A 1-night minimum stay brings you the most bookings. A 2-night minimum means fewer cleans and check-ins for the same number of nights sold. On Cabans your minimum applies to every date, so for busy dates it is usually better to raise the price than to raise the minimum.
This guide explains the two stay-length rules, who books one night, when a longer minimum pays, and what guests see.
Minimum and longest stay
Every bookable shortlet has two stay-length rules:
| Setting | Starts at | You can choose |
|---|---|---|
| “Minimum stay (nights)” | 1 night | 1 to 731 nights |
| “Longest stay (nights)” | 90 nights | 1 to 731 nights |
The longest stay can never be shorter than the minimum. If you try, the page tells you: “The longest stay cannot be shorter than the minimum stay.”
Nights are counted the way a hotel counts them. The check-out day is the morning a guest leaves, so it is not a night. A guest arriving on Friday and leaving on Sunday stays 2 nights.
Both rules sit on your listing’s edit page, in “Availability, prices and booking rules”. They apply to the whole listing and to every date on it. Only prices and open or closed dates can change from one date to another.
To change them:
- Open your listing’s edit page and go to “Availability, prices and booking rules”.
- Set “Minimum stay (nights)” and “Longest stay (nights)”.
- Press “Review and save calendar”, then “Save and publish calendar”.
This section goes live as soon as you save, with no wait for approval. Bookings already made keep their dates and prices. Every setting is explained in how to set your booking rules and instant book.
Guests who want one night
People really do look for a single night. “Apartment for one night stay” is a search Nigerians make. One-night guests include:
- travellers with an early flight or a late arrival;
- people on a quick work trip, in town for one meeting;
- couples marking a birthday or an anniversary;
- wedding guests who need somewhere near the venue for one night;
- people between homes, waiting for keys to a new flat.
Why a 1-night minimum can pay:
- It fills gaps. One free night between two longer stays can still be sold.
- It suits weekdays. Work travellers often need only one or two nights.
- More guests can book. Nobody is turned away for staying too short.
What it costs you:
- A full clean for one night’s income. Sheets, towels and the whole turnover, every time.
- More check-ins. Someone has to welcome the guest or approve their check-in each time.
- More wear. More arrivals mean more keys, more bags and more traffic through the home.
A cleaning fee softens the first cost. Because it is charged once per stay, it matters most on one-night bookings. See should you charge a cleaning fee? for how to set one fairly.
For the guest’s side of this, read can you book a shortlet for one night?
When a 2-night minimum helps
A 2-night minimum is worth trying when:
- your cleaner travels far, or your laundry goes out, so each turnover is slow and costly;
- you cannot be there, or send someone, to check guests in every day;
- you run the home alone alongside a full-time job;
- parties worry you, and one-night weekend bookings are the ones you would check most closely.
It has a hidden cost too: gaps you cannot sell. Say one guest checks out on Tuesday 13 October and the next arrives on Wednesday 14 October. The night of Tuesday 13 October sits empty between them. With a 1-night minimum, anyone can book it. With a 2-night minimum, nobody can.
A simple way to decide: start at 1 night, with a fair cleaning fee. Watch your bookings for a month or two. If turnovers wear you out and single nights add little, move to 2 nights. You can change it back at any time.
Think about the longest stay as well. If you do not want someone living in your home for months, set it lower than the standard 90 nights. If long stays suit you, reward them with a discount rather than a higher minimum. Weekly and monthly shortlet discounts shows how.
A quick guide to start from:
| Your situation | A good starting minimum |
|---|---|
| You live nearby and your cleaner is quick | 1 night |
| Your home is near an airport, hospital or business district | 1 night, to catch short work and travel stays |
| Your cleaner travels far, or laundry goes out | 2 nights |
| You want mainly weekly or monthly guests | A longer minimum, plus a longer-stay discount |
Busy dates: price them, don't block them
You may want a longer minimum for December, Easter or a big holiday weekend. On Cabans the minimum stay covers every date, so a 3-night minimum for December would also apply to a quiet Tuesday in January. Guests who book while it is set must meet it, whatever their dates.
The better tool for busy dates is the price. In your calendar you can:
- Add a price window. Select a run of dates, enter a “Price per night (₦)” and press “Add Price Window”. Good for a whole busy season.
- Set a special day price. Use “Custom Day Price” for a single night, such as New Year’s Eve, then “Set Price”.
- Close dates you cannot host. Use “Block Dates” for repairs or your own use. Guests see those nights as “Closed”, and your reason stays private.
When prices overlap, Cabans uses the special day price first, then the price window, then your listing’s own price. Remember to press “Review and save calendar”, because the listing’s Save button does not save the calendar.
To pull in longer stays without banning short ones, add an offer instead. A longer-stay discount, such as “7+ nights, 10% off”, or a free-nights offer, such as “Stay 5 nights, get 1 free”, rewards guests who stay longer. Each guest gets whichever saves them more, never both. Discounts and free nights are listing changes, so they wait for approval by the Cabans team before guests see them.
For December in detail, see pricing your shortlet for Detty December. The step-by-step help is in how to set night prices for busy days and seasons.
What guests see
Guests learn your rules before they pay, so there is no back-and-forth. Under your calendar, the facts include:
- “Minimum stay”, but only when it is more than 1 night;
- “Longest stay”, but only when it is under 90 nights.
If a guest picks dates that break a rule, the calendar tells them straight away, in words like these:
- “The minimum stay is 2 nights.”
- “The maximum stay is 30 nights.”
The number in each message is your own setting. The guest then picks new dates, and the green “Price Breakdown” shows the total. They pay online through Paystack, and Paystack’s processing fee is paid by the guest, shown before they pay.
Explain your minimum in your listing description too, with a reason if you have one. “2-night minimum, so every guest gets a freshly cleaned home” reads better than a bare rule.
Money is simple. Cabans charges hosts a 5% commission. You are paid within 7 days after the guest’s stay, and sooner when the guest taps “Approve payment” after their trip.
The Host Academy lesson your calendar and booking rules covers stay lengths, the booking window and closed days, with a short quiz. The full Host Academy is free.
Ready to set your rules? Take bookings online and let the calendar do the checking for you. New to Cabans? List your short let, then compare your home with others in shortlets across Nigeria and shortlets in Ikeja.
Frequently asked questions
What is a minimum stay on a shortlet?
It is the fewest nights a guest can book in one stay. On Cabans it starts at 1 night, and you can set anything from 1 to 731 nights. A guest who picks fewer nights is told the minimum and asked to add more.
Should my shortlet accept one-night bookings?
If you can clean and check guests in quickly, yes: one-night guests fill gaps between longer stays. If every stay costs you a long clean and a trip across town, a 2-night minimum may earn you more for less work. A cleaning fee also helps cover one-night stays.
Can I set a longer minimum stay for weekends or December?
Not on Cabans. The minimum stay applies to every date on the listing. For busy dates, raise the night price with a special day price or a price window instead. That keeps short stays possible while earning more from the nights in demand.
What is the longest stay I can allow?
Up to 731 nights. The standard is 90 nights. If you do not want guests living in your home for months, set a lower longest stay, such as 30 nights. It can never be shorter than your minimum stay.
Does changing my minimum stay affect bookings I already have?
No. Bookings already made keep their dates and prices. The new minimum applies to guests who book after you save.
How do guests know my minimum stay?
When your minimum is more than 1 night, it shows as “Minimum stay” in the facts under your calendar. If a guest picks too few nights, the calendar tells them the minimum before they can reserve.
Related guides
Shortlet pricing for busy dates · Shortlet cleaning fee · Weekly and monthly discounts · Instant book or request to book · Shortlet cancellation policy · Detty December pricing for hosts
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