Copy-paste guest messages, changeover and maintenance checklists, a certificate renewal tracker and free calculators for UK hosts running their own holiday lets. Use them to spend less time on repeat admin and catch problems before your guests do. Free to use, no sign-up.
Each topic has its own checklist or templates, plus the guides behind them.
Message templates from booking confirmation to arrival check-in. Use them and save the time you'd spend writing each message from scratch.
Get the templatesA changeover checklist with photo verification steps and scheduling tips, so problems get caught before the next guest arrives, not after.
Get the checklistA weekly, monthly and seasonal checklist for restocking and maintenance, so a loose hinge doesn't turn into a call-out bill.
See the routineGas safety, EICR, fire risk and EPC dates tracked in one place, so nothing lapses without you noticing.
See what's requiredPlain descriptions of what Hospitable, Turno and other holiday let software do, so you don't pay for features your setup doesn't need.
Read the notesEnter your own figures and get an answer for your property in a few minutes. There's nothing to sign up for, and nothing you enter leaves your browser.
Enter your nightly rate and what each changeover costs you. You'll see what you keep from every stay length, the lowest rate worth taking for short stays and a minimum stay to set.
Choose where your holiday let is and tick what it has. You'll get every check that applies, whether the law requires it or official guidance asks for it, and the date each one is next due.
Enter the nights you've let, booked and blocked so far this year. You'll see whether your holiday let is on track for its nation's business rates test, and how many more nights it needs each month to get there.
Enter your beds, how many guests the listing sleeps and your bathrooms. You'll get a shopping list of sheets, duvet covers, pillowcases and towels, with the working for every number.
Set out arrival, access and fallback instructions so guests know what to do before they reach the door.
Build a changeover routine from the property’s own failure points, not a generic template.
What goes in the file, which checks are legal duties and which are insurer or licence conditions, and what to book first because it has a waiting list.
Most first-month problems are not the ones hosts fear. What tends to go wrong in weeks one to four, and the short checklist that catches it early.
StayWorkbench is for UK hosts running their holiday lets themselves: answering the guest messages, sorting the changeovers and chasing the plumber. Getting those details right means less stress for you, and it's usually what guests notice and mention in their reviews.
Find your starting pointProperty management systems and channel managers do similar-sounding things very differently. These notes cover what Hospitable, Smoobu, Lodgify and others do, so you know what you're paying for before you commit to one.
| Platform | What it's built around | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hospitable | Automated messaging & calendar sync across Airbnb, Vrbo & Booking.com | Notes published |
| Smoobu | Simpler booking & calendar setup for a handful of properties | Listed |
| Lodgify | Channel management plus a direct booking website | Listed |
| Hostfully, Hostaway & Guesty | Multi-property portfolio management | Listed |
These notes describe features and who each tool tends to suit. StayWorkbench doesn't rate or recommend any of them.
Not sure you need any of this yet? Start with how to choose software for a self-managed holiday let.
If changeovers are your daily headache, a cleaning scheduler is usually worth a look before a full PMS switch.
Turno: scheduling from your booking calendar, photo checklists and updates as each changeover is started and finished.
