Every campsite owner knows the knock on the van door at 9am. A guest has arrived five hours early and wants to pitch up now. Or it is 11.45 on Sunday and someone asks if they can "just have another hour or two". A clear campsite early check-in and late check-out policy turns those awkward moments into a simple, friendly answer, and it can even earn you a bit of extra money.

Here is how I would set one up, whether you run a five van CL, a CS site or a larger touring park.

Why you need a written check-in and check-out policy

Your published times, say 2pm in and 11am out, are not just a preference. They are the gap you need to clean toilets, empty bins, check the hook-ups and get the pitch ready for the next guests. Squeeze that gap and everything else slips.

Without a policy, a few things happen:

A written rule means you stop making it up on the spot. You just point to the policy and smile.

Set sensible standard times first

Before you think about exceptions, get your standard times right. Look at your real turnaround, not an ideal one. If you do all the changeover work yourself and have a lot of pitches, you may need a longer window than a site with two pitches and a spare hour.

As a guide:

Whatever you pick, put it everywhere. Your website, your booking page and every confirmation message should show the same times. If you want some ideas on managing changeover day itself, have a look at my guide to the campsite turnaround day.

How to handle early check-in requests

Early arrivals are the most common request, and they are usually easy to handle if you decide in advance what you will allow. The key question is simple. Is the pitch free?

If the pitch is empty the night before

This is the easy case. If nobody is staying on that pitch the previous night, you can often let a guest in early at no cost, or for a small fee if it is a busy weekend. Check your diary and confirm it in writing so the guest knows it is agreed.

If the pitch is occupied

You cannot give them a pitch that someone else is still on. But you do not have to send them away to sit in a lay-by. Some options:

Early guests are often keen and excited. A warm welcome and a clear plan makes them feel looked after, even if they cannot get on the pitch right away.

How to handle late check-out requests

Late check-outs are trickier, because you are balancing one guest's convenience against another guest's arrival. Again, the same question applies. Is there someone arriving on that pitch today?

It helps to have a standard line ready. Something like: "We would love to help, but the pitch is booked for the afternoon, so we need it ready by 11. Can we help you with anything to make leaving easier?" Friendly, firm and fair.

If guests regularly overstay or ignore the departure time, my guide to dealing with overstaying guests covers the tougher conversations.

Should you charge for early check-in or late check-out?

Yes, in many cases you should. Guests understand that extra time has value, and a small fee also discourages casual requests that cost you money. Here are the common approaches:

Think about what your costs really are. If a late check-out means an extra visit to the pitch, a delayed changeover or turning away a same day arrival, put a price on that. If it costs you nothing, a free yes can build real goodwill and a good review.

Whatever you decide, treat it as a proper extra and record it on the booking. CampSuite lets you add extras to a booking so the fee is tracked and invoiced, rather than a pound coin handed over at the gate and forgotten.

Put the policy in front of guests before they arrive

Most arguments about times happen because the guest never saw them. Tell people more than once:

It also helps to ask guests for their expected arrival time when they book. If you know a family is leaving home at 6am and will land at 10, you can plan the pitch, and they know where they stand. For guests who arrive after hours, take a look at my guide to late arrivals at campsites.

Keep track of requests in your booking diary

The weak point in any policy is memory. If you say yes to an early check-in on a Tuesday, will you remember on Friday when you are busy? Paper diaries and sticky notes are where these arrangements go to die.

Record every agreement against the booking itself. A note saying "arriving 11am, agreed, no charge" or "late check-out to 2pm, paid £10" means anyone helping on site knows what was promised. A proper booking diary also shows you at a glance which pitches have same day changeovers, so you can say yes or no in seconds, with confidence. And if you use check-in and check-out tracking, you can see who has arrived and who has left without walking the field.

A simple policy you can copy

Here is the kind of wording I would use on a small or medium site:

"Check-in is from 2pm and check-out is by 11am, so we have time to prepare each pitch. If you would like to arrive earlier or leave later, just ask. We will say yes whenever we can, and a small fee of £10 may apply. If the pitch is not free, we are happy to suggest somewhere to park up or a good local spot to visit."

It is warm, it is clear and it leaves you in control.

The takeaway

Early check-in and late check-out requests are a chance to look after your guests, not a headache. Set sensible standard times, decide in advance when you can say yes, charge a fair fee where it makes sense, and make sure guests see the rules before they arrive. Then keep a note of every agreement so nothing gets lost.

If you would like your check-in times to go out automatically with every booking and your extras tracked in one place, start with CampSuite for free. It takes about 15 minutes to get going, and you can see how the plans work on the pricing page.

Rob