How long a holiday let changeover takes

01

Time the property, not a rule you found online

Write down the start, the finish and what got in the way: late keys, wet laundry, a long drive, an oven that needed more than a wipe. Do this for two or three ordinary changeovers, not for the worst stay you have ever had. The ordinary number is the one to plan with.

The ranges above are a place to start a rota, not a promise. A dog-friendly house, a hot tub, or linen washed and dried on site can add an hour or more. A one-bedroom flat with a laundry collection can be quicker than the range. Your own timings replace the range as soon as you have them.

• Separate the clean from travel, a shop stop and waiting for laundry.
• Note guest numbers. More beds and more towels take longer.
• Keep a same-day clean and a clean with a spare night as different plans.

02

See where the hours go

Most of the time sits in beds, bathrooms, the kitchen floor and putting the house back together. A quick wipe of surfaces is the smaller part. Laundry is the part people forget: stripping, bagging, and either a collection slot or a wash that must be dry before the next arrival.

If the washer is at the property, a same-day turn rarely has time for a full dry. Plan clean linen on the bed from a spare set, and let the dirty set join the wash for a later day. That is a linen decision, not a reason to rush the bathrooms.

03

Plan a same-day turn from the real times

Use the checkout and check-in written for that property. A morning checkout and a mid-afternoon check-in is a common pattern, and the gap is often somewhere around four to six hours, but only when those are the actual times. A late checkout, a ferry, or an early arrival can remove the gap. Do not promise the incoming guest a time until the outgoing time is confirmed.

Count the gap after travel. Two properties that both turn at 10:00 are not both available to the same person at 10:00. Leave time to get in, to find the linen, and to do a final walk from the door to the kettle.

Where you connect an iCal feed, Changeover Master turns those departures into changeovers on the diary. After a successful check the feed is read again about every 15 minutes. That is a sync, not a ping the moment someone books, so a same-day change should also be sent directly. The cleaner's private link, with no login, shows the checkout, the next check-in and the access notes. If the clean is not marked done by the cutoff before check-in, or today's changeover has no cleaner, the account owner can get one email and the diary can show At risk, then Late. The cutoff starts at two hours and needs a check-in time on the property. You can start a free trial and connect a calendar when you want to see the week laid out.

04

When the window shrinks

If the clean cannot fit, change the plan in this order: confirm whether the checkout can stay as agreed, send a second person for beds or bathrooms, and tell the owner before you tell the incoming guest. Shortening the list in secret, or skipping a bathroom, is how a review gets written.

A deep oven, inside-window or mattress-turning job does not belong in a tight same-day turn unless you have timed it and staffed it. Move it to a day with no arrival.