# RentTools

> Open-source property management tool for short-term rental hosts. Self-hosted or hosted-free. Calendar sync (Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo, any iCal source), cleaning automation, GDPR-friendly guest data, multi-property management.

RentTools is built for hosts running 1–20 short-term rentals who want a free alternative to $100/mo channel managers. The hosted instance runs at https://renttools.io; the source is MIT-licensed at https://github.com/Gribadan/RentTools.io.

## Core docs

- [Home](https://renttools.io/): Product overview, what it does, and how it compares to paid channel managers.
- [Sign up](https://renttools.io/signup): Create an account on the hosted instance.
- [Privacy policy](https://renttools.io/privacy): How RentTools stores and processes guest data.
- [Terms](https://renttools.io/terms): Service terms for the hosted instance.

## Blog — host-facing guides

- [Vrbo Premier Host requirements: the four thresholds and what the badge actually moves](https://renttools.io/blog/vrbo-premier-host-requirements-math): The four Vrbo Premier Host thresholds, the search-rank lift the badge actually delivers, the acceptance-rate trap that costs most badges, and when chasing it stops paying.
- [Booking.com no-show fee math: what you actually recover when a guest never shows up](https://renttools.io/blog/booking-com-no-show-fee): A worked playbook for Booking.com no-shows — the 48-hour reporting window, what the rate plan determines, the commission you still owe, and the chargeback rate that eats the rest.
- [WiFi for vacation rentals: speed, router, and LTE failover](https://renttools.io/blog/wifi-short-term-rental-setup): The Mbps number guests actually need, the router that doesn't crash by month four, and the 4G backup that turns three nights of outage into a non-event.
- [Orphan nights: the gap-night revenue your minimum stay strands](https://renttools.io/blog/orphan-night-gap-night-math): A worked calc of how many nights a 3-night minimum strands as unbookable gaps each year — and the gap-only exception that recovers them without 1-night chaos.
- [Direct booking website math: when escaping OTA commission pays off](https://renttools.io/blog/direct-booking-website-math): A worked P&L on Airbnb's host cut vs a direct site's 3% Stripe fee — and the repeat-guest rate that decides whether your own booking page pays off.
- [Self check-in failed: a host's playbook for the 11pm key emergency](https://renttools.io/blog/self-check-in-failure-playbook): The lockbox jams, the smart lock goes offline, the guest can't read the code. A field-tested procedure for the first 15 minutes, the next hour, and the after-action that keeps your listing alive.
- [Who collects tourist tax on Airbnb, Booking.com, and Vrbo (2026)](https://renttools.io/blog/tourist-tax-airbnb-booking-vrbo): A practical map of where Airbnb, Booking.com, and Vrbo auto-collect tourist tax — and where they leave you on the hook. Rates by US city and EU country.
- [Hot tub ROI for short-term rentals: the 28-month payback math](https://renttools.io/blog/hot-tub-roi-short-term-rental-math): A hot tub adds $35–$60/night and 8–12 points of occupancy in cold climates. The install pays back in 22–34 months — and never in hot ones.
- [Airbnb listing photo math: how many, in what order, and which one earns the click](https://renttools.io/blog/airbnb-listing-photo-math): The cover photo decides 70–80% of search-result clicks. Photos 2–7 decide saves. Above 25 photos, the curve goes flat. A worked 3-listing audit and the order to shoot in.
- [Maintenance reserve for short-term rentals: the per-night number most hosts get wrong](https://renttools.io/blog/maintenance-reserve-short-term-rental-math): Most hosts set aside 1–2% of gross for repairs. Real depreciation runs 5–8%. A worked spreadsheet of three breakdowns shows what the per-night reserve actually needs to be.
- [When do Airbnb and Booking.com actually pay you? Payout timing](https://renttools.io/blog/airbnb-booking-com-payout-timing): Airbnb pays ~24h after check-in; Booking.com pays weeks later. A worked timeline of when money really lands, the first-payout trap, and the cash-flow gap.
- [RevPAR for short-term rentals: the metric occupancy hides](https://renttools.io/blog/revpar-short-term-rental-math): Occupancy and ADR each tell half the story. RevPAR — revenue per available night — reconciles them. Worked math for three listings that look nothing alike.
- [Airbnb Superhost: the four thresholds and what the badge is worth](https://renttools.io/blog/airbnb-superhost-requirements-math): The four quarterly metrics that win the Superhost badge, the search-rank lift it actually gives you, and when chasing it stops being worth the response-rate cognitive load.
- [Airbnb host-only fee vs split-fee: the breakeven math](https://renttools.io/blog/airbnb-host-only-fee-vs-split-fee-math): When 15% host-only beats 3% + ~14% split, the conversion uplift hosts actually see, and the worked spreadsheet across budget, mid-tier, and luxury listings.
- [Airbnb extra guest fee: the per-person pricing math](https://renttools.io/blog/airbnb-extra-guest-fee-math): What an extra guest actually costs you per night, the three pricing models hosts use, and the spreadsheet that shows when a per-guest fee funds your linen budget vs when it spooks the booking.
- [Airbnb instant book vs request to book: the conversion math](https://renttools.io/blog/airbnb-instant-book-vs-request-to-book): What Airbnb's instant book actually costs you in bookings, the four guest signals where request-to-book pays for itself, and the spreadsheet to decide.
- [Airbnb co-host commission math: what 20% really costs you](https://renttools.io/blog/airbnb-co-host-commission-math): A worked breakdown of co-host pay models for short-term rental hosts. Percent-of-gross vs percent-of-net vs per-task, real dollar math at 5, 10, and 20 stays per month, and the threshold where the co-host pays for themselves.
- [Guest registration laws for short-term rentals: a country-by-country guide](https://renttools.io/blog/guest-registration-laws-short-term-rental): What guest data EU short-term rental hosts must collect and report to authorities — Spain, Italy, France, Portugal, Germany — with deadlines and retention rules.
- [Airbnb cleaning fee vs all-in pricing: which one books more nights](https://renttools.io/blog/airbnb-cleaning-fee-vs-all-in-pricing): A worked breakdown of Airbnb's total-price display and the cleaning-fee dilemma — what happens when you bundle the fee into the nightly rate, how CTR moves at each split, and the break-even where absorbing the fee starts to cost money.
- [Same-day booking math: when the last-minute reservation is a trap](https://renttools.io/blog/same-day-booking-math): When a same-day Airbnb or Booking.com reservation is worth accepting and when it costs you a 3-star review. Cleaning slack, review-score drag, and the 3-hour rule that beats "always say yes."
- [Dynamic pricing for short-term rentals: PriceLabs, Wheelhouse, Beyond](https://renttools.io/blog/dynamic-pricing-short-term-rental): A worked comparison of PriceLabs, Wheelhouse, and Beyond Pricing for short-term rental hosts — fees, lift, break-even at 1, 3, and 8 listings, and the three settings that decide whether the tool earns its keep.
- [How to respond to a 3-star Airbnb review without making it worse](https://renttools.io/blog/responding-to-bad-airbnb-review): A tactical playbook for the worst hour of the hosting week — when to respond, the four-sentence template that works, when to push for removal under Airbnb's policy, and how a single 3-star reply moves your future conversion rate.
- [Digital guidebook for short-term rentals: Touch Stay vs Hostfully vs DIY PDF](https://renttools.io/blog/digital-guidebook-short-term-rental): A worked cost comparison of Touch Stay, Hostfully, and a free DIY PDF for short-term-rental hosts. Time-saved math, message-volume drop, and the per-listing breakeven.
- [Pet fee math for short-term rental hosts: when allowing dogs actually pays](https://renttools.io/blog/pet-fee-math-short-term-rental): A worked breakdown of pet fees for Airbnb and Booking.com hosts. Cleaning premium, damage rate, conversion uplift, and the per-listing rule for setting yours.
- [Booking.com Genius levels: when 10%, 15%, and 20% discounts pay back](https://renttools.io/blog/booking-com-genius-levels-math): Worked math on Booking.com's Genius 1, 2, and 3 tiers. The breakeven lift each tier needs, the visibility math behind the badge, and a per-listing rule.
- [Late check-out fee policy: what to charge, what hosts actually collect](https://renttools.io/blog/late-checkout-fee-policy): Worked math for late check-out fees on Airbnb, Booking.com, and Vrbo — hourly vs half-day, when to comp the first hour, and the same-day-arrival cliff.
- [Minimum-night stay math: when 1, 2, 3, and 7-night minimums make money](https://renttools.io/blog/minimum-night-stay-math): When does a 1, 2, 3, or 7-night minimum make money? Worked math for a city studio, beach 2BR, and mountain cabin — plus the per-LOS toggles most hosts miss.
- [What to pay your short-term-rental cleaner: per-clean vs hourly](https://renttools.io/blog/cleaner-pay-short-term-rental): Per-clean, hourly, and monthly-retainer cleaner pay math for short-term rental hosts at 5, 10, and 20 stays a month — plus the contractor-classification trap.
- [Airbnb AirCover vs Booking.com damage deposit: what gets paid](https://renttools.io/blog/airbnb-aircover-vs-booking-damage-deposit): How AirCover, Booking.com damage deposits, and Vrbo Property Damage Protection actually pay out — three real damage claims, real timelines, real refusal rates.
- [Noise monitoring for short-term rentals: Minut vs NoiseAware vs Roomonitor](https://renttools.io/blog/noise-monitoring-short-term-rental): A 12-month cost comparison of Minut, NoiseAware, and Roomonitor for short-term rental hosts — plus the threshold setting that decides whether you catch the party or annoy quiet guests.
- [Linen inventory for short-term rentals: how many sets per listing](https://renttools.io/blog/linen-inventory-short-term-rental): How many sheet sets and towel sets you actually need per short-term rental — the laundry-cycle math, the dryer bottleneck, and what new hosts always get wrong.
- [Wi-Fi setup for short-term rentals: speed, mesh, and guest-network math](https://renttools.io/blog/wifi-setup-short-term-rental): How much Wi-Fi speed a short-term rental actually needs, when a single router beats mesh, and why a guest network is not optional in 2026 — with worked numbers and real hardware picks.
- [Airbnb cancellation policy math: which tier actually pays more](https://renttools.io/blog/airbnb-cancellation-policy-math): A worked spreadsheet of Flexible, Moderate, Firm, and Strict on Airbnb plus refundable vs non-refundable on Booking.com. Three cancellation scenarios at 60, 75, 90% occupancy.
- [Smart lock vs lockbox: 12-month cost math for short-term rental hosts](https://renttools.io/blog/smart-lock-vs-lockbox-cost-math): A worked spreadsheet comparing smart locks, lockboxes, and in-person check-in. Total cost over 12 months at 5, 10, and 20 stays per month — plus the failure modes nobody prices.
- [Channel manager break-even math: when paying $40 a month actually pays back](https://renttools.io/blog/channel-manager-break-even-math): When does a paid channel manager pay for itself? Worked break-even math at 1, 3, 8, and 15 properties — plus the failure cost most hosts forget to price in.
- [Pre-arrival guest forms: what to ask, when to send, completion math](https://renttools.io/blog/pre-arrival-guest-forms): A field-by-field guide to pre-arrival forms for short-term rental hosts. What to ask, what to skip, when to send, and how to push completion past 90%.
- [Length-of-stay discount math: when 7-day and 28-day discounts actually pay](https://renttools.io/blog/length-of-stay-discount-math): A worked spreadsheet of weekly and monthly Airbnb discount math. The breakeven at 60%, 75%, and 90% occupancy, and a per-listing rule to pick yours.
- [Self-hosting your property manager on a $4 droplet](https://renttools.io/blog/self-hosting-property-manager-droplet): How to self-host a short-term-rental property manager on a cheap DigitalOcean droplet. Real RAM numbers, real build limits, real monthly cost.
- [GDPR for short-term rental hosts: what you actually need to do](https://renttools.io/blog/gdpr-for-vacation-rental-hosts): Practical GDPR for short-term rental hosts. Five concrete actions this week: privacy notice, lawful basis, retention, sub-processors, deletion.
- [Free property-management tools for short-term rental hosts in 2026](https://renttools.io/blog/free-property-management-tools-2026): A 2026 roundup of free property-management software for Airbnb and Booking.com hosts. Managed-free, self-host-free, DIY combos, and where each one breaks.
- [Cleaning schedule automation for short-term rental hosts](https://renttools.io/blog/cleaning-schedule-automation): How short-term rental hosts can automate the cleaning schedule. Replace paper notebooks and shared Sheets with a cleaner-role workflow that actually scales.
- [Setting buffer days right: stop back-to-back cleaning chaos](https://renttools.io/blog/cleaning-buffer-days): How to pick the right cleaning buffer days for short-term rentals. The revenue-vs-quality tradeoff, the math, and a per-property rule that scales.
- [Avoiding double bookings: the only host cheat sheet you need](https://renttools.io/blog/avoiding-double-bookings): A cheat sheet for short-term rental hosts to prevent double bookings. Sync intervals, buffer days, manual-entry rules, and the 24-hour pre-arrival audit.
- [How to sync Airbnb and Booking.com calendars in one place (free, 2026)](https://renttools.io/blog/airbnb-booking-calendar-sync-free): Sync Airbnb and Booking.com calendars for free with iCal. Step-by-step guide, real refresh-interval numbers, and when a paid channel manager is worth it.

## Optional

- [Sitemap](https://renttools.io/sitemap.xml): Machine-readable URL index for every public page.
- [GitHub repository](https://github.com/Gribadan/RentTools.io): Source code, issues, self-host instructions.