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Why availability might look out of date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 15 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 rental’s row in the Rentals tab.
Still stuck? See Connecting sources for exact steps per platform, or contact support.