Home services: booking visits when clients are out

When clients won't be home during your visit, settle access before the day, not on the doorstep. Ask in your service description whether the client will be present, and if not, how you get in: a key handed over beforehand, a key safe, a neighbour, a concierge or a door code. Agree what to do about alarms and pets, give a clear arrival window, and send a short report after the visit. Clients who work during the day can then book you without taking time off, and you never lose a morning to a locked door.

A locked door, an alarm going off or a dog in the hallway can cost you a whole slot and a wasted trip. For clients, booking a visit they can't attend is only possible if they trust the arrangement. A clear access process in your booking page turns an awkward conversation into a routine, and makes absent-client visits a normal part of your week.

The booking form takes first name, last name, email and phone, plus an optional note you read in your new booking email. The note also appears in the calendar file the client receives, so don't ask for sensitive details there. Ask in the description for:

Keep key safe codes, alarm codes and door codes out of the booking note: agree them by phone or a private message, and keep them in your own records.

Choose a method you're comfortable with and say it in the description. For regular clients, a key on a labelled ring, without the address, works well; for one-off visits, a key safe or a neighbour works. If there's an alarm, ask the client to disarm it remotely or give you the code privately, and agree what you do if it goes off. Return or lock away keys as agreed when the visit ends.

A friendly cat is no problem; an anxious dog in an empty house can be. Ask in the description whether pets will be present and shut in another room, and say what you'll do if an animal is loose when you arrive: wait for the client to arrange it, or rebook the visit.

For visits where the client isn't home, an exact start time matters less than a reliable window. Open slots for a morning or an afternoon window, and say in the description what the window means: you arrive at some point within it. On Book, each service has a name, a price and an optional description shown on your public page, and each slot belongs to one service and has its own capacity, so a window slot can take several visits if you plan a round.

Windows, places and prices are examples: set your own.

Follow the same routine each time: let yourself in as agreed, check for pets, note anything unusual, and lock up exactly as you found it. Send a short message when you leave: what was done, anything that needs the client's attention, and the next visit if one is planned. For regular visits, book the next one yourself from your calendar and enter the client's email so they get a confirmation with a calendar file.

If you can't get in, call the client straight away. If it can't be solved, rebook the visit from your bookings list and confirm the new time yourself, since Book doesn't email clients about changes and they can't reschedule online. Say in the description what you charge, if anything, for a wasted trip. Book costs €5/month, everything included: unlimited services and bookings, no commission, no contract.