Prep time
Prep time is a buffer of one or more days a host blocks between bookings, so a new guest can't check in the same day (or within a set number of days) after the previous guest checks out. It gives cleaning, laundry, and any repairs guaranteed time on the calendar.
Prep time is usually set as a symmetric buffer applied before check-in and after check-out, though some tools let a host set it independently on each side. The buffer can either simply not be offered as bookable, or actively render as "closed" on the public calendar: a host-configurable choice.
Because prep time blocks dates automatically, it removes the need to manually re-block the calendar after every booking to leave a cleaning gap.
Why it matters for hosts
RentalBeam lets hosts set a prep-time buffer of a chosen number of days before check-in and after check-out, and those days show as closed on the calendar widget. It's configured alongside advance notice under the booking rules the host sets for the rental.
Further reading More detail on how this works with RentalBeam.
Related terms Other glossary terms that come up alongside this one.
See this in the product.
See booking rules documentation