Setting dates available - is the last day the checkout day? Or the last NIGHT (checkout following)

[Mark230]

I'm unclear as to the last date of availability in my calendar.  For instance, if I make available our house from Jan 1-7.  

Does that mean the guest can check out on the 8th?  

Or is the last night the 6th and they check out on the 7th?

[Kristiaan1]

The day after the last available date will be your guests check-out date.

I learned this the hard way recently when an instant booking was placed lasting 24 hours longer than I could accomodate. I had to change my own travel plans to keep my apartment available to the bookers because ABNB's cancellation policy is so grim.

BEWARE!

[Anna1157]

 The exact same happened to us. Check out is the day after. I still cannot understand that it is mot made clearer by Airbnb... 

[Lawrence21]

Is this a fer Shure? The last date is the date _before_ the check out date? IF that puts the matter to bed, excellent! Please anyone who knows with certainty, confirm.

[Annette33]

@Lawrence21 , I confirm! it just got messed up here in the thread a bit because some people are confusing the confirmation email we get from Airbnb, where it lists check in and check out day just like a hotel does - with the actual nights spent and paid for, which is what your clendar and your payments reflect. So  if it says in the confirmation email that  check in is friday... check out is Sunday, then the  guest is only staying and paying for two nights, Friday and Saturday. Simple enough, your blocked out calendar days for a specific guest will confirm this. Any day that is available on you calendar is a day a guest pays for, the checkout date is the following day.

It might get a little tight if you have a late check out time and early check in time. then, if you have someone  arriving on the check out date of the previous guest, you might have to scramble to clean up in between.  For that reason, I don't allow same day bookings  and I also have one day before and after a stay blocked out in my booking settings. gives me peace of mind.

[Rangi0]

Yes it's for sure. I learned the hard way too. But there's an easy way to remember it that I always keep in mind now: AirBnB lets you set single days as available. It wouldn't make sense for this to mean that the check-in date and check-out date are the SAME date. So it must mean that the one day selected is the check-in date, and the day after the selected day is the check-out date.

[Andrea9]

A booking is technically for a night (even if they arrive earlier).

So if the 8th is free, that night can be booked.

It can also be a check-out day if for ex. the previous night (in this case the 7th  was booked).

If you're taking a day off and don't want any guests at all on Saturday, you block not only the Saturday but  also Friday to prevent that night being booked. A check out on Friday morning is still possible though.

[Ana7]

Skip is right, the check out day is as written (7th). How come so many of you are confused by that?

[Rangi0]

So if only one date was marked as being available (eg. the 1st), would that mean the checkin date and checkout date are the SAME date?

[Lawrence21]

If you guys are right, then why does the calendar list the price for the intended checkout day? For example, and this is a real situation I am trying to figure out, I want to rent my place from March 15-21st. That's _six_ nights, seven days. So I selected March 15-21st. But it shows seven instances of $139, which would mean the guests would need to check out on the 22nd (which doesn't work for me as I'm coming back into town and want to go home!). SO you see...it is confusing. Which is it?

[Annette33]

@Lawrence21 , it's in the past now, but you are correct: if you  selected March 15-21 as available, that means 7 nights, and check out is the next day, March 22. If you had only wanted 6 nights to be available, then you would have had to block off March 21 - though that would then be the last day for a possible check out from a guest. Your calendar doesn't lie: whatever is blocked out by a reservation those are the days/nights you get paid for.p ans check out is the next morning/day.

Unfortunately it doesn't help in your diligent quest here that you got conflicting info on this by various hosts. But you are on the right track 🙂

[Lawrence21]

Super helpful. And there are some things that I can't remember that weren't consistent with this previously. Whatever day is listed, it is for that night only. 

[Skip1]

Dates are always as written. Check in the 1st and check out the 7th. They are staying 6 nights and 7 days. If in doubt, your reservation calendar will show you by shaded days.

[Rangi0]

So if only one date was marked as being available (eg. the 1st), would that mean the checkin date and checkout date are the SAME date?

[Paul-and-Emily0]

It is confusing, but I think if your house is available Jan 1-7 that means they would check out the 8th. So the last day your house is available, it's available to reserve for that night. Hope this helps!

[Lawrence21]

Hi you guys!

Just seeking clarification here. When you say: "So the last day your house is available, it's available to reserve for that night." By that you mean that actually the house is available the following day until checkout time, correct?

[Annette33]

in your scenario, Jan 7 is a day/ night that can be booked, thus check out would be on the 8th.

[Rangi0]

I think this must be correct, since it's possible to mark just one day as being available. So the checkout date must always be the date AFTER the last selected date.

[Lawrence21]

Hi Rangi,

I just think that makes sense. Which is different than what's intuitive. I would say re a hotel I am staying nights x to y, and then y would not have a price attached to it (in distinction to how Airbnb's calendar does have a price on final day).

[Marianna10]

Hi Mark,

The way I see it, it is  the same as a hotel reservation - for example if you booked a room for two nights, say the 2nd and 3rd., then you check out on the 4th.  You will have had your two nights in that room.  Same with the visitor - the arrive on the first and leave the morning of the 8th.  Or you could be really specific and say your home is available to check in on the 1st and check out on the 7th.

Hope  that helps a bit.

Marianna

[Lawrence21]

Hi Marianna. The problem with "the way I see it" is that, logical as you may be, we're trying to figure out what Airbnb's policy is, and how that gets institutionalized in their UX. Just some friendly feedback that precisely the point of this thread is not how you or any one of us sees it. If you have further light to share, please see my post of Feb 19 in this thread. Which is that if you are correct, why does the last date also have a charge (unless that means user checks out next unmarked day, which is different than what they say). Have a beautiful day. Submitted with respect.

[Marielle50]

this is rude