Some homes on Flatio can be booked right away, without waiting for the host's decision. Here's how instant booking works, what you pay, and when.
What is instant booking and how does it work?
The article was updated on 22. 9. 2026.
Some homes on Flatio can be booked instantly. Instead of sending a booking request and waiting for the host to decide, you pay the first rent and the service fee, and your booking is confirmed right away.
How do I know a home can be booked instantly?
Listings with instant booking show an Instant booking label with a lightning icon – both in the search results and on the listing page, above the booking box. Homes without this label use the regular booking request, where the host has 24 hours to respond.
How does instant booking work?
- Fill in your booking details. Tell us who is moving in and check the dates of your stay.
- Pay the first rent and the service fee. You can pay by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay.
- Sign the rental agreement. As soon as your payment arrives, the home is reserved for you. The last step is to sign the agreement online and verify your identity.
The host doesn't accept or reject an instant booking – it is confirmed automatically once you pay.
What do I pay, and when?
Before your booking is confirmed, you pay the first rent and the service fee. There is no extra charge for paying online.
If the host asks for a refundable deposit, you pay it on your move-in day – not now. The rest of the rent follows the payment schedule in your agreement.
Your money stays with Flatio until you move in. The host receives the first rent after your move-in day, as with every Flatio booking.
What happens after I pay?
You get a confirmation email with your booking details and a link to the rental agreement. The host is notified that the booking is confirmed and already paid.
You then have 24 hours to sign the agreement online and verify your identity. If you don't finish in time, the host has the right to cancel the booking. In that case we return your payment in full, and you don't need to do anything – we handle the refund for you. You can read more about the signing deadline in this article.
Can I cancel an instant booking?
Yes. The same rules apply as to any other booking on Flatio.
- If you cancel within 48 hours of your rental agreement becoming valid, you get your first payment back in full.
- After those 48 hours, the refund follows the cancelation policy of the listing. The service fee is always refundable.
To cancel, contact our support team and we'll prepare the termination for you. We send the refund back to the card you paid with, in the same currency and the same amount you were charged – see this article for what your own bank may charge.
What if instant booking is no longer available?
Instant booking can be turned off or paused by the host while you are booking – for example when their listing details are incomplete, or when someone books the same dates first. If that happens, we'll let you know and you can still send a regular booking request. The host then has 24 hours to respond, and you pay only after they accept.
