A heads-up at check-in, not a refund three days later.
Most check-ins end at the lockbox. After that, it's up to the guest to notice, take photos, message the host and report within 72 hours. Many report late, or never.
One record. Three sides of the door.
Sixty seconds, and both sides see the same thing.
Guests and hosts already take photos on their own. What's missing is a shared record.
1 in 4 Reddit dispute posts mention photos, video or proof, up from 1 in 5 in 2018.
The support line AI can't reach.
AI is cutting the cost of each contact: call-centre costs fell $15M in H1 2026. Refunds and credits for bad stays rose $14M. A check at the door cuts the contacts, and the refunds that follow.
The check is free, always. Plus a few things guests didn't have before.
Time-stamped. Locked. Yours.
Stored securely in the EU. Nobody, including you or your host, can change it later. Demo data is deleted after 24 hours.
An awkward message I didn't send at first. Then an early departure and an afternoon of back-and-forth with Airbnb.
In September 2026 I checked into a flat in Stockholm. It hadn't been cleaned and the dishwasher didn't work. For three nights I didn't send the message, because asking a stranger to send a cleaner and fix a dishwasher felt awkward. When I finally did, it turned into an early departure, an afternoon of back-and-forth and emails with Airbnb support, and a partial refund. I had photos, but it was my word against the host's. It was the third time this had happened to me this year.
Each one was a fix on day one that became a refund on day three. Sixty seconds at the door, with the host told automatically, would have changed all three. That is Check-in Check.
Questions people ask first.
Is Check-in Check part of Airbnb, Booking.com or Vrbo?
No. It's an independent concept, designed as a feature any rental platform could add.
What happens if I skip the check?
The place is treated as matching the listing on arrival; you can still report through the platform within its window.
Will guests actually do it?
It's their protection: report now, or lose the refund later. It's opt-in and takes 60 seconds; skip it and there's no cover. And hosts change first, because knowing any guest may check is enough.
How is this different from photos in the chat, or the platform's damage protection?
Photos in chat are one-sided and sent after the fact. Host cleaner apps are host-only. Damage-protection claims come after the fact, and inventory reports are built for long lets. Check-in Check is the only record made at arrival and shared by both sides.
Who sees my photos?
Only you, until you send the record to your host. Everything in the demo is deleted automatically after 24 hours.
Does it cost anything?
The check is free for guests, always. Damage cover is optional.
What if the host disagrees with my record?
You both have the same time-stamped record, so the platform decides on evidence, not guesswork.
Which platforms does it work with?
Any short-term rental platform: Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo or direct bookings.
Say hello.
Hosts who want the pilot, platforms who want the one-pager, guests who want to tell me about a stay.