Getting bookable
How to make your short let bookable online
The short answer
Set your home as a "Short Let". Give it a night price. Then tick "Take bookings online".
Step by step
Step 1: Sign in with your business profile.
Hosting uses a business profile. You see "How would you like to use your business account?". Pick "List & Sell". Then press "Go to seller dashboard".
Step 2: Press "Create New Listing" in the seller menu.
Is your home listed already? Open "Listings List" and edit it instead.
Step 3: Choose "Short Let" in "Property Details".
It is under "Do you want to Rent it or Sell it?". New short-let boxes now show up.
Step 4: Set your price and how it is charged.
Type your "Rent Price (₦)". Then pick a "Payment Frequency": "Per Night", "Per Day" or "Per Week".
Good to know: Guests book by the night. A price "Per Day" is charged for each night. A price "Per Week" is shared over 7 nights.
Step 5: Set your check-in time, check-out time and caution deposit.
If you change nothing, check-in is from 14:00 (2 in the afternoon). Check-out is by 11:00 (11 in the morning). A caution deposit is money a guest pays in case something gets damaged.
Good to know: Type 0 in "Caution deposit (₦, fixed amount)" if you want no deposit.
Step 6: Save the listing.
Our team checks these changes before guests see them.
Step 7: Open "Availability, prices and booking rules" on the listing’s edit page.
Check that "Take bookings online" is ticked. If you changed anything here, press "Review and save calendar". Then press "Save and publish calendar".
Do it now
What waits for our team, and what goes live at once
Some changes are checked by our team first. Others show to guests as soon as you save.
| What you change | When guests see it |
|---|---|
| What you changeYour price and "Payment Frequency" | When guests see itAfter our team approves it |
| What you changeCheck-in and check-out times | When guests see itAfter our team approves it |
| What you changeYour caution deposit | When guests see itAfter our team approves it |
| What you changeDiscounts and free nights | When guests see itAfter our team approves it |
| What you changeThe time guests can cancel for free | When guests see itAfter our team approves it |
| What you changeThe calendar, date prices and booking rules | When guests see itAs soon as you save |
| What you changeStay information, like house rules | When guests see itAs soon as you save |
| What you changeStay extras | When guests see itAs soon as you save. A new photo waits for approval. |
How a weekly price becomes a night price
A week has 7 nights. So we share a weekly price over 7 nights.
Example: ₦350,000 (three hundred and fifty thousand naira) a week. ₦350,000 ÷ 7 = ₦50,000 a night.
When can guests book?
Guests see a booking box on your home’s page when all of these are true:
- Your listing is published as a "Short Let".
- Your store is published and allowed to sell.
- "Take bookings online" is ticked.
About the caution deposit
- It is a fixed amount in naira, not a percentage of the price.
- Guests pay it once for each stay.
- Discounts never make it smaller.
- Guests get it back after check-out.
- You can only keep some of it if our team agrees.
Questions people ask
Do I need a business profile to host?
Yes. Hosting uses a business profile. Pick "List & Sell" to open your seller dashboard.
Why can’t guests see my booking box yet?
Check three things. Your listing is a published "Short Let". Your store can sell. "Take bookings online" is ticked. New prices, times and deposits also wait for our team.
Is "Per Day" different from "Per Night"?
No. A price per day is charged for each night.
Can I pause bookings for a while?
Yes. Untick "Take bookings online" and save the calendar. Bookings you already have are kept.
Read next
- Getting bookableHow to set night prices for busy days and seasonsYour listing price is your normal night price. You can set a different price for some dates, or for one day.
- Getting bookableHow to set your booking rules and instant bookChoose how guests book. Set the shortest and longest stay, the most guests and how far ahead. Then say yes yourself, or let instant book do it.
- Getting bookableHow to choose your free-cancellation timePick how long before check-in guests can cancel for free. After that time, they cannot cancel.
- Host Academy · lesson 1How a Cabans booking works, start to finishA guest picks dates and pays. You say yes, or instant book says yes for you. You welcome them, they leave, you settle the deposit, and we pay you.
More about getting bookable
- How to offer longer-stay discounts and free nightsGive guests a discount, or a free night, for staying longer. They get the one that saves them more, never both.
- How to open, close and block datesAll days are open unless you close them. Pick the dates you cannot host, and block them.
- How to add house rules, arrival steps, door code and Wi-FiWrite your house rules and arrival steps once. Guests see them when their booking is confirmed. They see the codes only after you check them in.
- How to sell stay extras to your guestsAdd things guests can buy while they stay, like water or breakfast. Tick which homes sell them.
More on Cabans
Still stuck?
Tell us what happened. If you have a booking number, add it. Our team will help.
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