The go-live checklist

You have added your property and the website looks good. Before you send the link to anyone, run through this list. It takes half an hour and catches the problems that are painful to fix after a guest has booked.

1. Rates and minimum stays

Check the nightly rate on every unit, in every season you have configured. Then check your minimum stay rules. A missing minimum stay is how you end up hosting a one-night party booking on a peak weekend.

2. Calendar accuracy

Block every date that is already taken, from any source. If you take bookings on Airbnb or Booking.com, connect them through the channel manager first so your availability is honest everywhere.

3. Policies guests will actually read

Cancellation terms, check-in and check-out times, house rules. Keep them short and clear. Guests skim.

4. Payments

Install the free Stripe app and connect it so guests can pay at the moment they book. Then confirm the payout account is your real bank account. The set-up online payments guide covers this step by step.

5. The website, on a phone

Most guests will see your site on a phone first. Open every page on yours. Check the photos, the prices and the booking flow.

6. One full test booking

Book your own place like a stranger would: pick dates, pay, receive the confirmation. Then cancel it and check the calendar released the dates. This single test catches more issues than everything else on the list combined.

When all six pass, you are live. Share the link, add it to your OTA profiles where allowed, and put it in your email signature. Every direct booking from here on is commission-free.