Most campsite owners put plenty of thought into arrivals and very little into departures. Yet a good campsite check out procedure is where you protect your pitches, settle the bill, and decide whether a guest leaves happy enough to come back.

Without one, you get the usual mess. Guests drift off at all hours, the next arrivals turn up to a pitch that has not been checked, and a missing electric reading means a dispute you cannot win. This guide covers how to set up a simple check out routine that works for a CL, a CS or a larger park.

Why check out deserves its own procedure

Check out is the last thing a guest remembers. It is also the moment you have the best chance to spot damage, collect what is owed and ask for a review.

Set a clear check out time and say it everywhere

Most UK sites use between 10am and noon. Pick a time that gives you room to clean toilets and reset pitches before the afternoon arrivals, then repeat it so nobody can say they did not know.

If you want to offer a late check out, treat it as an extra with a price rather than a favour. A £10 or £15 late departure fee covers your time and stops it becoming an expectation. See our guide on turnaround days for how to plan the gap between guests.

Build a simple check out checklist

You do not need a form with twenty boxes. A short list that you or your team can run through in two minutes is far more likely to be used.

The pitch walk

The facilities check

If you provide a hook up, record the electric reading where you charge by the unit. Take a photo with your phone and attach it to the booking. It takes ten seconds and settles most disputes before they start.

The goodbye

Say thank you. Mention the next time of year you are open. If it fits, ask for a review. Guests are most willing in the five minutes after a good stay.

Handle payments and the final bill

The cleanest way to avoid awkward conversations at the gate is to have almost everything paid before the guest leaves. Take the full balance in advance wherever you can. Then check out is mostly a wave goodbye.

For extras such as electric, firewood or late departure, settle them on the day. Taking a card payment on a phone or tablet is far quicker than writing a figure on paper and chasing it later. If you work somewhere with poor signal, our piece on taking card payments without signal explains your options.

Whatever you charge, give the guest a receipt. A simple emailed receipt or invoice keeps your records tidy for the accountant and for HMRC.

What to do about self check out and early leavers

Plenty of guests leave before you are up. That is fine if you plan for it.

On small sites with one person doing everything, a quick text or email saying "thanks for staying, safe travels" is a nice touch that costs nothing.

Deal with overstayers and late departures calmly

It will happen. A van will not start, or a family will lose track of time. Stay polite and stay firm.

  1. Knock or call gently. Ask when they expect to leave.
  2. Remind them of the next arrival, and the check out time in your terms.
  3. Offer a late departure for a fee if you can fit it in.
  4. If it is genuinely a problem, put it in writing and follow your overstay policy.

We cover this in more detail in our guide to dealing with overstaying guests.

Make check out faster with the right tools

A paper diary makes departures harder than they need to be. You flip pages to see who is leaving, cross things out, and lose track of what has been paid. With digital bookings you see the day's departures at a glance, tick them off, and record the electric reading against the right guest.

CampSuite lets you mark guests as checked out from your phone, flag a pitch as needing attention, and see which pitches are ready for the next arrival. The check in and check out tools are built for exactly this, and the task list helps you hand cleaning jobs to your team.

Train your team and keep it consistent

A procedure only works if everyone follows it. If you employ seasonal staff, or a family member helps at weekends, walk them through the checklist once in person. Then pin a copy where they will see it.

On a CL or CS site where it is just you, the same idea applies. Write the steps down once so you are not relying on memory when five vans leave at the same time. Our guide to seasonal staffing has more on getting new helpers up to speed.

The key takeaway

A good check out procedure is short, consistent and written down. Set a clear time, take payment early, walk the pitch, photograph anything that matters and say a proper goodbye. Do that every time and you will have fewer disputes, cleaner pitches and more guests who come back.

If you would like departures, payments and pitch status in one place, try CampSuite free. It is free for CL sites and CS sites, and you can see the plans for larger parks.