It's great when someone books your property. It's even better when someone likes it so much that they want to stay longer! However, depending on how you got the booking, the process to extend it or change the dates will be a little different.
- If this is an Airbnb booking of any type, skip down to the bottom of this document and read the appropriate section.
- If this is a booking from Booking.com or TripAdvisor, all date and financial changes must be made on that platform regardless of whether you are using an API connection. If you are not using an API connection, you'll also need to manually modify your charges in OwnerRez as described in Changing the Charges.
- If this is a booking from Vrbo and you are not using the Vrbo API connection, all date changes must be made on the Vrbo platform.
- Users must remove the OR export iCal from Vrbo to make the change and then re-add the OR export iCal.
- Charges and payments can be manually updated in OwnerRez as described in Manually Change Charges below.
- ​After activating a Vrbo API connection, Vrbo removes any previous iCal connection. Any booking changes or cancellations made to a pre-API connection booking will need to be manually modified on the Vrbo platform and manually updated in OwnerRez as described in Manually Change Charges.
- If this is a booking from Vrbo and you are using the Vrbo API connection, you are in full control of the booking in OwnerRez! Keep reading, and follow the general instructions.
For all other types of bookings, keep reading!
General Instructions
There are three steps required to extend a stay: changing the dates, changing the charges, and collecting additional payments as needed.
Changing the Dates
This is the easiest part of the process, as well as the most urgent - you wouldn't want some other guest to make a Booking and take the dates your first guest wanted!
Note: If this is an Airbnb booking of any type, skip down to the bottom and read the appropriate section.
To change the dates, simply go to that Booking in OwnerRez. You can do this by clicking on its display in the main booking calendar, by searching for the ORB booking number in the Search field, or even by searching for the guest name and selecting the correct Booking > Change/Move.
Alter the dates to their new values. Notice the Email Options checkboxes. By default, OwnerRez will send notifications that the dates have changed. Usually, you want this, but in case you don't, you can de-select the checkboxes. You also have the option to manually edit the notification to the guest if desired.
Click the "Save Changes" button. Your changes will immediately update the OwnerRez master calendar, be pushed across any API connections, and also be updated in any iCal Calendar Exports you have set up.
This will cause all your calendars in all your channels to be correctly updated. Depending on the channel, this might be visible as a booking, as a block, or a combination of the two, but the end result should be that the nights are all correctly blocked and unable to be booked by anyone else.
But note that you will also want to have your guest sign an updated Rental Agreement.
Recalculate the Charges
Immediately after clicking Save on the Move/Change for the booking, a pop-up will appear asking, "Do you want to recalculate the charges to match your changes?"
If you gave the extra night to your guest for free, all you have to do is select "No, stick with the current charges" and you're done! Usually, though, you expect the guest to pay to extend their stay.
Be careful with this method, as it will completely recalculate all the charges based on your current rates. If the guest made the booking a while ago, they might have done so at older, lower rates; may have used some sort of discount; or may have selected additional services. These will be wiped out by the Recalculation, so only use this method if you know there is nothing at all different about this Booking.
Users should closely review the recalculated charges before clicking on Continue with new charges.
The default template for the 'Send Changed to Guest' system message will appear allowing users to edit the email message before sending by clicking on Send Email.
After users have notified the guest of the changed booking, they should process the new booking charges or manually change the charges.
Users should remember the following.
- If this is an Airbnb booking, skip to the note in the section below.
- If this is a Vrbo booking that is not using an API connection, log into your Vrbo control panel and request additional payment there. Changing the charges in OwnerRez won't do anything.
- Otherwise, go to the Charges tab in the OwnerRez Booking and keep reading.
Manually Change Charges
If there is anything at all different about what this Booking should be charged, users should follow the instructions to Manually Change Charges.
Collecting the Payment
See the Collect Payments Manually support article for complete instructions.
Rental agreement
OwnerRez Rental Agreements, once they are e-signed by the guest, are legally valid and binding contracts. As such, it is not possible to change them after they have been signed.
However, they are automatically populated with the most current information available at the moment they are signed. So if, after changing the dates of a booking, you want the guest to sign a new rental agreement, you can do that to include the changed dates.
Unfortunately, a common problem can occur if the System Message template for "Send Renter Agreement Form To Guest" has been edited to use the {BUFIXUP} field code and there is already an Agreement on file for the booking.
To fix this, create a new email template for requesting an additional lease (different from the "Send Renter Agreement To Guest" template you're currently using to ask for the Renter Agreement, Security Deposit, Photo ID). Use the BULEASE link in the new template.
Then instead of using Legal > Request e-Signature (which will always use the Send Renter Agreement Link To Guest system message, go to Email this Guest and switch to the new template that uses the BULEASE link.
Airbnb bookings
You cannot change dates in OwnerRez and have Airbnb update them. The dates can only be changed in Airbnb's own system, even if you are using an API connection. Follow the instructions here. This will normally update the charges also.
Per Airbnb policy, bookings that are longer than 28 days and arrive more than 30 days in the future can be changed by the guest without your approval.
Also, if you are using the Airbnb API, it does not reliably support communication of resolution requests - sometimes they are visible, and other times not. You may need to manually update the charges in OwnerRez, keep an eye on the payment status in your Airbnb control panel, and manually record a payment under the Transactions tab when payment is approved. You can read more information about this process here.