What should I ask guests to do at checkout?

Keep it to tasks that genuinely help: starting the dishwasher, taking out rubbish, switching off heating or air conditioning, closing windows and returning keys. Leave bed stripping and cleaning to your team.

When should I send checkout instructions?

Include them in your welcome book, then send a short reminder message the evening before checkout. That's when guests are planning their departure.

Do long checkout lists hurt reviews?

They can. Airbnb has publicly asked hosts to keep checkout tasks reasonable, and long chore lists are a common complaint in reviews. A short list with a friendly tone avoids the problem.

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Airbnb checkout instructions template

Guests notice long checkout chore lists, and they mention them in reviews. Ask for the few things that genuinely help your cleaner, say clearly what they don't need to do, and thank them.

The template

Checkout instructions template

Checkout time

Checkout is by [11:00 am] on [day]. If you'd like a late checkout, ask us by [6:00 pm] the day before and we'll do our best.

Before you leave, please

[Load and start the dishwasher.]

[Put rubbish and recycling in the bins at ____.]

[Turn off the heating or air conditioning and the lights.]

[Close all windows and lock the balcony door.]

No need to

Strip the beds, wash towels or clean. Our cleaning team takes care of all of that.

Keys

[Put the keys back in the key box and scramble the code / leave them on the kitchen table and pull the door closed behind you.]

Left something behind?

Message us and we'll post it back to you for the cost of postage.

Thank you

Thank you for staying with us. Safe travels home, and we'd love to welcome you back. [Host name]

Highlighted text in [brackets] is yours to replace. Free to use and adapt, no attribution needed.

Tips

Making it work for your guests

Keep the list short

Three or four tasks feels reasonable. Ten feels like unpaid cleaning, and guests say so in reviews.

Say what they can skip

Many guests strip beds or wash towels out of politeness, which can actually slow your cleaner down. Telling them not to is a small kindness that's noticed.

Send it the night before

A short message the evening before checkout gets read. A page in the welcome book on day one usually doesn't.

Make it digital

Send it before guests arrive, in their language.

Paste this template into a free GuestIntro guest manual. Guests open it from a link or QR code, read it in any of ten languages, and you update it in seconds when a code changes.

Create a free guest manual →

Free for one property, no credit card. See live examples first.

Questions

Common questions

What should I ask guests to do at checkout?: Keep it to tasks that genuinely help: starting the dishwasher, taking out rubbish, switching off heating or air conditioning, closing windows and returning keys. Leave bed stripping and cleaning to your team.
When should I send checkout instructions?: Include them in your welcome book, then send a short reminder message the evening before checkout. That's when guests are planning their departure.
Do long checkout lists hurt reviews?: They can. Airbnb has publicly asked hosts to keep checkout tasks reasonable, and long chore lists are a common complaint in reviews. A short list with a friendly tone avoids the problem.

More templates

Templates that go with this one

Check-in instructions
Step-by-step arrival instructions for self check-in, keys and parking, with a backup plan for when a code fails.
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House rules
Clear, fair rules with the reason attached, covering guests, noise, smoking, pets, parties and checkout.
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Welcome book
The full guest-facing book: arrival, the home, rules, local tips and checkout, in the order guests need them.
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All templates are on the free host templates page.