Dealing with Late Checkouts – Advice from Fellow Indian Hosts Needed!

[Paras45]

Hey everyone,

I wanted to hear from other Indian hosts about their experiences handling late checkouts. Despite clearly mentioning my checkout time in the house rules, sending polite reminders, and even specifying that a late checkout fee will be charged, I’ve still faced situations where guests refuse to leave on time.

This recently caused a big inconvenience, as my next guest was left waiting because the previous guest overstayed despite multiple reminders.

If I have no booking after them, I’m flexible — but I believe every guest should respect the timing as a courtesy to others.

Late checkouts also disrupt my personal schedule and cleaning routine. I often have to make multiple adjustments, and honestly, it becomes quite a hassle. 😅

I’ve also faced situations where guests arrive and start demanding services that were never mentioned in advance or are clearly not included. This puts us hosts in a tough spot, especially when they know certain services aren’t offered.

I’d love to know:

✅ How do you effectively communicate checkout timings to ensure guests respect them?
✅ Have you successfully charged late fees before? If so, how did you approach it?
✅ Are there any tips or strategies that have worked well for you in ensuring smooth guest transitions?
✅ How do you handle guests who outright refuse to leave on time?
✅ What are the standard guidelines for late checkouts and extra service requests that most Indian hosts follow?

(Please mention it)

I really want to find a balance between being polite and firm so that future guests aren’t left waiting. Any advice or strategies that have worked for you would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences. 🙏

@Alex if you can help me out here! Thanks. 

[Paras45]

I recently had a guest with a caravan, and I spent almost two hours accommodating their needs, investing my time and communicating everything clearly. Despite this, they later said they’d check out about an hour late. When I reminded them about the checkout time, they just said, "We'll try."

I find this so strange because checkout time isn’t a favor or a request — it’s a standard. Delaying checkout doesn’t just affect me; it’s unfair to the next guest who expects a clean and ready room.

How do you all handle situations like this? Do you charge late fees or offer a small grace period?
Would love to hear your thoughts!

[Paras45]

@Bhumika @Rebecca 

I’d love to hear from fellow Indian Airbnb hosts! 🏡

Can you please give a shoutout to this post and share your insights on:

🕒 What are the common check-in and checkout timings you follow?
💬 How do you manage guests who request late checkouts or early check-ins?
🤔 Any tips or experiences you'd like to share about setting house rules or guest expectations?

I’m really intrigued to know how Indian hosts manage these situations, and I’d be grateful if you could share your thoughts. Looking forward to learning from your experiences!

Thanks in advance! 🙏😊"

[Alex]

Hello @Paras45!👋

Hope you had a great weekend! Thank you for sharing this question in the Community Center. Even though you mentioned you struggled with late check-outs, how did you manage these situations? Were you able to find alternatives that helped you to manage the situation?

On the other hand, I'm going to tag some other members to see if they can help answer your question: @Keshav7, @Dr-Jayanthi1 , @Laurelle3, @Guy991 ,@Rose422, @Patricia2526 and @Kitty-and-Creek0 @Ranveer1 

Thanks in advance to everyone! 🤗

Best, 

Alex

[Ranveer1]

Thanks, @Alex , for tagging me!

Hello @Paras45 , I understand you're facing issues with guests checking out late. I’d recommend clearly communicating your check-in and check-out times well in advance, either through calls or messages. Setting reasonable timing is also key—my Airbnb check-out time is 10 AM, and check-in is at 1 PM, which gives me enough time for cleaning, even if guests leave a bit late.

It's always best to set expectations early to avoid misunderstandings. As for late check-out fees, I personally don’t charge extra if I don’t have another booking lined up.

[Rose422]

Hi there @Paras45 , 

I am not a fellow Indian host, but I host on boats in Florida and here is my quick advise. 

If you are just remotely communicating about late checkouts, my suggestions would be: 

- Not to charge for late checkouts and not to repeat yourself, the nicer you are to guests the more respectful they will be of you and your rules; 

- Consider changing your checkout time to at least one hour earlier than usual, if this has been a pattern. I am next door to my airbnb which makes it easier to monitor; 

- If you do not have a camera monitoring the outside space, install one so that you can have a better idea whether the guests have left or not on time; 

- Again, always be nice to guests and if possible find out discretely on arrival if you meet them personally what time will they be checking out roughly, or via message prior; 

- If you have instant booking, there is an option to ask a custom automated question; I ask their approximate arrival time as it is important to me, but you can also ask their estimated checkout time. Most guests check out earlier than usual, so no need to bother all guests with the same automated message about charges etc, always custom your messages; 

- If this has been a consistent issue, always block one date after the guests until you find the best solution, most of the times I block one day after parties of 4, because I know I can't turn the place on time just in case there is extra cleaning; 

- Again, if you can provide a late checkout option, it's best not to charge guests, unless it really incurs charges to you, they will be happier that you could accomodate them and amplify their experience, but if you are paying extra to cleaners, I understand;

- Always be honest with guests and they will appreciate it. If late checkouts do not incur charges, no need to charge guests and demands to have them checkout on time is not a good idea; Always be prepared in advance. 

- If you are sending a welcome message personally the day before their arrival, which is something I do, and if checkout was important to me, I would either ask the guest about their approximate checkout time, or if you do not have back to back guests, there would be no point in my opinion; 

- I personally don't mind to have guests check out as late as they need to, considering there are no other guests checkin in on the same day. 

Good news is you have a full control of your calendar and messaging. If you add an automated message question upon booking, asking the guests to notify you of their estimated arrival and checkout times, you will have a better way of scheduling everything. If one guests checks out late, but you know the other guest after them is arriving after 8pm that evening, then there is no need to rush or bother guests and you can get on with your setup at your pace. 

***This is what I would add as an automated message if you have Instant book. 

Thank you so much for choosing to stay at.....(your listing name or home name). 

Please let me know if you have any special requirements and share your estimated arrival and departure timeframes so we are better prepared. 

Thanks again and look forward to hosting you soon. 

Your name. 

***If you have No instant book, send a similar welcome message in a text just after the booking. Here you have more word space than the auto text. 

Thank you so much for choosing to stay at my home. 

You are all set and I look forward to hosting you (all) soon. I will send a welcome message the day before your arrival. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch any time.

I do my best to make sure all guests have a wonderful stay, so if you have any special requirements (such as fireworks on arrival!), please let me know.

One thing that would help me be better prepared for your upcoming stay is knowing your estimated ARRIVAL & DEPARTURE timeframes, so I would appreciate if you could share when possible. 

Thanks again and look forward to welcoming you to my home soon. 

Your name.

Hope this helps. 

Rose. 

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Paras45 

Good question - and sad to hear this is not unusual for you. We are in California, and people are people everywhere. Some are considerate, others are blasé. 

At times we let guests know it is OK to stay later, especially when we do not have a quick turnaround. If a guest decides to stay late without permission, we are not pleased. We do not charge extra for a non permitted late  checkout, however we do mark down for rules violation if it is entitlement attitude from the guests. 

As suggested by others, we check with the guests about what is their plan for the remainder of check out day. Are they off to a destination? If so, we let them know driving times and suggested places to eat or explore. 

We always have a day or two between guests, as it is always a question of how much time we'll potentially need to clean and prep. There's always the possibility that a repair may need doing or a trip to town to shop for a replacement of something. Quality of accommodation is much more important to us than quantity. The only time I was really upset by a late checkout was when the guest was inconsiderate, like you described, and my cleaners were on the clock being paid to wait. That is unfair. 

Best wishes to you and we hope everyone's suggestions and personal experiences are helpful!