Smoobu: how to see unpaid deposits and chase them automatically

Guide for Smoobu hosts · approx. 3 min read · Auf Deutsch lesen

The deposit is your most important safeguard against no-shows and last-minute cancellations — but only if it actually arrives. In practice it slips through easily: the booking comes in, the confirmation goes out, everyday life takes over. Three weeks later you glance at the booking and notice that money never came — and now the reminder is awkward, for both sides.

Where do you see unpaid deposits in Smoobu?

Smoobu stores, per booking, whether the deposit is paid — as a checkbox inside the individual booking. There is no list of "all unpaid deposits, sorted by overdue". With a handful of bookings a month you remember; with 100+ bookings a year across several apartments, everyone loses track. So the problem isn't negligence — it's a lack of overview.

What payment deadline makes sense?

• Payment window of 7–14 days after booking — long enough for holidaymakers, short enough not to reserve the property "for free" for weeks.
• Reminder after the deadline plus a few days of grace — with a 14-day window, that's around day 14–18. Earlier feels pushy, later feels forgotten.
• Once kindly, then personally: The first reminder can be automatic. If the guest doesn't respond, a personal call or an individual email is the better second step — not a dunning cascade.

The process that works without discipline

1. One list instead of a hundred bookings: All unpaid deposits in one place, sorted by "open for X days" — with anything over 14 days old at the top.
2. Automatic first reminder: After your deadline, your template goes to the guest once (never repeatedly!) — via the Smoobu messaging feature, so everything is documented in the booking history.
3. The rest stays manual — deliberately: Whatever remains open after the reminder belongs in your hands: call, set deadlines or cancel.