Vacation rental inspection checklist

The short check after the clean and before the guest: does the home look, smell and work the way the listing promises? Free to print or download.

Download the checklist (CSV)

How to inspect a turnover

  • Walk in the way a guest does, through the front door, and note your first impression.
  • Spot-check where cleans usually slip: under beds, shower drains, high surfaces, inside the microwave.
  • Test what guests use on arrival: the lock, heat or AC, hot water, Wi-Fi and the TV.
  • Mark each item pass or fail. Fix failures now, or report them with photos.
  • Record who inspected, when, and whether the home is ready.

The checklist

1. First impression

2. Cleanliness spot checks

3. Beds and linens

4. Safety

5. Systems and amenities

6. Supplies

7. Outdoor

8. Sign-off

Download or print

No sign-up. The CSV has one row per check, with a pass or fail column, initials and notes. Pair it with the full cleaning checklist your cleaners work from.

Download the checklist (CSV)
Free vacation rental cleaning checklist

Inspections in VacayOps

In VacayOps, departure inspections and recurring property inspections schedule themselves nightly. Build this checklist as a custom inspection form — or upload the printed copy, or your county’s own inspection PDF, and the AI rebuilds it with Pass/Fail/N/A dropdowns and photo evidence. Attach it to the task, and the completed form exports with its photos to PDF. A failed item can create the maintenance task on its own.

Inspection forms in VacayOpsBook a 30-minute walkthrough

Questions about inspections

When should a vacation rental be inspected?
After the clean and before the next guest arrives — every turnover if you can, and at least for same-day turnovers, new cleaners and homes with recent complaints. A fuller inspection of the property’s condition on a regular schedule catches wear before guests do.
Who should do the inspection?
Someone other than the person who cleaned, where possible: a lead housekeeper, a field manager or an inspector. A second pair of eyes finds what the cleaner stopped seeing.
What happens when an item fails?
Fix it on the spot if you can. If not, report it with photos as a task for the cleaner or maintenance, and decide whether the home can still be released to the guest.
Is this the same as a cleaning checklist?
No. The cleaning checklist lists everything the cleaner does. The inspection checklist is a shorter set of spot checks that the result meets your standard and that the home is safe and working.