So, you’re looking for a place to stay and you find an Airbnb that has the perfect location. The price is right, too! But wait… what’s this? You have to checkout by 8am?!

Airbnb listings aren’t hotels, so their systems work differently; unlike hotels, hosts can decide their own checkout time. So is your Airbnb checkout time unreasonable?

Your Airbnb checkout time may be unreasonable if it’s earlier than 10-11 a.m., which is the standard checkout time for many hotels and Airbnbs. We also recommend that hosts set it between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. If it’s earlier than 10 a.m., ask your host if they can change it to a different time.

If you’re new to the Airbnb industry, you may be wondering about checkout information and how it works.

This article will cover checkout times and what times are unreasonable. We’ll also explain who decides the checkout time and what you can do if your time is unreasonable.

Who Decides What the Check out Time Is for Airbnb?

The first thing to cover is who determines what the checkout time is. For instance, if you stay at a hotel, the entire hotel goes by one standard checkout time. However, staying at an Airbnb listing isn’t the same as a hotel.

Let’s see who decides the checkout times for Airbnb listings.

The Checkout Time Is Up to the Host

It may come as a surprise to some, but the host is responsible for deciding the checkout time. When it comes to Airbnbs, there’s no set standard checkout time for the hosts to follow. The hosts can decide what time works best for them, and they have a right to follow through with that checkout time since, after all, it’s their property.

There Is a Recommended Checkout Time

Even though the host can decide the check out time, there are still recommended checkout times that, ideally, they should follow.

For starters, thousands of hotels worldwide go by a standard 10-11 a.m. checkout time. It’s pretty rare to come across an establishment with an earlier or later checkout time.

You Should Know the Checkout Time Three Days Before Your Booking

Typically, you should be able to see the checkout information about three days before your booking. You should also see it on the listing, or the host will email/message you the information. If you don’t see your checkout information within three days, it’s worth messaging them and inquiring about the details, or you may risk being charged for another day.

How Does Airbnb Checkout Work?

Unlike your typical hotel, checking out of an Airbnb is usually quite simple and involves locking up the property and leaving any keys at a specified location. Depending on the house rules, you may need to gather your trash or put dishes in the dishwasher, but that is usually not the case.

In most cases, all you need to do is make sure you’re out of your Airbnb rental by the specified time so that any cleaning can be done before the next guest arrives.

What Is the Standard Checkout Time?

Many Airbnb property listings have the checkout time listed in the description, though some don’t. When this happens, you can go by the standard checkout time set by the Airbnb website, which is 11 a.m. local time. You can also check with the host to confirm before booking.

Does Airbnb Charge For Late Checkout?

Because Airbnb operates much differently than a hotel, Airbnb does not determine any fees for a late checkout. The guest is responsible to leave the rental in good condition and take care of any damages, but there are no additional charges from Airbnb if they stay past their allotted checkout time.

However, this does not mean that your host won’t charge you for a late checkout, which can be enforced by Airbnb if it violates the house rules.

What Happens If You Checkout Late?

Most Airbnb hosts are forgiving of a late check, provided it doesn’t impede on their ability to clean their property before another guest checks in.

Usually your Airbnb host will message or call you ahead of your checkout time to remind you of when to checkout and what any fees may be for late checkouts. If your host decides to charge you a fee for checking out late, they will open up a resolution.

How Do I Get Late Checkout on Airbnb?

Let’s say you’re running late or thought you had more time. In order to get a later checkout time, simply contact your host and request one. It will be up to their sole discretion of whether they can accommodate one or not.

It’s important to keep all of your communication on the Airbnb platform so that you have a written record should any disputes arise.

How Do I Know if My Checkout Time Is Unreasonable?

Perhaps you’re booking your first place, and you’re surprised at the checkout time. However, since it’s your first Airbnb stay, you’re not quite sure what to do about it. For instance, how do you know if your checkout time is unreasonable?

There are a few factors to keep in mind when trying to answer this question.

Is Your Checkout Time Within the Recommended Time?

The first and most obvious way to tell if your checkout time is unreasonable is by comparing the time with the standard and recommended checkout times.

As a general rule of thumb, if your checkout time is any time outside of 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., it may be unreasonable. However, this shouldn’t be your only way to decide.

Is Your Host Flexible With Checkout Time?

Another way to tell if your checkout time is unreasonable is to see how flexible your host is when it comes to the time. Some hosts may set a checkout time but are still flexible enough to accommodate the guest’s needs in case their plane arrives at a certain time, for example.

The key here is to communicate with your host and try asking them. They’ll likely agree in many cases unless they have back-to-back bookings, which we’ll discuss in the next section.

Do They Have Back-to-Back Bookings?

Back-to-back bookings are something else for you to keep in mind. Some Airbnb hosts rely on their listings for their main income. If this is the case, they most likely will have back-to-back bookings.

To keep things running smoothly and help the next guests have a good experience, the host will need to clean the space before the next guests arrive. For this reason, the host might have to have a checkout time that’s a bit earlier to have enough time to clean.

If they don’t get the property cleaned in time because you checked out late, their next guest may cancel the reservation and the host might seek payment from you for the loss.

Is the Checkout Time Due to Factors Related to the Location?

Another reason why an Airbnb listing could have an unreasonably early checkout time is because the area has certain ferry or flight schedules, which will then dictate when tourists arrive and when they want to check in to a place.

To find out if the checkout time is related to the location, you can always compare the checkout time with other Airbnbs in the same area. If your listing is the only one with the early checkout, it probably isn’t because of the location.

Can I Do Anything About an Unreasonable Checkout Time?

If you’ve reviewed all of the above points and decided that your checkout time is unreasonable, then what can you do about it? While this answer may differ depending on the situation, there are a few things you can try.

You Can Ask the Host To Change the Checkout Time

If you feel your Airbnb checkout time is unreasonable, you can always try and ask the host to change it.

Generally, adding an additional two hours to the checkout time should be pretty doable for hosts. For instance, if the checkout time is 8 a.m., but you ask for 10 a.m. The host should be able to accommodate that, unless they have back-to-back bookings.

However, if you ask for additional time anywhere up to three hours or more, you’ll most likely have to pay for that extra time.

Even so, the host also has a right to reject your checkout time request. Since the host can decide the time in the first place, they don’t have to accommodate changes if they don’t want to, which leads us to our next point.

Book Another Place

The property that you want may have an unreasonable checkout time, but sometimes there’s nothing you can do about it. If this happens, you need to just book another place and not sweat it since there’s likely going to be another option that you’ll like.

It’s worth noting that even if you don’t agree with the checkout time, you still need to respect and follow the host’s decision. Airbnb hosts would rather you book another place than simply ignore their checkout time requests.

Conclusion

This subject can be a bit tricky since it isn’t really regulated by Airbnb, but we hope that this guide has helped you decide if your Airbnb checkout time is unreasonable or not.

Remember that there are a few ways to see whether your checkout time is unreasonable or not. If the time is outside of the recommended times or vastly different than other checkout times in the area, it may be unreasonable.

Try to ask your host to change the time and book another place if it doesn’t work out.