After having an amazing vacation, it comes time to begin the checkout process for your vacation rental. All temporary accommodations have their own checkout procedures, so it can be confusing knowing what to expect at the end of your stay. Do you clean up dirty dishes? What about the trash? 

Vacation rentals tend to operate a bit differently than hotel rooms, so you may be wondering how your rental should look when the housekeeping staff arrives to clean. In this guide, we`ll go over how to check out of your vacation rental so you can be the perfect guest. Some of the things we`ll go over include what to clean, proper etiquette, and common questions that guests have when checking out. 

Review Instructions and House Rules at the Beginning of Your Trip

Before beginning your stay at a vacation rental, you should always review any house rules, management policies, and checkout procedures that the host provides. By understanding the vacation rental etiquette surrounding your stay, you won`t be scrambling around the house the morning of checkout trying to complete instructions. 

There also may be specific rules surrounding the use of property that you need to follow during your stay. For instance, your vacation rental has a boat dock that you can use, but the hosts don`t allow you to use the boat lift equipment. Reading through instructions carefully at the beginning of your trip ensures that you are respectful of the space and leave the rental in top shape. 

Be Respectful of the Rental Space Throughout the Duration of Your Trip

Though you may need to perform some cleanup tasks at the end of your trip, vacation rental etiquette recommends that you keep the space tidy and in good condition for the entirety of your vacation. For example, if your kids spill some juice on the floor, you should clean it up right away so that it doesn`t stain. Perform simple daily chores like wiping down kitchen counters or sweeping crumbs on the floor. While you don`t have to keep the rental in sparkling clean condition for your stay, keeping it tidy makes the checkout process much smoother.

Remember to Take All of Your Belongings With You

It`s helpful to do a final run-through of your vacation rental before finally checking out. You should consider doing a mental checklist of all of your belongings while going through each room. Some common places you should check include wall outlets (phone chargers often get left behind), washing machines/dryers (make sure no clothes are left behind), the refrigerator (you should properly dispose of half-eaten food), and the shower (check that you`ve grabbed all of your toiletries).

Remembering all of your items is a time-saver, not just for the housekeeping staff, but also for yourself. So be sure to allocate enough time before checkout to do a final walk-through of the rental house. Failing to do so will be an inconvenience to you and also the housekeeping staff when you need to retrieve left-behind items.

What Should You Do If There Are No Check-Out Instructions?

You should always follow any written instructions from the host on checkout procedures. But if the instructions are vague or don`t have a lot of information, then you may be left wondering how to be a good guest and follow vacation rental etiquette. There are a few simple things you can do when you leave a vacation house that are helpful. It`s important to remember that the housekeeping staff is there to disinfect and prepare the space for the next guests, not clean up after your messes. 

For the kitchen area, you should make sure that you clean all the dirty dishes left. Leaving bowls of half-eaten food and dirty dishes is not very respectful. Be sure to clean up after yourself and put away your clean dishes before your family leaves. You should also consider taking out the trash to the outside dumpster or trash bin. However, your host will most likely specify if they want to complete this task, as well as where the trash receptacles are located. 

For bedrooms, unless you`ve rented linens, you should pack up all your towels and sheets. Some rentals may include blankets for your stay, but if that`s not the case, you`ll also need to be sure to remember to take them with you. If you have rented linens from your vacation rental company, then you should follow their instructions. Often, hosts will request you to pile all towels in the shower, bathtub, or a particular hamper when you`re checking out. Be sure to read the instructions carefully to see if there is a specific place you need to set them.

For bathrooms, it`s a good idea to do a once-over to ensure that you haven`t left anything in the cabinets or shower area. You should discard any soap bars or single-use toiletries that you may have used. You might also want to consolidate trashes by taking out the bathroom trash and placing it into the larger kitchen trash bag.

For living rooms, you may not think there is much to do before checking out, but you should consider the furniture placement. Families often move around furniture to suit their needs. If you`ve done this during your vacation, then you should move the furniture back to its original placement. It can be hard to remember where everything goes, especially if you`ve spent a couple of weeks at your rental. A smart idea to ensure that you leave your rental the way you found it, is to take photographs of the living room/dining room area. With photos handy, you`ll easily be able to move furniture back to its original position. 

Possible Issues You May Encounter With Beach Houses

During busy and long days at the beach with your family, you may not consider the possible messes that a day at the beach can bring. For example, sand can be a pain to clean up in a rental house. It`s a good idea to leave your shoes outside or shake them out before bringing them inside. Additionally, it`s a good idea to shake out your beach towel before you take it into the house. If you or your kids decide to go into the water, it`s also important to wipe down your feet and clean up any water you might bring into the house when the day is over.

Overall, you don`t have to worry about keeping your vacation rental as sparkling clean as the way you found it. However, proper vacation rental etiquette suggests that you keep the space tidy and clean of personal messes. The best way to be respectful of your hosts is to follow all rules and cleanliness standards from the beginning as well as do a final walk-through of the rental before you leave. The final walk-through will ensure that you follow all instructions and won`t leave behind any personal items. Our vacation rentals are available throughout Topsail Island and provide clean and convenient accommodations for families looking to experience the North Carolina coast.