Airbnb luggage storage needs a clear plan for both drop-off and collection. A guest may want to explore London between checkout and an evening train, but accepting their bags creates another handover to organise alongside cleaning and the next arrival.
For hosts, the useful question is whether you can receive, keep and return those particular bags at the requested times. This guide helps you make that decision and communicate it. If the guest wants to use the flat earlier, follow our separate early check-in checklist.
Can guests leave luggage at an Airbnb after checkout?
They should ask first. Airbnb's ground rules for home guests require prior host approval for belongings left at the listing after checkout for storage or later collection. Approval for a bag handover should specify what has been agreed, including the collection time and any access arrangements.
Before arrival, clarify whether a guest wants storage only or an earlier start to the stay. Someone hoping to shower or work in the flat needs a different arrangement from someone leaving two suitcases with a named person.
1. Get the details before saying yes
Ask for the number and approximate size of bags, the requested drop-off time and the collection time. Use London local time and include the date, especially if the guest is travelling overnight.
Check whether the person dropping off will also collect. A vague request to leave “some luggage for a few hours” gives you too little information to schedule a reliable handover. Confirm a contact route in case their plans change.
- Which reservation does the request relate to?
- How many bags, and will they fit in the proposed space?
- Who will receive them, and who will return them?
- What are the agreed drop-off and collection windows?
- Does either handover clash with cleaning, maintenance or another guest?
2. Check the space and the people
Choose a suitable private area where the bags can remain together without blocking doors or the route through the home. Do not plan around a shared landing, communal corridor or a space belonging to another resident. For a London flat, verify any building arrangements with the person responsible before offering them to a guest.
A concierge desk is only an option if the building has agreed to receive and return those bags. Confirm the relevant staff hours and collection process. Similarly, ask the cleaner before assigning a handover; their scheduled turnover visit does not establish that they can wait for a delayed guest.
Think through collection as carefully as drop-off. If the next guest will have checked in, returning to the occupied flat is unlikely to be a practical collection plan. Agree a separate arrangement or decline the request before accepting the bags.
Our cleaning and turnover guide explains the preparation work that needs protecting between reservations.
3. Confirm the handover in writing
Give the guest one clear confirmation in the booking message thread. Include where to meet, the two time windows, the receiving person's role and how to contact you. Explain whether the arrangement includes any access to the flat. If a code or key is needed, check its permitted access period against the agreed plan.
Keep the operating record simple: reservation reference, bag count, storage location, receiving person, collection deadline and current status. Mark bags as received only after the handover happens. Use a discreet identifier rather than displaying a guest's full contact details on a luggage tag.
For collection, agree how the receiving person will recognise the guest or an authorised collector. Check the count together and close the task once all bags have been returned. This avoids a handover remaining open simply because a message said the guest was on the way.
4. Offer a checked alternative when storage will not work
Airbnb's luggage storage guidance describes a Bounce option in Trips after booking, where it is available. Guests follow the link to choose a location, times and bag count, then complete the booking with Bounce. Availability varies by destination; guests should check their own trip rather than assume the option will appear.
If suggesting a nearby service, verify its exact address, current opening hours, booking requirements and suitability for the guest's bags. In London, a location near the flat may be less useful than one on the guest's route to a station. Ask them to check the journey and leave enough time to collect before onward travel.
Let the guest confirm the provider's current price and terms before booking. Avoid promising that an unbooked location will accept their luggage or that a referral includes storage at your property. You do not need to maintain a long list of providers; one or two checked options are easier to keep useful.
Example messages to adapt
Replace all bracketed details before sending. These examples are not a statement that every StayinLondon property offers storage.
While checking: “Please send the number and approximate size of your bags, plus your preferred drop-off and collection times in London local time. I’ll check the arrangements and reply by [time]. Storage is only confirmed once we have agreed the details.”
When confirmed: “We can receive [number] bags at [agreed place] between [times] on [date]. [Person or role] will receive them. Please collect between [times] using [agreed procedure]. This arrangement is for luggage only; the property's check-in and checkout times remain [times]. Please message us if your plans change.”
When unavailable: “We’re unable to store bags for this reservation. You can check whether luggage storage is available in your Airbnb Trips, or use a local provider after confirming its location, hours and booking terms. Please take all belongings when you check out at [time].”
What if collection is late or bags are left without agreement?
Contact the guest promptly, establish their revised plan and tell the person responsible for the bags. Assess whether the proposed collection still works with staff availability and the next reservation. Confirm any change in the message thread; do not leave a cleaner or concierge waiting without an agreed update.
If bags have been left without permission, record what was found and contact the guest to arrange collection. Keep the situation separate from permission to continue using the home. If you cannot agree a workable solution, ask Airbnb support for help with the reservation rather than improvising a penalty or disposing of belongings.
Record the outcome and adjust future wording if the same misunderstanding recurs. Keep your house rules, welcome information and departure messages consistent about whether storage requires confirmation.
Make storage part of the guest handover plan
A useful storage arrangement has a named receiver, a suitable place and a workable collection plan. When any of those is missing, a clear decline with a checked alternative helps the guest make other plans.
StayinLondon's Airbnb management service in London coordinates guest communication, housekeeping and day-to-day property operations. Request a property management assessment to discuss the arrangements your home needs.
Airbnb guidance checked on 16 October 2026. Confirm current provider details for each referral.
