Skip to main content

Check-in / out

Use Check-in / out to build the checklists your tenants work through in the tenant portal before they move in and before they move out. A checklist can include signing the contract, settling move-in payments, accepting the room inventory, stating an arrival time and confirming your house rules. Your team follows each tenant's progress on the booking and records when they actually arrived and left.

Where to find it: Settings → Check-in / out (System group), or https://platform.vivin.app/settings/check-in-out. The tab only appears after the process is turned on in Global Settings. Editing the steps needs the Operations: Module permission, and saving the process settings and windows needs the Preferences permission of Account Settings. By default, Super Admin and Admin have both.

Turn the process on​

The process is off by default.

  1. Open Settings → Global Settings.
  2. On the Check-in / Check-out card, click the pencil.
  3. Turn on Enable check-in / check-out process and click Save.

Turning it on adds:

  • this Check-in / out tab in Settings
  • a Check-in/out page in the tenant portal, plus a reminder on the tenant's Home when steps are waiting
  • a Check-in / Check-out tab on each booking, for users with the Operations module permission
  • a Process column on Operations → Check-in/out
  • the Check-in tasks not finished trigger for communication rules

Your account already comes with a starter checklist (see Default steps), so the process works before you change anything.

Process settings​

This card sits at the top of the tab and applies to both checklists. Click the pencil, change the settings, then click Save.

SettingWhat it does
Record arrival and departureOn by default. Adds Record arrival and Record departure (with Undo arrival and Undo departure) to the booking's Check-in / Check-out tab. A tenant whose arrival is recorded, but not their departure, shows as In house in the Bookings list, which also gets a Currently in house filter.
Ask for photosThe room inventory step asks the tenant for photos of the room as they found it.
Photos requiredThe tenant cannot accept the inventory without adding at least one photo. You can only turn this on while Ask for photos is on.

Check-in steps and Check-out steps​

Below the process settings are two cards, side by side on a wide screen. Check-in steps holds what the tenant completes before moving in, and Check-out steps holds what they complete before moving out. Each card shows:

  • its window
  • the numbered steps, in the order the tenant sees them
  • a Required or Hidden badge where it applies
  • a paperclip line on steps that have attachments

Default steps​

Every step in the starter checklist is required and visible. You can rename, reorder, hide or remove any of them.

  • Check-in steps: Sign your contract (Contract) · Settle your move-in payments (Payments) · Accept the room inventory (Room inventory) · Book your arrival time (Arrival / departure time)
  • Check-out steps: Accept the check-out inventory (Room inventory) · Book your departure time (Arrival / departure time)

Step types​

Step typeChecklistsWhat the tenant doesWhen it counts as done
ContractCheck-inOpens the contract from the step (Open my contract) and signs itAutomatically, once the contract is signed
PaymentsCheck-inOpens their payments from the step (Open my payments)Automatically, once the move-in payments are settled
Room inventoryBothChecks the room item by item, uses Report an issue for anything wrong, then clicks Accept inventoryWhen the inventory is submitted. Shows as Not applicable while the Inventory module is off or when the unit has nothing to inventory
Arrival / departure timeBothAnswers "What time will you arrive?" or "What time will you leave?" and clicks Save timeWhen the time is saved. The time is also written to the booking's Check-in time or Check-out time
AcknowledgmentBothReads your text and clicks I have read and acceptWhen the tenant accepts

Each type can appear once per checklist, except Acknowledgment. The Step type picker stops offering a type once the list has it. You can add as many acknowledgments as you need, for example house rules, key collection or rubbish sorting.

Edit a checklist​

  1. Click the pencil on Check-in steps or Check-out steps to open the editor. Only one of the two steps cards can be edited at a time.
  2. Set Check-in window (days) or Check-out window (days). This is how many days before the check-in (or check-out) date the tenant starts to see the steps. The default is 7, and you can enter 0 to 365.
  3. To add a step, choose a Step type and click Add step. Fill in Step title (required) and, if you like, Step description. For an Acknowledgment, also write the Text the tenant confirms.
  4. For each step, set:
    • Visible: turn it off to hide the step from tenants without deleting it or their answers.
    • Required: tenants see the step marked as required. Only required steps count toward the progress your team sees, the reminder email and the warning when the arrival or departure is recorded.
  5. Reorder steps with the Move up and Move down arrows. To delete one, use the trash icon (Remove step).
  6. Click Save.

If you added a step and left it completely blank, it is dropped when you save. Every other step needs a title. If you remove a step that some tenants have already answered, VIVIN keeps it marked Hidden, so their answers stay on record. Tenants no longer see it.

Attach files to a step​

In the editor, every saved step has an Attachments area. Click Add files to add up to 10 files per step. Tenants see them inside the step under Files for this step. Use them for a video showing how to find the entrance, a PDF of the house rules or a photo of the key box.

  • You can attach images, videos (MP4, WebM, MOV), PDFs, Word, Excel and PowerPoint files, TXT and CSV.
  • Attachments are saved as soon as you add or remove them, so Cancel does not undo them. Before a file is removed, you're asked to confirm on the file itself.
  • You can only attach files to a saved step. Save the new step first, then edit the card again.

What tenants and your team see​

  • Tenant portal: the Check-in/out page has a Check-in section and a Check-out section, each with a progress count. Each section appears once its window opens. While neither is open, the tenant sees "Nothing to do just yet". Once the arrival is recorded, the check-in section stays open whatever the date. See Tenant portal.
  • Booking → Check-in / Check-out tab: every step shows Pending, Done or Not applicable. Your team can click Mark done to complete a step on the tenant's behalf (with an optional note), or Reopen a step the team marked done. They can also record the actual moment with Record arrival and Record departure. If required steps are still open, a Required steps still open dialog lets them Record anyway and leave a note. See Bookings.
  • Operations → Check-in/out: for each arrival and departure, the Process column counts the required steps done (for example 2/4) and adds a tick once the arrival or departure is recorded. Hover over it to see All steps done, Steps in progress or Not started. When no step applies, it shows Recorded once the moment is recorded.

Remind tenants who have not finished​

To chase unfinished check-in checklists, go to Settings → Emails → Communication Rules, click New Rule and choose the trigger Check-in tasks not finished. Time it before, after or on the check-in date.

The reminder only goes to tenants who still have a required, visible check-in step that they can complete themselves: an Acknowledgment, the arrival time, or a room inventory not yet submitted. Contract and Payments steps are left out. The message is not sent once the tenant finishes, the arrival is recorded or the booking is cancelled.

Tips​

  • Room inventory steps need the Inventory module. While Enable room inventory is off in Global Settings, these steps are skipped for every tenant, and the editor warns you.
  • The room inventory opens on the day itself. The tenant can see the checklist days ahead, but the inventory can only be accepted from the check-in (or check-out) date.
  • Arrival times count for the late check-in fee. If you charge a Late check-in fee (see Payments), the arrival time a tenant saves is checked against that rule. This can add the fee to the booking, or remove it.
  • Hide a step rather than delete it if you only want to pause it. Turning off Visible keeps the step and its answers.
  • Can't find the pencil on a card? The other steps card is still open for editing. Save or cancel it first.