These four settings decide your cash flow and part of your cancellations. Set them once under Conditions.
The deposit
The default is 40 % at booking. Too low attracts bookings that cancel; too high makes people hesitate. The further away the stay, the lower the deposit can be. Under a month, ask for the full amount.
The balance
Claimed automatically a number of days before arrival — 30 by default. Do not go below 14: an unpaid balance then leaves you no time to re-let.
The security deposit
A card hold reassures the owner and worries the guest; an uncashed cheque does the opposite. The amount matters less than how it is announced: explained in one sentence at booking, it passes; discovered on arrival, it ruins the evening.
Your website places the card hold for you: enter the amount in Conditions. The guest sees it before booking, and the deposit's card is kept. The amount is authorised, not charged, 2 days before arrival, then released 2 days after departure. If you find damage, you keep all or part of it from the booking page, with a written reason the guest receives. If the bank refuses the hold, you are told by e-mail. A card authorisation only lasts 7 days: for a stay of more than 5 nights it is made 5 days before departure, and the first days are not covered.
Cancellation terms
Keep them simple and stand by them. They are displayed before payment, which is what protects you in a dispute.