Managing a Nigerian Shortlet From Abroad

You can manage most of a Nigerian shortlet from abroad. On Cabans, the prices, the calendar, booking requests, bills and caution deposits all run online, from any country. What you cannot do from abroad is open the gate, clean the flat or fix a leak. For that you need a trusted person on the ground, with the right access to your bookings.

This guide splits the work into what you do and what your team does, and shows how to set up arrival day so it runs without you.

What you can do from anywhere

Everything on this list happens on cabans.ng in a web browser, on your laptop or your phone:

Two settings matter most when you live in another time zone. All booking times are the property’s time, West Africa Time (WAT). Nigeria is one hour ahead of GMT all year, with no clock changes.

• “Time to accept a request”. Choose from 2 hours up to 7 days. If you might be asleep when a request arrives, 24 or 48 hours is safer than 2. A request you do not answer in time is declined, and the guest is refunded.
• “Instant book”. With it on, paid bookings are confirmed straight away, without waiting for you. It suits owners who keep the calendar up to date and cannot always answer quickly.

See our guide to instant book or request to book, and the tools for managing short-let bookings.

What needs someone on the ground

Some jobs need hands, not a laptop. Before you take your first booking, decide who does each one.

• Welcoming guests and handing over keys.
• Cleaning and laundry between every stay, and restocking water, toiletries and basics.
• Checking the home after each guest leaves, before the deposit is released.
• Repairs: plumbing, air conditioning, the generator, the inverter and locks.
• Power and water: buying diesel or electricity units, and keeping the water supply running.
• The estate: paying levies and service charges, and keeping on good terms with security and neighbours.
• Emergencies: someone who can get to the home quickly, day or night.

One person can do several of these. Some owners use a caretaker for keys and checks, a cleaner for turnovers, and a handyman on call. Others hire a manager for the lot. Our guide to a management company or managing it yourself compares the two.

Whoever you choose, agree the terms in writing: what they do, how fast they respond, how they are paid and what they may spend without asking you.

Giving your team the right access

Your team should use their own sign-in, never yours. On Cabans, the store owner adds team members and decides what each can do. You do this in the seller menu under “Roles & Permissions”, with its “Users”, “Roles” and “Users in Roles” pages.

In plain words, the booking permissions work like this:

• Seeing orders lets someone see the Bookings page, each booking, the calendar and the files.
• Processing orders lets them act: accept or decline requests, save the calendar, hand over keys, approve check-in and check-out, see the door codes, answer guest requests, bill the guest and deal with the deposit.
• Seeing products is needed to bill stay extras.
• Creating and updating products lets them add and edit stay extras.

The names on the Roles page may be worded a little differently. If a team member lacks a permission, the screen tells them. For example, the calendar says: “Your role in this store can see this calendar but not change it. Ask the store owner for the Process Orders permission.”

Useful habits for a remote team:

• Give each person only what they need. A cleaner does not need to accept bookings.
• Emails reach your team. Booking emails go to the store’s email, the owner and up to 10 team members who can process orders. So your caretaker hears about an arrival when you do.
• Use day notes. Add a note on a date, such as “Plumber coming”. Only your team sees it; guests never do.
• Check the change history. The calendar keeps a history of who changed what, and when.

The help guide how to let your team manage bookings has the steps.

Arrival day without you

A smooth arrival matters to guests. Set it up once, and it can run the same way every time.

1. Write the “Arrival and check-in instructions” in your Stay information: the gate, the building, parking and who will meet the guest. Guests see them once the booking is confirmed.
2. Add check-in photos before the guest arrives, so you have a record of how the home looked.
3. The guest taps “I have arrived” when they get there. You and your team get an email.
4. Your caretaker hands over the keys and taps “Hand over keys”. The guest can now read the house rules and send requests, but cannot yet see the door code.
5. Someone taps “Approve check-in”. It can be your caretaker, or you from abroad once they tell you all is well. The door code and Wi-Fi password then appear on the guest’s stay page. They are never emailed.

If your home asks for an ID, tick “Guests must upload an ID”. Only you, your team with the right access and the Cabans team can see it, and you can open it until 30 days after check-out. It is kept securely for up to 6 years after the stay, as data laws require, and then deleted.

Check-out works the same way. The guest taps “I am leaving”, and your caretaker checks the home and confirms the check-out, with photos of how it was left. You then release the deposit from abroad, or raise a dispute if something was damaged. Nothing is kept until the Cabans team decides. See how to hand over keys and check your guest in.

Money and records

Guests pay online through Paystack when they book, and pay Paystack’s processing fee on top. Cabans charges you a 5% commission. You are paid within 7 days after the guest’s stay, and sooner when the guest approves the payment after their trip. If a stay is cancelled in time, the guest’s refund reaches them within 14 days at most, usually in about 5.

Keep good records from day one:

• Paid bills for extras become paid orders in your store’s Orders.
• Each booking keeps its own photos, files and history of what happened.
• Keep receipts for your costs in Nigeria: cleaning, diesel, repairs and levies. Ask your team to photograph them.
• Check your costs against your bookings every month, so a problem shows up early.

Tax rules for income from Nigerian property, and for income earned where you live, are outside this guide. This is not tax advice. Speak to a tax adviser who knows both countries.

A monthly routine from abroad

• Review next month’s prices and busy dates. See setting prices for busy dates.
• Close dates for repairs or your own visits, with a private reason.
• Video-call your caretaker to walk round the empty home.
• Check the calendar change history and any open guest requests.
• Read the last few guests’ messages for anything that keeps coming up.

Get set up

Ready to run your home from wherever you live? Take bookings online and let guests book and pay without a phone call. New to Cabans? List your short let, then take the free Host Academy course. To see what guests are comparing you with, browse the short let page or homes in Lekki.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

Management company or self-manage? · How to become a shortlet agent · Shortlet cleaning checklist · Instant book or request to book · Shortlet house rules template