Edinburgh apartment check-inYour guest guide: check-in, house rules and your stay.
Edinburgh apartment check-in, house rules and everything in between. This guide covers staying in an Edinburgh short let with us, from verifying your ID to checking out, so you know what happens and who to call.
Edinburgh apartment check-in: before you arrive
Edinburgh apartment check-in with us is simple, and most of it happens before you set off. Here's the order things happen in, so nothing catches you out on the day.
1. Verify your ID
Every guest verifies their identity before getting an access code. It's quick, and the same for everyone. It protects you, the home and the neighbours on the stair. If you get stuck, message us and we'll help you through it. Until it's done, we can't send the code, so do it as soon as you're asked.
2. Read your arrival details
Before you arrive, you'll get your check-in details and a house guide for your home. The arrival details cover how to find the building, which door is yours and how to get in. The house guide covers the home itself: heating, hot water, wifi, bins and local tips from our team. Keep them handy on your phone. Edinburgh addresses can be confusing, with flats numbered by stair and floor, and main doors tucked into closes and lanes.
3. Get your access code
Once your ID is verified, we send your access code with the arrival details. Homes use a lockbox or a smart lock. Keep the code to yourself and the people staying with you, and don't post it anywhere.
Tell us your plans
It helps to let us know roughly when you'll arrive and how many of you are coming. The number of guests must match the booking: the licence for each home sets the most people allowed, and listings show that number. If you're travelling in from the airport, our getting to and around Edinburgh guide compares the tram and the Airlink bus. If you're still choosing a home, see all our homes or read where to stay in Edinburgh first.
Your listing shows the check-in and check-out times for your home. If you'd like to arrive earlier, see the section on early check-in below.
Edinburgh apartment check-in on the day: self check-in
Self check-in means you don't need to meet anyone or agree a time. You arrive, use your code, and you're in. Late flights, delayed trains and 5am starts are all fine within your check-in time.
On the day
- Follow the arrival details to the building. Many of our homes are in tenements, so you may have a main stair door first and then the flat door.
- Use your code on the lockbox or smart lock, exactly as the instructions say.
- If there's a key, put it somewhere safe as soon as you're in and use it for the rest of the stay.
- Have a quick look round. If anything isn't right, such as a missing towel or something that doesn't work, message us early so we can sort it.
If the code doesn't work
Check you're at the right door and that you've entered the code exactly as sent. Lockboxes can be stiff in cold weather. If you still can't get in, call us. A lockout is an emergency, and our emergency line is open 24/7 during your stay.
Luggage and parking
Edinburgh stairs are often steep and narrow, and many tenement flats have no lift. If you're travelling with heavy cases, a pram or someone who finds stairs hard, ask us before you book and we'll tell you honestly which floor the home is on. Parking in the centre is controlled, and many homes don't have a space. Ask before you bring a car. Our getting around guide covers public transport, which is usually easier.
Arriving with children? Our Edinburgh with kids guide has ideas for the first afternoon.
Staying in an Edinburgh short let: tenement stairs and quiet hours
Staying in an Edinburgh short let often means living on a shared stair for a few nights. Your neighbours are people who live and work here. Some work early shifts, and the stone stairwells carry sound further than you'd expect.
Quiet hours from 10pm
Our house rules include quiet hours from 10pm. In practice that means:
- Coming in and going out quietly: no chatting on the stair and no letting the main door bang.
- Keeping music and voices low inside the flat, especially with windows open in summer.
- Taking celebrations out to a bar or restaurant rather than back to the flat.
The rules don't change in August or at New Year. If you'll be coming back late from a show, our Fringe visitor's guide and Hogmanay guide have tips for getting home calmly.
The other house rules
- No parties. Our homes aren't for parties or events.
- The guest limit. Each home's licence sets the most people allowed, and the listing shows that number. Only guests on the booking stay.
- Respect for the stair. Don't leave bags, bikes or rubbish on the landing. Shared stairs are escape routes as well as hallways.
- Smoking. Your house guide sets out the rules for your home.
You agree to the house rules when you book, and they apply from the moment you open the door.
Noise sensors
Our homes have a noise sensor. It measures sound levels so we can spot a problem early. It doesn't record what anyone says. If it picks up sustained noise late at night, we'll get in touch.
Neighbours can contact us directly too. Our page for neighbours explains how. It's part of how we keep short lets welcome on Edinburgh's stairs. Every home we let is licensed, and the licence conditions include looking after neighbours.
Bins, recycling, heating and hot water
Two everyday things work a little differently in Edinburgh homes: bins and heating. Your house guide has the details for your home. Here's the general picture.
Bins and recycling
Many Edinburgh flats, especially in the centre, use communal bins on the street rather than a bin of their own. They're usually large on-street containers shared by the whole street, often with separate ones for recycling, glass and general waste. Some homes have a food waste caddy.
- Your house guide tells you where the nearest bins are and which ones to use.
- Bag general waste and tie it before you take it out.
- Keep glass separate if there's a glass bin, and try not to empty bottles into it late at night. The noise carries.
- Never leave rubbish on the stair, the landing or beside a full bin. Gulls and foxes will find it.
If the nearest bin is full, the next one along is usually a short walk away.
Heating
Many of our homes are in stone tenements or Georgian buildings with high ceilings and thick walls. They hold heat well once warm, but they can take a while to get there after a cold spell. A few tips:
- Turn the heating on when you arrive if it's cold, and give it an hour or two.
- Close curtains and shutters in the evening. Old sash windows let the warmth out.
- Use the thermostat or the radiator valves as your house guide explains, rather than opening windows to cool down a room.
Hot water
Some homes have a combination boiler that heats water when you turn on a tap. Others have a hot water tank, which can run out if several people shower one after another. If yours has a tank, space out showers and the house guide will explain how to heat more.
If the heating or hot water stops working, message us. No heating in cold weather counts as urgent, and our emergency line is open 24/7. Planning around the weather? Our best time to visit guide and rainy-day guide help.
Wifi, TV and your house guide
Every home has its own setup, so we won't guess at yours here. Your house guide has the details: the wifi network name and password, how the TV works and anything else particular to the home.
Wifi
The wifi details are in your house guide. Thick stone walls can weaken the signal between rooms, so if it's patchy, try working nearer the router. If it stops working altogether, try switching the router off for a minute and back on. If that doesn't fix it, message us between 9am and midnight and we'll look into it.
Need fast wifi for work or video calls? Tell us before you book. Our pages for visiting professionals and company stays cover what to ask for.
TV
Your house guide explains the TV in your home. If you sign in to your own streaming accounts, remember to sign out before you leave.
The house guide also covers anything with a trick to it, like the oven or the shower. If something isn't clear, ask us rather than guessing.
Local tips
The house guide also has local tips from our team: the nearest shops, a good walk, how to get to the station. For more, our Edinburgh visitor guides cover the whole city, from food and drink to day trips. Staying on the coast? See our North Berwick stays for that side of things.
Early check-in and late check-out
Sometimes you'll want a little more time: an early flight in, a late train home, or a lazy last morning. Early check-in and late check-out are possible when the calendar allows.
How it works
- Request early check-in or late check-out in the app, up to 24 hours before.
- We check whether it fits. It depends on whether guests are leaving that morning or arriving that afternoon, and on the cleaning in between.
- It's confirmed once it's accepted and paid. Until then, plan around your normal check-in and check-out times.
Why we can't always say yes
Every home is cleaned and checked after each stay. When one guest leaves in the morning and another arrives in the afternoon, the time in between is the cleaning team's. On busy dates, such as August, rugby weekends and New Year, there's often no room either side. In quieter months there's usually more flexibility. That's why we confirm a request only when it's accepted, rather than promising it at booking.
If you can't get the extra time
- Arriving early: plan a first stop. A museum, a café or a walk fills a morning nicely. Our rainy-day guide has ideas that work with bags.
- Leaving late: if you have a late flight, use the last morning for something near the airport tram line. Our getting around guide covers the route.
For a longer stay with a gentler pace, see our best time to visit Edinburgh guide. Quieter months tend to give you more room either side of a booking.
If something goes wrong during your stay
Most stays go smoothly. When something doesn't, tell us, and we'll deal with it.
How to reach us
- Messages, 9am to midnight, every day. For questions and non-urgent problems: a dripping tap, a missing pillow, the wifi password.
- Emergency line, 24/7 during your stay. Call +44 (0)131 560 6614 for anything urgent, such as a lockout, no heating in cold weather, a leak or a lock that won't close.
Your arrival details and house guide have the ways to contact us. You can also find them on our contact page.
In a real emergency
If there's a fire, a medical emergency or someone is in danger, call 999 first, then let us know. If you smell gas, leave the flat, don't use switches or flames, and call the national gas emergency number, 0800 111 999. Then call us.
Something broken or damaged
Accidents happen. If something breaks, tell us rather than leaving it for the cleaner to find. Damage is handled through the booking platform's protection and any damage hold, and being upfront always helps.
If the home isn't what you expected, message us on the day you arrive, with a photo if it helps. We'd much rather fix it during your stay than read about it afterwards.
Neighbours who have a problem with a stay have their own route to us, explained on our neighbours page.
The Edinburgh Visitor Levy
Since 24 July 2026, stays in the City of Edinburgh carry a Visitor Levy. It's a council charge on overnight stays, and it applies to hotels, guest houses and short lets alike.
How much it is
- 5% of the accommodation price, before VAT.
- For the first five nights of each stay. Nights six onwards don't carry it.
- For stays starting on or after 24 July 2026.
- In the City of Edinburgh only. It doesn't apply in East Lothian, so not in Musselburgh or North Berwick.
What it looks like on your booking
The levy is added to the accommodation price, so it's part of what you pay for your booking. It's worked out on the accommodation charge, not on separate extras. The money goes to the council; it isn't extra income for us or the owner.
A worked example: three nights at £200 a night is £600 of accommodation, so the levy is £30. Ten nights at £200 is £2,000, but only the first five nights are charged, so the levy is £50. These are illustrations, not prices for our homes.
Exemptions and refunds
Some guests are exempt, such as disabled guests who receive certain benefits, and their carers. They usually pay at booking and then claim a refund. If a booking is cancelled and refunded, the levy is refunded too.
Our Visitor Levy page has more detail. The council's own guidance is always the final word. If you're thinking about a longer stay, our pages for visiting professionals and contractors cover stays of several weeks.
Checking out, leaving a review and lost property
Checking out is as simple as checking in. Your house guide has the steps for your home. In general:
Before you leave
- Leave by the check-out time on your listing, unless a late check-out has been accepted and paid.
- Take your rubbish to the bins, following the house guide.
- Turn off lights, the oven and the TV, and close the windows.
- Lock up and return any key exactly as the instructions say.
- Leave quietly, for the neighbours' sake.
The cleaning team then cleans and checks the home before the next guests arrive.
Leaving a review
Reviews matter to us, and we read every one. If something could have been better, we'd like to know, and we answer reviews. If you enjoyed your stay, a few words about what you liked helps the next guest choose. You can read what others have said on our reviews page, which collects guest reviews from Airbnb, Booking.com and Google.
Lost property
Left something behind? Message us as soon as you notice. Tell us what it is and where you last had it. If it turns up, we'll agree with you how to get it back. The sooner you tell us, the easier it is, because the home may be cleaned and ready for new guests within hours.
Coming back
Planning another trip? Our Edinburgh visitor guides are a good place to start, and you can see all our homes or browse stays in Edinburgh.
By the Stays In team, Edinburgh. Checked 1 October 2026: times, prices and programmes change, so check before you go.
