Airbnb SOP Template – Host Operations Manual: 22 Procedures from Inquiry to Review, Turnover & Emergencies + Roles, Word, No Canva

Host Operations SOP Manual is an editable Word manual with 22 ready-to-use standard operating procedures for vacation-rental hosts, from the first inquiry to the final review. Every procedure fits one page, names an owner and a backup, and ends with a "done when" line and a checklist, so your co-host, cleaner and handyman always know what to do and when it is finished.

No Canva needed. Open the .docx in Microsoft Word, Google Docs (free) or Pages, replace the [bracketed] times, names and places with your own and print or share it. US Letter and A4 files are both included.

Template only, not legal, tax or financial advice. Procedures touch taxes, permits and safety, which differ by country, state and city. Have a local professional review them before use.

What is inside

• Cover, contents with page numbers and a how-to-use page that explains the five fields every SOP has: Purpose, Owner, Trigger, Steps and Done when
• Roles and Escalation: a roles table with backups (owner, co-host, cleaner, handyman, laundry, bookkeeper), a three-level escalation ladder with response times, an on-call rotation line and a contact sheet
• Part A, Booking (4 SOPs): inquiry response, booking confirmation, guest screening, canceled bookings and refunds
• Part B, Before the Stay (4 SOPs): pre-arrival messaging, supplies and restock, a 20-point pre-arrival inspection, access and codes
• Part C, During the Stay (5 SOPs): check-in support, mid-stay check-in, guest issues and complaints, noise, party and occupancy incidents, emergencies
• Part D, After the Stay (5 SOPs): checkout, turnover cleaning, a 15-point post-clean inspection, damage and claims, reviews
• Part E, Business (4 SOPs): preventive maintenance with a monthly, quarterly and annual schedule, pricing review, finance and records, listing and photo refresh
• Version Log with sample rows and blank lines, and an SOP Index and Owner Matrix listing the owner, backup and review cycle of all 22 procedures

Times and thresholds are written the same way everywhere they appear, for example a [1 h] inquiry reply, a [15 min] acknowledgement, a [24 h] fix and a [Thursday] restock run. Change them to match your own standards.

Files you receive

• Host-Operations-SOP-Manual-Letter.docx and Host-Operations-SOP-Manual-A4.docx - editable Word files
• Host-Operations-SOP-Manual-Letter.pdf and Host-Operations-SOP-Manual-A4.pdf - print-ready versions
• START-HERE-How-to-Edit.pdf - editing guide for Word, Google Docs and Pages

How it works

1. Download the ZIP right after checkout.
2. Open the Letter or A4 .docx in Word, or upload it to Google Drive and open it with Google Docs.
3. Replace the [bracketed] details, set the owner and backup of each SOP and delete steps that do not apply.
4. Share the PDF with your team and record every later change in the Version Log.

FAQ

Do I need Canva? No. It is a normal Word file that works offline.

Who is it for? Hosts and small property managers who want one complete operations manual for the whole team. It is the owner-level manual, not a cleaner handbook and not an emergency-only plan.

Is this legal or tax advice? No. It is a template. Check taxes, permits and safety rules with a local professional.

Can I delete procedures I do not need? Yes. Delete a page, or mark the SOP as retired in the index so the numbers still match.

Will it print on A4? Yes. US Letter and A4 versions are both included.

License: personal and single-business use for your own rentals. Please do not resell or redistribute the files. Airbnb, VRBO and Booking.com are trademarks of their respective owners; this product is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.