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Creating an Account

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Managing your Listing

Creating a listing

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Hosts

About Hosting on Houfy

Houfy hosts

Direct booking inquiries

There is a preauthorization on the guest's credit card which expires after 48 hours. You have to actually capture the funds by accepting the booking request.

How long does it take for a pending direct booking to expire on Houfy?

Stripe and Square users both have 48 hours to accept a Pending Direct booking before it expires. 

For those who would like travelers to book and pay on Houfy with credit card (just like they would book and pay on other sites), you need to connect one of Houfy's integrated processors (Square and Stripe). You'll still have the option to accept/decline the booking request, as "instant book" is not available.

Even though Stripe and Square are integrated with Houfy, the payments only pass between you and your guest. They never pass through Houfy's bank account. 

If you prefer not to connect Stripe or Square, just fill out your listing's payment policies section and check off the payment methods accepted.

Can travelers just send me an inquiry if they are not ready to book?  

Of course! Travelers can send hosts an inquiry, send a question via the contact host button, or use the email/phone info (if made public) shown on a host's profile. A text and email notification will be sent from Houfy. 

Create your free Square or Stripe account directly on Houfy. Here is a brief comparison guide of Square and Stripe. 

Be sure to connect your Stripe or Square account to Houfy.  

Once you have a Square or Stripe account connected to Houfy, travelers can enter dates and pay with credit card. 

The host receives a "pending booking request" via text and email, with option to accept/decline.  After accepting the pending booking request, the dates will automatically be blocked on your Houfy calendar. 

Travelers can send an inquiry and you will arrange payment however you wish. Once you have decided to proceed with the booking, you can click "mark as confirmed" on the inquiry. This does two things:

Blocks the dates on your Houfy calendar. 

Lets Houfy know you received a booking even though payment is being made outside of the platform. 

How does a traveler reserve and make payment?

Unlike most platforms where you don't get paid till guest check-in, Houfy does not interfere in your payment transactions. All transactions pass between you and your guest only. As such, hosts choose their own forms of payment acceptance: check, Square, Stripe, Venmo, PayPal, Zelle, bank transfer, etc. It's entirely up to you.

Yes. Once the owner "accepts" a reservation request the host and the guest will receive an e-mail from Houfy. (Below an example of 10$ paid through stripe)

Do the guest and host receive a message when second paid was paid?

Does the host receive a confirmation that the guest paid?

Use Mark as Confirmed when a guest sends you an inquiry and you want to confirm the reservation without using a payment processor on Houfy. This action blocks the dates, sends confirmation emails, and keeps your calendar accurate while you handle payment privately.

Hosts who receive inquiries and collect payment outside Houfy (for example: bank transfer, Zelle, cash, or check).

If you have Stripe or Square connected, you can also send a Payment Request instead of marking a reservation as confirmed.

If you prefer to handle payment on your own, you may still use Mark as Confirmed.

Select the message thread for the guest inquiry.

Look at the right-hand side under Actions.

Houfy blocks the reservation dates on your calendar.

Houfy exports blocked dates to your synced calendars (Airbnb, Vrbo, Google, etc.).

Houfy emails a confirmation to you and the guest.

The reservation appears as Confirmed in your Bookings page.

I connected a payment processor. Should I still use “Mark as Confirmed”?
You can, but it’s optional. If you want the guest to pay through your payment processor, send a Payment Request instead.

The guest didn’t receive a confirmation email.
Ask the guest to check their spam folder.
Confirm their email address inside the conversation.

Does “Mark as Confirmed” collect payment?
No. You must collect payment directly from your guest.

Can I switch to a payment request later?
Yes. You may still send a payment link separately.

Will this update my connected calendars automatically?
Yes, as long as your iCal links are set up.

What if the guest does not pay after I confirm?
You may cancel the reservation at any time using Cancel Reservation.

When to Use "Mark as Confirmed" on Houfy Bookings

Use Houfy’s “Mark as Confirmed” feature to confirm inquiries, block dates, and manage bookings when you collect payment directly. A simple way to stay organized and avoid double-bookings.payments outside of Houfy.

Quotes can be deleted if assigned guests have not signed up.

To delete the quote please follow the below method

In the reservation details section, you can find Delete this quote, click and confirm to delete the quote.

To archive the request, please follow the below method:

In the reservation details section, you can find Archive, click and confirm to archive the request.

How reservations work

Hosts