Troubleshooting sync
Diagnose a stale-looking calendar: import health states and common iCal URL mistakes.
Available onFreePlusPro
Why availability might look out of date
RentalBeam refreshes each connected iCal source automatically, at most every 30 minutes - exact timing varies with each platform’s own iCal cache. If you just blocked a date on Airbnb and it hasn’t shown up on your RentalBeam widget within a few minutes, that delay almost always sits on the platform’s side, not RentalBeam’s. Open your rental’s Sync tab and click Refresh to force an immediate re-fetch rather than waiting.
When a guest completes an instant pay-in-widget booking, the booking widget always re-checks live availability from every connected source at the moment they confirm - so a stay just booked elsewhere is caught even if the calendar view hasn’t refreshed yet.
Reading the import health status
Each connected source on the Sync tab shows a status:
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Healthy | The source synced successfully recently. Nothing to do. |
| Awaiting first sync | The source was just added and hasn't synced yet - it will sync automatically on its own shortly. |
| Stale | The source hasn't had a successful sync in a long time and may need attention - check that the export URL is still valid on the platform's side. |
| Error | The last sync attempt failed. The status shows the specific reason - usually a URL problem (see below) or the platform rejecting the request. |
Common iCal URL mistakes
Most sync problems trace back to the pasted URL rather than a real connection issue:
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Pasted the listing or dashboard page URL instead of the export link | Each platform has a dedicated calendar export/ICS URL, separate from the page you view your listing on - see Connecting sources for where to find it on Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com. |
| Pasted a Google Calendar sharing link instead of the secret ICS address | Google Calendar's secret address in iCal format is different from its sharing/embed link - see Google Calendar sync. |
| Pasted a RentalBeam or iCalendar Sync export URL back into a source field | Source fields expect the original platform’s export URL, not an export URL generated by RentalBeam itself. |
| The link no longer grants access | Some platforms rotate or revoke export links. Copy a fresh export URL from the platform’s calendar settings and replace the source. |
| The link returns a login page instead of calendar data | The URL points at a page that requires signing in rather than a public export feed - copy the dedicated export link instead. |
RentalBeam validates a source URL when you add it and shows a specific message for known mistakes on Airbnb, VRBO, Booking.com, and Google Calendar links. If a source you already added starts erroring, the same guidance appears in its status on the Sync tab.
Still stuck? See Connecting sources for exact steps per platform, or contact support.