Old checkout instructions survive in more places than the listing itself. A listing can read clean on Airbnb while a pre-checkout message, a saved reply, or a printed house manual still asks guests to strip beds and start laundry. This page is the printable audit companion to the PMS Sync Warning. Work through each source below, fix the text at the source, and verify the synced result on Airbnb.
Where old instructions hide
Check each location below for every listing and every property you manage.
- PMS automated messages: the pre-arrival message, the check-in day message, and the pre-checkout message. The pre-checkout message is the most common hiding place for an old chore list.
- Saved replies: quick replies your team sends by hand, including replies saved inside the PMS and replies saved in the Airbnb inbox.
- Listing description and the good to know section: checkout paragraphs often sit inside the description, outside the house rules fields.
- Check-in instruction templates: contract language and ID requests often sit in check-in instructions. Hosts may not require a separate contract or a government ID, except where required by law and in other limited circumstances (official policy article).
- In-home manual and QR code pages: printed manuals, framed checkout cards, and QR-linked welcome pages inside the property.
- Fee and penalty wording: any text that threatens a fine, a penalty, or a forfeited deposit over checkout tasks. Host-set fines and penalties are banned, and genuine damage follows the AirCover process (official Help Center).
- Co-host shared documents: shared drives, handover notes, and cleaning briefs that co-hosts and virtual assistants copy text from.
Search terms to run in every template
Run each term below as a text search inside every template and document from the list above. Review every hit in context. A hit can be compliant wording, and a hit can be a violation.
strip · laundry · dishes · trash · chore · checkout · contract · sign · ID · passport · fine · penalty · forfeit · deposit
The audit table
Print this table and work one copy per property. Mark each box only after you have seen the evidence yourself.
| Location checked | Contains banned text? | Fixed at source | Synced | Verified on Airbnb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PMS automated message: pre-arrival | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| PMS automated message: check-in day | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| PMS automated message: pre-checkout | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| Saved replies | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| Listing description and good to know section | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| Check-in instruction template | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| In-home manual and QR code pages | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| Fee and penalty wording | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| Co-host shared documents | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
Verify after the sync
- Push a sync for every listing. Run the sync on your schedule and complete it well before November 20, 2026.
- Verify inside Airbnb. Open Listings, then Listing editor, then House rules and requests, and confirm the updated rules landed in the seven fields and the Before checkout requests section (official Help Center).
- Read the guest-facing result. Open the public listing as a guest, and read the rendered pre-arrival and pre-checkout messages in full. Formatting errors and truncated text surface at this stage.
- Re-check after the next scheduled sync. Let one normal sync cycle run, then spot-check several listings. A reverted listing means a template still holds the old text, and that template needs the same fix at the source.
Related reading
The sync mechanics behind this audit are in the PMS Sync Warning. The full pre-deadline plan for single-listing and multi-listing hosts is in the Host Compliance Checklist.
Frequently asked questions
I fixed the listing in Airbnb. Why did the old chores come back?
Your PMS holds the master template, and a sync copies that template over the Airbnb listing. An edit made only inside Airbnb lasts until the next sync runs. Fix the template inside the PMS, sync again, and verify the listing afterward.
Which message template matters most in this audit?
The pre-checkout message matters most, since old chore lists most often survive there. Audit every automated message anyway. A template you skip is a template a sync can restore.
A template mentions a deposit. Does every mention need to come out?
Review each mention in context. Any wording that punishes a guest over checkout tasks with a charge or a withheld deposit must come out, since host-set fines and penalties are banned (official Help Center). Genuine damage follows the AirCover process (official Help Center).
How do I confirm the fix survived the sync?
Verify on Airbnb after a manual sync, and verify again after the next scheduled sync cycle. Read the public listing and the rendered automated messages each time. A listing that reverts points to a template that still holds the old text.
Last checked against Airbnb's official policy article: October 23, 2026.