rang to see if they had left as the bedroom door was closed and they had left items in the bathroom. When I rang they said they would like to stay another week, which is okay as we don't have another guest booked but I really feel this should have been organised in advance of the 10am check out, not two hours after! And then she said "I am busy in an interview so have to call you back"...

Alice69
Level 1
Berlin, Germany

We have a current situation where we haven't seen our guests for three days and they are due to check out tomorrow at 11am as we have another set of guests arriving at 12pm. I have messaged the current guests twice to remind them that check out is at 11am but have had no response. What am I supposed to do come the morning if they are still out and their stuff in still in the room? I have no policy stated that guests are required to pay extra for late check out..

You might also leave them a note on their door or wherever they're sure to see it.

 

I had a non-responsive guest who wasn't getting message alerts on her phone and wasn't monitoring email. Sometimes old-fashioned pen & paper is best 😉

yeah @Allison2, probably a note on the door is more polite and personal, i do it too 🙂

I'm wondering what happened to those guests.

I had the exact same situation except my guests mistakenly thought they had paid for 3 days instead of 2.  I called and texted the guests 3 times with no response.   I called Airbnb and they sent them a message they had to be out because we had new guests checking in in 2 hours.   They advised me to remove all their items from the house and go ahead with cleaning.    This was an awful situation as they had stuff everywhere.   We stacked all their stuff in 1 room and proceeded to clean.  They finally showed up at 1:30 and admitted they had screwed up the reservation, but they were still mad and left in a huff.   I don’t ever want to go thru that again!   From now on we will review check out policy with our guests when they check in, especially if we have a back to back booking....this was only our second time to host so we had no idea what to do or if we had the right to do what we did.    What would you do in this situation?

David599
Level 1
Minneapolis, MN

I agree that AirBnB has dropped the ball as they don't even provide a Help item on this. I suppose adding a policy is an option, but then we have to go through the Resolution Center to collect on that. The onus shouldn't be on the host to handle this on their own, it should be a set of standard procedures as for Cancellations.

 

For those who recommend to just be nice about it...HUH??? Don't you clean up your property for the next guest? Some of us run our property as a professional business, and expect policies to be followed.

Greg74
Level 1
Boulder, CO

I totally agree - its been a problem as well.

Donald28
Level 10
Lithia Springs, GA

I had a recent guest checkout an hour after my 12 noon checkout time. My check in time is 2pm so it made for a rushed cleaning on my part. The listing clearly states check in and out times but some guests are just disrespectful and don't care. 

@Donald28, you must be a very fast worker to have a noon check out and 2 pm check in!

Ours is 11 am check out and 3 pm check in and it still seems rushed...

Is there a reason you prefer an early check in time?