For hosts and managers

Manage your shortlet bookings in one place

Requests, arrivals, guests staying now, check-outs and deposits, for every home you run. Cabans is the tool you and your team use. It is not a management company: we do not clean or meet guests for you.

List your shortlet →How online bookings work

One Bookings page for every shortlet

In your seller menu, "Bookings"shows every stay in tabs. An amber badge shows how many requests are waiting. Use the "Property" filter to see one home or all of them.

Tab	What is in it
Requests	Paid requests waiting for your answer, and date changes to approve.
Upcoming	Confirmed stays that start after tomorrow.
Arriving	Guests due between yesterday and tomorrow who are not checked in yet.
In house	Guests who have the keys or are fully checked in.
Leaving	Guests checking out today, or who have said they are leaving.
Past	Finished stays, including deposits you still need to settle.
Cancelled	Cancelled and declined bookings, newest first.

Each row shows the guest's name, the dates, nights, guests, total and booking number. A request also shows how long you have left to answer. You see the guest's name, never their email address. Guests who are still paying never reach your lists.

Stay information: write it once, shown at the right time

Open "Stay information" for a home and fill it in once. Guests see each part when they need it.

From confirmation: house rules, arrival and check-in instructions, the check-out checklist and the Wi-Fi network name.
Only while checked in: the Wi-Fi password and the door code. They are never emailed.
Guest ID: tick "Guests must upload an ID" if you need one. Only your team and the Cabans team can see it. It is kept securely for up to 6 years, as data laws require, then deleted.

Guest requests, extras and bills

Requests

Guests ask for room service, a cleaner or help from their stay page. You get an email. Press "Start", then "Mark as done".

Stay extras

Sell things like bottled water, breakfast or an airport pick-up. Checked-in guests order them from their stay page, and you bring them to the home.

Bills

Did the guest use extras you sell? Press "Bill the guest". The guest pays from their stay page. A bill must come to at least ₦1,000.

What to sell, and how to price it: sell extras to shortlet guests. What to say at each stage of a stay: guest message templates.

Run a stay from request to deposit, in 6 steps

1
Answer the request
Open it from the "Requests" tab. Press "Accept booking" to confirm the stay, or "Decline" to refund the guest in full. With instant book on, there is nothing to answer.
2
Get the home ready
Check your stay information is up to date, and add check-in photos of how the home looks before the guest arrives.
3
Welcome the guest
When the guest presses "I have arrived", you get an email. Press "Hand over keys", then "Approve check-in". Only then can the guest see the door code and Wi-Fi password.
4
Look after the stay
Answer guest requests with "Start" and "Mark as done". If the guest used extras, send them a bill with "Bill the guest".
5
Confirm the check-out
When the guest leaves, press "Confirm check-out". You can add up to 10 photos of how the home was left.
6
Settle the caution deposit
Release the deposit if all is well. If something was damaged or is missing, raise a dispute with your photos, and the Cabans team decides.

How the deposit is protected, and what counts as evidence, is on caution deposit protection for hosts.

Shortlet management with a team

Running several homes, or managing them for owners? Add your staff to your store under "Roles & Permissions" and give each person the access they need.

Seeing: a role that can see orders can open the Bookings page, each booking and the calendar.
Doing: a role that can process orders can also accept and decline, check guests in and out, save the calendar, see the door codes and settle deposits.
Emails: booking emails go to the store's email, the owner and up to 10 team members who can process orders.
A record: the calendar keeps a change history that names who changed what, and when.

Living outside Nigeria? Read managing a shortlet from abroad. Letting guests in without meeting them? See door codes and smart locks.

Money: what you pay and when you are paid

Guests pay online through Paystack when they book. Paystack's fee is paid by the guest.
Cabans charges a 5% commission on each booking.
You are paid within 7 days after the stay, and sooner when the guest approves the payment after their trip.
Your payout is what the guest paid for the stay, plus any bills and stay extras they paid, less any refund, less the 5% commission.

Frequently asked questions

Is Cabans a shortlet management company?

No. Cabans is the website you, your staff or your property manager use to run bookings: the calendar, payments, check-in, requests and deposits. We do not clean, meet guests or look after your home. You or your team do that.

Can I manage several shortlets from one account?

Yes. All the listings in your store share one "Bookings" page. Use the "Property" filter to see one home, or "All properties" to see them all.

Can my staff help without seeing everything?

Yes. Give each person a role. Some roles can only see bookings and the calendar. Others can also answer requests, check guests in and out, and see the door codes. A team member who cannot change the calendar sees a message telling them to ask the store owner.

How do guests reach me during a stay?

Guests send requests from their stay page: room service, a cleaner, a call for help, an issue to report, or something else. You get an email for each one. Guests can also message your store in the chat.

Can I charge guests for extras?

Yes. Add stay extras such as bottled water or breakfast under "Stay Extras", and tick the homes that sell them. Checked-in guests can buy them from their stay page. You can also send a bill with "Bill the guest". A bill must come to at least ₦1,000 (one thousand naira).

How much does Cabans charge, and when am I paid?

Cabans charges a 5% commission on each booking. Paystack's fee for handling the payment is paid by the guest, not by you. You are paid within 7 days after the stay, and sooner when the guest approves the payment after their trip.

Step-by-step help for hosts

Not sure whether to hire a manager? Read shortlet management company or manage it yourself. Managing for other owners? Read short let property management for estate agents.

Bring your shortlets onto one page

List each home, turn on "Take bookings online", and run every stay from your Bookings page.

List your shortlet Take bookings online Start the Host Academy