Airbnb Checkout Instructions: A Simple Template for Australian Hosts

A good Airbnb checkout message tells guests when to leave, how to secure the property and where to return the key. Keep any extra requests brief and practical, and organise the cleaning team to complete the full turnover. Guests should be able to understand their departure without searching through a long house manual.

For hosts in Sydney, the Illawarra and the Shoalhaven, the useful question is not how many jobs can fit onto a checkout list. It is which instructions prevent confusion on departure day. This guide explains Airbnb's current guidance and offers an original message template you can adapt. It is an evergreen hosting guide, not an announcement of a new Australian law or a newly introduced platform rule.

Download the free Airbnb checkout message planner (PDF). The two-page worksheet helps you confirm the details, assign the cleaning work and write a short guest message.

What Airbnb currently says about checkout and cleaning

Airbnb's ground rules for home guests distinguish standard between-stay cleaning from excessive mess. Cleaning fees cover ordinary turnover work such as laundry and vacuuming. Guests are expected to avoid leaving a property needing excessive or deep cleaning, and to complete departure, including key return, by the agreed time.

The same policy says hosts cannot charge guest fees simply because specific cleaning or checkout tasks were not completed. An unfinished task and a genuine damage or unexpected-cleaning issue are different matters. Do not turn a missed instruction into an automatic penalty.

Airbnb also lets hosts add checkout instructions to the listing, which guests can see before booking. Its available categories include keys, locking up, switching things off, rubbish and used towels. These are options for communicating relevant details, not a requirement to fill every category. See Airbnb's instructions for updating the arrival guide.

Build the message around the guest's actual departure

Imagine someone carrying luggage, checking the car and trying to remember whether a phone charger is still in the bedroom. Write for that moment. Put the most important information first and use one clear action per line.

Start with the time

State the checkout time explicitly and make sure it matches the reservation. Avoid vague phrases such as “leave early” or “the cleaner arrives in the morning”. If you agree to a different departure time, record it in the booking conversation and tell the cleaning team. A guest should not receive a friendly late-checkout approval followed by an automated message demanding an earlier departure.

Explain the key return sequence

Give a short sequence that works in the real property. A Sydney apartment may have a building fob as well as a front-door key. A coastal house may have a gate that needs locking after luggage is loaded. Check whether the guest needs the key or fob to reach the car park before asking them to leave it inside.

Test the route yourself. Walk from the living room to the exit, following only the written instructions. If you need extra knowledge to finish, add the missing detail. Share sensitive access information privately rather than placing codes in a public listing description or downloadable worksheet.

Name the things that need attention

“Turn everything off” leaves too much open to interpretation. Name the air conditioning and lights if those are the relevant items. Make it clear that the fridge and essential equipment stay on. Similarly, “lock up” may need one short clarification about a side door or an accessible window, rather than an inventory of every latch in the house.

Decide what belongs in the cleaning plan

Our practical recommendation is to keep tasks requiring products, equipment, washing cycles or judgement in the turnover plan. Bathroom cleaning, floor care, linen washing, restocking and presentation need a consistent process. The next guest's experience should not depend on how much spare time the departing guest had.

This is an operational choice for a reliable handover, not a claim that Airbnb prohibits every small guest request. Keep a separate cleaner checklist so shortening the guest message does not accidentally remove work from the booking.

Beds and towels

Leaving beds unstripped can give the cleaner a chance to inspect the linen before sorting it. If that suits your setup, say so directly. For towels, identify one convenient place rather than expecting guests to work out your laundry system. Avoid asking guests to separate unfamiliar fabrics, measure detergent or complete a wash before leaving.

Check that your preferred towel location is suitable for damp items. A practical bathroom location is clearer than “put everything together”, which could lead to wet towels being placed on furniture. For the host's separate stock and washing arrangements, use our Airbnb linen stock and laundry planning guide.

Dishes and rubbish

Choose a simple approach that your cleaner can finish consistently. If you ask guests to place used dishes in the dishwasher, explain whether starting it is optional. Do not build a same-day handover around the assumption that a departing guest will complete, unload and put away an entire cycle.

For rubbish, name the bin and its location. A photo in the private house guide can help where several bins belong to different units. Avoid relying only on a lid colour if the location is unclear. Bin collection days, moving heavy wheelie bins and dealing with excess rubbish need an assigned person in the host's plan.

A short checkout message you can adapt

The following is an original example. Replace the brackets, remove irrelevant requests and make sure the final version matches your property's published instructions.

Thanks for staying with us. Checkout is by [time] tomorrow.

Before you leave, please:

• Place ordinary rubbish in [clearly identified bin and location].
• Leave used towels [location]. No need to strip the beds.
• Turn off [specific items] and close [relevant windows].
• Return the key [method] and secure [door or gate].

Please leave the fridge and essential equipment switched on. If something is broken or you need help, message us here. Safe travels, and thank you!

This is a starting point, not a compulsory list. If towel collection adds no value, remove it. If your property has keyless entry, replace the key line with the correct departure step. Keep any optional request visibly optional; avoid a friendly introduction followed by a page of conditions.

Make the listing, reminder and cleaner handover agree

Maintain one master version of your checkout instructions. Copy from it when updating the listing, scheduled message and any printed card. Put a review date on your own working document so an old laminated card does not survive a change to the locks or bin storage.

Airbnb's current desktop route is Listings, then the selected property, Listing editor, Arrival guide and Checkout instructions. Save the changes after editing. The official setup guide is the place to check if the interface changes.

A short reminder the evening before departure is a useful hosting choice. It gives guests time to ask about a key return or a planned departure time. Avoid sending several versions with extra tasks added each time. When a guest asks a question that exposes a gap, improve the master instructions for future stays.

For the cleaner, use a separate handover covering the confirmed departure time, access arrangements, next arrival and any reported issue. Keep only the information needed to do the work. A conversation about a guest's travel plans does not need to become part of the cleaning record.

Plan for exceptions before the busy morning

A late checkout request

Check the next booking and cleaning availability before agreeing. If you can accommodate the request, update everyone who depends on the time. If you cannot, respond clearly and politely. A shorter guest task list does not create extra cleaning time; the schedule still needs a realistic gap.

A guest cannot complete a request

Offer a manageable alternative. Someone who cannot carry rubbish down stairs should not have to improvise an unsafe solution. Keep the conversation practical: establish where the item can be left and tell the cleaner. Avoid making assumptions about why a guest needs help.

The cleaner finds an issue

Ask for a factual description before deciding what happened. “One bag beside the kitchen bin” is more useful than “guests left a disaster”. Separate ordinary turnover work, a missed task and a specific problem needing attention. If a dispute needs escalation, consult Airbnb's current reporting guidance rather than promising a charge or reimbursement in advance.

Common mistakes that make checkout harder

• Adding chores in the final reminder. Guests should not discover a different departure process at the end of their stay.
• Giving conflicting locations. Replace old instructions when a key box, bin or towel basket moves.
• Making the cleaner rely on guest labour. Allow for the full agreed turnover even when guests leave things tidy.
• Using vague wording. “Leave it as you found it” does not explain what should happen to used linen or keys.
• Confusing a request with a penalty. Review threatening fine language against the platform's current rules.
• Forgetting the physical route. Check that guests can reach their vehicle and exit the building after following the key instructions.

Frequently asked questions

Should I ask guests to strip the beds?

Our suggested approach is to leave this to the turnover team so they can inspect and sort linen consistently. It is a hosting workflow recommendation. Explain your chosen arrangement clearly and keep your linen process separate from the departure message.

Does paying a cleaning fee mean guests can leave any mess?

No. Airbnb distinguishes normal turnover from excessive cleaning needs. Equally, a missed checkout task is not automatically a chargeable issue. Read the linked guest policy before responding to a particular situation.

Can I use the same message for every property?

Use the same structure, but check the details individually. Apartment access, bin storage and door hardware differ. A template copied between a Wollongong unit and a Shoalhaven house can easily send guests to the wrong place.

How do I know whether the instructions work?

Review the questions guests ask and the small problems the cleaner reports. If the same confusion repeats, change the wording or physical setup. Test the revised instructions on the next handover rather than adding another paragraph automatically.

Use the free planner for your next review

Download the two-page checkout message planner, fill in the property details and check the final message against the listing. Keep access codes and guest personal information out of the worksheet. It is a printable planning aid with space for your own wording, not a form that collects information.

Housekept offers Airbnb and holiday-rental cleaning across Sydney, the Illawarra and the Shoalhaven. Contact Housekept to discuss your property's cleaning needs and handover arrangements. Agree on the scope and timing so the guest message and cleaning plan support each other.

Sources and checked date

Checked 15 October 2026. Platform guidance can change; the templates and workflow suggestions above are Housekept's editorial recommendations.

• Airbnb: Ground rules for home guests
• Airbnb: Add check-in and checkout instructions to listings