Inspecting Your Airbnb After Checkout: What Should You Look For?

The guest has left and the property is secure. Most new hosts' instinct is to start cleaning immediately. Do the opposite. Inspect first.

Why the order matters so much: cleaning erases evidence. A broken fixture gets tidied, a stain gets scrubbed, an item that went missing gets replaced without anyone noticing. If you clean before you inspect, you lose the ability to see what actually happened during the stay — and that is exactly what you need, both for the next guest and for any claims or learning.

So the rule is simple and firm: CHECKOUT → INSPECT → then clean.

Inspect with fresh eyes, in the guest's path

Walk the property in the same order the guest experienced it — entry, living space, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, exterior. Look at each space with two questions:

1. Does it work? (function)
2. What condition is it in? (condition and inventory)

You are not looking for problems to be angry about. You are gathering facts.

What to look for

• Function: lights, lock, taps, shower, appliances, heating or cooling, wifi.
• Condition: surfaces, walls, floors, upholstery, linens.
• Inventory: is everything that should be there still there? Are supplies depleted?
• Anything left behind by the guest, and anything taken.
• Anything the guest reported during the stay — now you can see it for yourself.

Classify every observation

This is the heart of inspection: do not just notice things — sort them. Every observation falls into one of five buckets:

1. Normal turnover — expected wear-and-tear from a normal stay. Clean and reset.
2. Restocking — consumables and supplies to replace.
3. Maintenance — something that needs repair but is not damage caused in this stay.
4. Damage — something broken, stained, or lost as a result of this stay, and potentially claimable.
5. Improvement — not a problem at all, but an idea to make the property better.

Sorting turns a vague "this feels off" into a clear to-do list and a clean record.

Damage vs. normal wear

This distinction trips up new hosts. Normal wear is the slow cost of hosting: a scuff, a faded towel, a loose handle. Damage is a change caused by this stay: a broken glass, a burn mark, a missing item.

You do not need to be an expert to tell them apart. You need to be factual: what changed, when you noticed it, and what you saw. Keep it neutral — describe the state, not the accusation.

Document as you go

• Take photos of anything that falls under damage or maintenance.
• Write short notes next to each observation.
• Keep the record factual and calm; it is evidence, not a complaint.

This record serves several purposes later: it protects you in a claim, it tells you what to fix, and it feeds the improvement stage.

Turnover authorization

Inspection ends with a decision: is the property ready to be turned over for the next guest?

• If yes, authorise the turnover.
• If there is damage or a maintenance issue that affects the next guest, hold the turnover until it is resolved — or note the plan to resolve it.

That decision is why inspection comes before cleaning. You cannot authorise a turnover you have not inspected.

What not to panic about

• Normal wear. It happens with every stay. It is not a failure.
• Small imperfections. Do not turn a minor scuff into a crisis.

What to watch

• Safety issues. Anything that could hurt the next guest.
• Serious damage that may need documentation and a claim.
• Anything you do not understand. Ask, photograph, and note it.

Where this goes next

You have inspected and turned the property over. Now comes the moment where you speak about this stay — and where the guest speaks about you. The first half of that exchange is the review you write.

Transition: Inspection is complete and the property is turned over. Now write your review of the guest. → 100.12 — Your First Airbnb Review: What Should You Write?