Fee or Free : Should You Charge a Fee for Early Check-in or Late Check-out?

We asked vacation rental owners if they charge a fee for early check-in or late check-out. The results are in and almost 75% of hosts DON'T charge any fees if their guests arrive early or leave late.

There are some hosts, however, that do charge fees under certain circumstances. Most commonly, for late check-out due to the reason that this could interfere with their next booking or scheduled cleaners.

Despite the fact that a majority of hosts don't charge fees, if a guest stays well past their expected departure time, you shouldn't feel guilty to charge a fee. Just make sure that the expected check-out time and fees for late check-out are clearly written in both your rental agreement and in the rental itself. This will help avoid nasty surprises for your guests and will hopefully encourage them to leave on time!

How much you charge for late check-out can depend on the time of the year and how long your guest has overstayed. A common practice is to charge a set amount (say $50) every 3 hours overstayed or a half day rate if your guest stays past a certain time.