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Property Management SOP Template

Write down how your team runs turnovers, guest messages, repairs, emergencies and reviews, and download a manual each cleaner, co-host and vendor can follow.

  • 7 procedures you switch on or off
  • A separate copy for each role
  • Word manual and Excel register
Build Your Manual
5 of 5 procedures complete
Example manual for a fictional team (Tidewater Cottages). Change any field and the manual updates.
Manual7/7
Team and contacts7/7
Procedures5/7
Preset

The starter five cover the jobs that go wrong most often or cost most when they do. Tap a procedure to add or remove it.

Turnover and cleaning6/6
Uses the checkout and check-in times under Manual
Guest messages and check-in problems8/8
Repairs and spending limits8/8
Above this, the host approves
Emergencies7/7
Guest reviews6/6
Access codes and keys5/5
Linens and supplies7/7

Standard operating procedures

Tidewater Cottages

Operations manual · Four cottages in Cape Linden: Dune, Heron, Marsh and Pier

Prepared by Maya CollinsEffective March 1, 2027Version 2.1
Procedures5
Steps33
People named5 of 5 roles
First reviewJun 1, 2027

Each procedure has one owner, a trigger, numbered steps, a done-when test and an escalation rule. If what you find on site doesn't match a step, follow the escalation rule, then tell Maya Collins so the procedure gets fixed.

Team and contacts

RoleNameOwnsEscalations from
HostMaya Collins–Repairs, Emergencies, Reviews
Co-hostSam OrtizEmergencies, ReviewsTurnover, Guest messages
Virtual assistantInes WalkerGuest messages–
Cleaning leadAna RuizTurnover–
Maintenance vendorLeo Park, Brightfix RepairsRepairs–

Team channel: Team chat group "Tidewater Ops" · After-hours phone: 555-0142

1Turnover and cleaning

Owner
Cleaning lead · Ana Ruiz
Starts when
A guest checks out, or the calendar shows a same-day turnover
Review by
June 1, 2027every 3 months

Purpose. Every cottage is clean, stocked and checked before the next guest arrives.

Turnover window: 6 hr. The clean and check take 3 hr 30 min between the 10 a.m. checkout and the 4 p.m. check-in, leaving 2 hr 30 min spare.

Steps

  1. Check the day's turnovers in the team chat by 8 a.m.
  2. Knock, wait a minute, then let yourself in with your own code
  3. Photograph any damage or missing item before you clean around it
  4. Strip the beds and start the first wash before anything else
  5. Clean in the order on the room card, then restock from the supply closet list
  6. Take the six finish photos: beds, bathroom, kitchen, living room, thermostat, front door
  7. Lock up and post Ready with the photos in the team chat

Done when: Six finish photos are in the team chat and the home is marked Ready before check-in

Escalate to Co-host (Sam Ortiz) when: there is damage, something is missing, or the clean will run past check-in time

2Guest messages and check-in problems

Owner
Virtual assistant · Ines Walker
Starts when
A guest message arrives on any platform, or a guest says they can't get in
Review by
September 1, 2027every 6 months

Purpose. Guests get a quick, correct answer, and a check-in problem is solved before it costs a review.

Reply within 15 minutes (answering hours: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., every day). Arrival details go out at 4 p.m. the day before arrival, 24 hours before the 4 p.m. check-in.

Steps

  1. Answer every message within the reply target, even if the first answer only says you are on it
  2. Send arrival details at the set time: address, parking, door code and Wi-Fi
  3. If a guest can't get in, ask for a photo of the keypad screen
  4. Check the lock app: battery level, code dates and the last attempt
  5. Send the backup code, then the lockbox location if the code still fails
  6. Still outside after 15 minutes: call the co-host to go to the home
  7. Write what went wrong in the booking notes before you close the chat

Done when: The guest confirms they are inside, and the booking notes say what went wrong

Escalate to Co-host (Sam Ortiz) when: a guest is still outside after 15 minutes, asks for money back, or reports anything unsafe

3Repairs and spending limits

Owner
Maintenance vendor · Leo Park, Brightfix Repairs
Starts when
A cleaner, guest or inspection reports something broken
Review by
September 1, 2027every 6 months

Purpose. Repairs get done fast, inside limits everyone knows, with photos and a receipt for every job.

  • Up to $150Maintenance vendor (Leo Park, Brightfix Repairs) fixes it, then sends before and after photos with the receipt.
  • Over $150, up to $500Co-host (Sam Ortiz) approves the quote before work starts.
  • Over $500Host (Maya Collins) approves, after a second quote unless the job is urgent.

Urgent jobs (water, heat, power, locks, safety): on site within 4 hours. Make the home safe first; the bands apply to the repair after that.

Steps

  1. Log the request with a photo, the home and the room
  2. Mark it urgent if it involves water, heat, power, locks or safety
  3. Inside the first band, fix it and post before and after photos with the receipt
  4. In the middle band, send the quote to the co-host and wait for a yes
  5. Above the top limit, get a second quote and wait for the host's yes
  6. Book routine work between stays, and ask the guest before entering during one
  7. Close the request with the final cost and the after photo

Done when: The request is closed with the final cost, the receipt and an after photo

Escalate to Host (Maya Collins) when: a job will cost more than its quote, needs dates blocked, or can't be reached in time

4Emergencies

Owner
Co-host · Sam Ortiz
Starts when
Fire, smoke or carbon monoxide alarm, gas smell, flooding, injury, break-in or threat
Review by
September 1, 2027every 6 months

Purpose. Everyone knows the first moves when a person could get hurt or a home could be badly damaged.

Emergency services: 911 · After-hours phone: 555-0142
Shut-offs: Water under the kitchen sink; gas at the meter by the side gate; power at the breaker panel in the hall closet

Steps

  1. If anyone may be in danger, call the emergency number first; nobody needs permission
  2. Tell guests to leave the home if there is fire, smoke or a gas smell
  3. Call the after-hours phone with three facts: which home, what happened, who is there
  4. When it is safe, shut off water or power at the points listed above
  5. Block the calendar until the home has been checked
  6. Write down times, names and photos the same day

Done when: Everyone is safe, the home is secured and the host has a written timeline

Escalate to Host (Maya Collins) when: always, as soon as people are safe, at any hour

5Guest reviews

Owner
Co-host · Sam Ortiz
Starts when
A review is posted, or a guest complains during or after the stay
Review by
September 1, 2027every 6 months

Purpose. Every review gets a calm public reply, and every fair complaint becomes a fix.

Public reply within 3 days of the review appearing.

Steps

  1. Read the review twice and check it against the booking messages
  2. Reply in public within the target: thank the guest, answer the point, say what changed
  3. Leave names, refunds and blame out of the public reply
  4. Open a repair request the same day if something was broken or missing
  5. Share the review and the fix in the team chat, good or bad
  6. Never offer money or a discount in return for a changed review

Done when: The public reply is posted and any fix is logged as a repair request

Escalate to Host (Maya Collins) when: a review mentions safety, discrimination, a threat or a legal claim

Procedure register

#ProcedureOwnerStepsReview by
1Turnover and cleaningCleaning lead7Jun 1, 2027
2Guest messages and check-in problemsVirtual assistant7Sep 1, 2027
3Repairs and spending limitsMaintenance vendor7Sep 1, 2027
4EmergenciesCo-host6Sep 1, 2027
5Guest reviewsCo-host6Sep 1, 2027
Tidewater Cottages · SOP manual, version 2.1Made with the Mr. Props SOP builder

Your entries show highlighted. Step counts, the turnover window, spending bands and review dates are worked out from what you enter, never typed. A role tab keeps the procedures that role owns or escalates to, plus Emergencies, and the Word file downloads that copy.

Anatomy

Seven Parts That Make a Procedure Usable

A standard operating procedure only works if the person on site never has to guess. This property management SOP template gives every procedure the same seven parts in the same order, so everyone knows where to look.

Example procedure

Late checkout request

1

PurposeAllow a late checkout only when the next stay and the cleaner can take it.

2

Starts whenA guest asks to stay past checkout time.

3

OwnerVirtual assistant on shift.

4
Steps
  1. Check the calendar for a same-day arrival.
  2. Ask the cleaning lead whether the clean can start later.
  3. If both are clear, offer up to two extra hours and confirm it in the booking thread.
5

Done whenGuest, cleaner and booking notes show the same checkout time.

6

EscalationTo the co-host if the guest wants more than two hours or offers to pay.

7

ReviewEvery six months, or the day your checkout time changes.

Fictional example
  1. 1

    Purpose

    The result, in one sentence. If it takes two, write two procedures.

  2. 2

    Trigger

    An event someone can see: a checkout, a message, an alarm. "As needed" starts nothing.

  3. 3

    Owner

    One role, never "the team." Role first and name second, so it survives a new hire.

  4. 4

    Steps

    One action per line, each starting with a verb. Past ten steps, split it.

  5. 5

    Done when

    A check anyone can make remotely, like a photo in the chat.

  6. 6

    Escalation

    Condition, person and time limit: "Call the co-host if the guest is still outside after 15 minutes."

  7. 7

    Review date

    A date, plus the changes that force an earlier look.

Start here

Write the Procedures That Hurt Most When They Go Wrong

Every standard operating procedure costs an afternoon to write. Spend the first afternoons where mistakes are expensive: sort your recurring jobs by how often they happen and what one mistake costs.

Write next

Rare but costly

Emergencies, big repairs, a lost key

Nobody remembers steps they use twice a year, and that is when the stakes are highest.

Write first

Often and costly

Turnovers, guest messages, lock-outs, reviews

They happen every week, and one bad one stays on your listing as a review.

Leave out

Rare and cheap

A new doormat, a fresh guidebook photo

Handle these as they come up.

Checklist

Often but cheap

Restocking coffee, taking out the trash

One line each on the cleaner's checklist. No owner or escalation rule needed.

The builder's starter five come from the two top corners. Add access codes and supplies once those run smoothly.

Writing steps

Steps Someone Can Follow With Wet Hands and a Phone

Your cleaner reads a property management SOP on a phone, between two rooms, sometimes in a second language. Write every step for that moment.

BeforeClean the bathroom properly.

AfterClean the bathroom in the order on the room card, then photograph the shower and the sink.

Why: "properly" means something different to every cleaner. The photos prove the order was followed.

BeforeReport any issues.

AfterPost damage in the team chat with a photo before you clean around it.

Why: it names the channel and the order. That photo is your evidence in a damage claim.

BeforeCall maintenance if needed.

AfterIf there is water on the floor, close the valve under the kitchen sink, then call the after-hours phone.

Why: condition, first move, then the call, in the order they happen.

Start with a verbOne action per lineName the room or the appSay what done looks likeWrite decisions as if, then
Spending limits

Put a Number on Every Repair Decision

A repair often waits on one question: can I just fix this? Any property management SOP that touches money should answer it with a number. Two limits give you three bands.

Who can approve this repair?

The cost of the whole job. The bands use the example team's limits from the builder's Repairs group.

Repair cost$320
  • Up to $150Maintenance vendor fixes it
  • Over $150, up to $500Co-host approves first
  • Over $500Host approves, after a second quote
Who says yesCo-host

$320 falls in band 2 of 3. Sam Ortiz says yes before work starts.

Safety first, invoice later

No limit stops anyone shutting off water or calling the emergency number.

Photos on both sides

Ask for a before and an after photo in every band.

A second quote at the top

Above the top limit, get a second quote unless the job is urgent.

One job, one limit

Two $300 visits for one repair make a $600 job.

Log every job on the Maintenance Request Template, so cost, photos and approval sit on one record.

Escalation

Who Gets the Call, and How Fast

An escalation rule turns "I didn't know who to ask" into a phone call. Give each level a person, a trigger and a time limit.

  1. Level 1

    The person on the job

    Follows the steps. When one fails, they stop guessing and move up.

    Right away
  2. Level 2

    Co-host or VA on shift

    Takes over when the steps run out or a guest is upset.

    Within 15 minutes
  3. Level 3

    The host

    Decides on spending above the limits, refunds and blocked dates.

    Within the hour
SituationGoes toWithin (example)
Guest still outside after trying the backup codeCo-host, who drives over15 minutes
Water on the floor, or no heat in winterMaintenance vendor, marked urgent4 hours on site
A neighbor complains about noiseCo-host, who contacts the guest30 minutes
Roles

One Owner per Procedure, Even on a Team of Five

On a small team everyone helps with everything, and that's how jobs fall through. Give each procedure one owner. Here is how the example team splits the starter five.

HostCo-hostVACleaning leadMaintenance vendor
Turnover and cleaning–Steps inToldOwnsTold
Guest messages–Steps inOwns––
Repairs and spendingSteps inSteps inToldToldOwns
EmergenciesSteps inOwnsToldToldSteps in
Guest reviewsSteps inOwnsToldTold–
OwnsStarts it and answers for done-whenSteps inTakes over or approvesToldHears the outcome

The tabs above the builder turn this into one copy per role, and the Word download follows the tab you are on. If your bookings come from Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com, a PMS such as Mr Props brings the calendars and guest messages into one place, so your VA works from one inbox.

Contractors

Procedures for People You Don't Employ

Cleaners, co-hosts and repair people often work as independent contractors. A detailed standard operating procedure still helps them, but in the US, how closely you direct someone's work is part of how the IRS decides whether they are an employee.

What the IRS calls behavioral control

  • Instructions on when, where and how to work, down to the order of the steps, are signs of an employee.
  • Checking how the work was done points toward an employee. Checking only the result can fit either kind of worker.
  • Training someone in how you want the job done is strong evidence of an employee.

Source: IRS, Behavioral control. It is one of three categories the IRS weighs, with financial control and the type of relationship (Independent contractor or employee?).

This is not tax or legal advice, and rules outside the US differ. Before you hand a detailed manual to someone you pay as a contractor, ask an accountant or employment lawyer.

Rollout

From First Draft to the Way Things Are Done

A standard operating procedure nobody has tested is still a draft. Try each one with its owner before you sign it off.

  1. First run

    Do it together

    Run it on a real turnover with the owner beside you. Mark each step where they hesitate.

  2. Second run

    Swap seats

    They lead and you watch. Every question they ask points to a missing step.

  3. Same week

    Let them reword it

    They will read it every week; you wrote it once.

  4. Sign-off

    Date it and publish

    Set the version and dates, post the new copy and delete the old one.

Updates

Review Triggers Beat Review Dates

A property management SOP goes stale the day something on site changes, often long before its review date. Write both into the manual: a date, and the events that force an early look.

Review a procedure early when…

Check off the triggers you will use and list them on page one, with a line in a change log for every edit.

Examples

Three Teams, Three Manuals

Fictional teams at three sizes. Every count comes from the procedures each team switched on.

Example · Solo host

Pinecrest Cabins

One host, one cleaner, two cabins

Procedures
4
Steps
22
People
3
  • Turnover window4 hr, 1 hr spare
  • Fix without askingup to $100
  • Guest messages ownerHost
  • First reviewAug 15, 2027

Start with: turnovers and guest messages. With no co-host, a failed lock goes straight to the handyman.

Example · Host with a co-host and VA

Tidewater Cottages

Five people, four cottages

Procedures
5
Steps
33
People
5
  • Turnover window6 hr, 2 hr 30 min spare
  • Fix without askingup to $150
  • Guest messages ownerVirtual assistant
  • First reviewJun 1, 2027

Start with: spending limits. With three people able to call a vendor, a number stops small jobs from waiting.

Example · Small management team

Granite Peak Rentals

Twelve homes, a cleaning crew and a vendor

Procedures
7
Steps
44
People
5
  • Turnover window6 hr, 1 hr 30 min spare
  • Fix without askingup to $250
  • Guest messages ownerVirtual assistant
  • First reviewApr 10, 2027

Start with: role copies. Each cleaner gets turnovers, supplies and emergencies, not the whole manual.

Names, times and limits are invented. They are not recommended limits.

FAQ

Questions Before You Hand It to the Team

Is a standard operating procedure legally binding?

Treat it as a working document, not a contract. To hold a cleaner, vendor or co-host to it, refer to the manual in your agreement with them and ask a lawyer in your area how to word that.

Does it work for Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com?

Yes. The procedures describe your team's work, not the platform. Where a step depends on a platform, such as reviews, check that platform's host rules.

Can I customize it by property or by role?

By role, yes: the tabs make a copy for cleaners, the co-host and VA, or maintenance, and the Word file follows the tab. By property, keep one manual and note the differences in the steps, for example, "Heron: the water valve is in the garage."

Should I share it with cleaners, co-hosts and VAs?

Give each person their role's copy and ask them to confirm they read the current version. Keep door and alarm codes out of the file and write "see the lock app" instead.

How often should we update our procedures?

Every three months for busy ones such as turnovers, once or twice a year for the rest, and sooner after an incident or a new person in the role. Raise the version number each time.

Is a standard operating procedure the same as a checklist?

No. A checklist lists what to check. A procedure says who starts, when, in what order, what done looks like and who to call. One step of a procedure can be a checklist; for room-by-room condition checks, use the Property Inspection Template.

Is the SOP builder free?

Yes. Fill it in here, then download the manual or one role's copy as a Word file and the register as an Excel sheet. Replace the fictional example with your own.

Keep going

Templates the Procedures Point To

Operations · XLSX + DOCX

Property Inspection Template

The room-by-room check your turnover procedure can hand off to.

View template Operations · DOCX

Maintenance Request Template

One record per repair, with the cost and the approval your limits ask for.

View template Operations · XLSX + DOCX

Weekly Report Template

See each week whether the procedures held: turnovers, repairs and reviews.

View template Guest experience · DOCX

Guest Welcome Letter Template

What your messaging procedure sends guests before they arrive.

View template
Helvis Schmotex

Helvis Schmotex

Founder, Mr. Props · Short-term rental investor

Helvis has spent the better part of a decade buying and selling real estate, and now focuses on scaling his short-term rental portfolio. He joined forces with the property OG himself, Mr Props, to share what's actually working — the systems, numbers, and hard lessons — so other hosts can grow faster and with fewer headaches.

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