2026-01-12 · 8 min read
Private beta — early access via waitlist
Every stay — shortlet, apartment or villa — from inquiry to
RentRail gives shortlet agents, apartment managers and hosts in Nigeria one workspace for guest KYC, virtual-account payments, auto agreements & receipts, and a branded discovery page — all driven from WhatsApp.
- 5% only on paid bookings
- Free to start
- 5% only on paid bookings
- guest intake via one link
- <10 min
- guest intake via one link
- guests onboard in the browser
- No app
- guests onboard in the browser
The problem
WhatsApp, Excel and paper weren't built for short stays
It works at five units. At ten, it starts costing real money — lost bookings, disputes and no paper trail.
Bookings live in WhatsApp chats
Screenshots and voice notes pile up in threads nobody can search — bookings get lost or double-booked.
Guest vetting is inconsistent
One unverified guest is all it takes for a bad night, a dispute or a compliance problem.
Payments don't reconcile themselves
Transfers arrive with no booking attached; matching them by hand is slow and impossible to audit.
Features
Everything a shortlet agency needs, end to end
List, vet, collect, document, report — one workspace, no duct-tape.
Workspace
One workspace for your whole agency
A single place for your houses, units, guests, bookings, payments and documents — with roles and permissions so each team member sees exactly what they need. Audit-logged, so everyone is accountable.
Learn moreProperties
Houses & units, structured from day one
Create houses with addresses, geolocation, amenities and galleries, then add bookable units with pricing, cleaning fees, deposits and statuses — studio to 5-bedroom, maintained or archived.
Learn moreGuest intake
KYC that guests actually complete
Start with the default checklist — government ID, selfie, proof of address, emergency contact — then add your own requirements. Require or waive per workspace, house or unit. Returning guests never re-submit.
Learn moreGuest intake
Self-service booking links via WhatsApp
Generate a single-use link per booking and send it on WhatsApp, SMS or email. The guest fills their details, uploads documents and confirms — no app, no login. Median intake under 10 minutes.
Learn moreOperations
Bookings with double-booking protection
Date-range validation against each unit's live availability calendar, with manual blocks for maintenance and owner use. Track inquiries to checked-in, checked-out and cancelled — with source attribution.
Learn morePayments
Get paid: virtual accounts, invoices, checkout links
Three collection modes: a generated bank account number that auto-reconciles, an invoice with a hosted payment page, or a direct self-checkout link. Partial payments, security deposits and automated reminders included.
Learn moreFrom inquiry to paid — three steps
- Step 01
List your houses & units
Structured houses and units with pricing, amenities, media and live availability calendars.
- Step 02
Send the self-service link
One single-use link per booking, sent on WhatsApp — the guest completes KYC and confirms in minutes.
- Step 03
Collect, document, report
Payments auto-reconcile. Agreements and receipts generate themselves. Dashboards update live.
Who it's for
Built for the people who run short stays
Four audiences, one workspace that fits how each of them works.
Built for
Agents & agencies
WhatsApp-first bookings, tracked end to end.
See how it helps agents & agenciesBuilt for
Accountants & finance teams
Auto-reconciled payments, numbered receipts.
See how it helps accountants & finance teamsWhy operators switch
Guest onboarding and paperwork — where the other tools go quiet
When a Nigerian operator searches for shortlet software, they find Clavibase, SyTicks and OurProperty NG. All of them manage units and bookings. None of them start with the way your guests actually behave — on WhatsApp, with no app to install and no login to create.
Guest onboarding that actually happens
Send one single-use link on WhatsApp. The guest uploads their ID and selfie from their phone — no app to install, no login, no forms to chase. Median intake under 10 minutes.
Agreements & receipts on autopilot
The moment a booking is confirmed, your agreement generates as a PDF and the guest signs with one click. Every payment mints a branded, sequentially-numbered receipt and delivers it automatically.
A paper trail that stands up
KYC records, signed agreements, receipts and an audit log live in one workspace — ready for owners, disputes, estate rules and NDPR-aware data handling.
RentRail vs the tools you'll actually find
Compared on what loses shortlet operators money: guest vetting, paperwork, payments and direct bookings.
| Feature | RentRailAll-in-one short-stay workspaceFree Starter · ₦20,000/month Pro | ClavibaseShortlet direct-booking SaaS₦0–₦100k /mo | SyTicksHotel & shortlet PMS + booking networkFree listing | OurProperty NGProperty suite with a hospitality moduleFree–₦250k+ /mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guest onboarding | ||||
| Guest KYC via a WhatsApp link | Yes | Via storefront checkout | Via app booking | Via guest app & login |
| No app and no login for the guest | Yes | No | No | No |
| Returning guests never re-submit KYC | Yes | No | No | No |
| Agreements & receipts | ||||
| Shortlet agreement auto-generated & e-signed | Yes | No | No | Lease storage |
| Branded, sequentially-numbered receipts | Yes | Booking emails | No | Rent receipts |
| Payments | ||||
| Per-booking NGN virtual account, auto-reconciled | Yes | Paystack checkout | Wallet payouts | Gateway payments |
| Channels & growth | ||||
| Your own branded discovery page | Yes | Yes | Their network | Basic website |
| iCal sync with Airbnb & Booking.com | On Pro | Yes | No | No |
| Appear in cross-agency guest search | Yes | No | MERPI partners only | No |
Compared from public information, September 2026. Prices and features change — confirm on each provider's site. RentRail capabilities shown reflect the product at launch.
Pricing
Free to start. Commission-only, then flat.
Start free with up to 10 units. Unlimited on Pro, your own brand on Enterprise.
Starter
₦0/month
5% per paid booking
- Up to 10 units and 3 houses — a generous cap to grow into
- 1 workspace with 3 team members (Owner, Manager, Agent roles)
- Guest onboarding with KYC self-service links (WhatsApp, SMS, email)
Most popular
Pro
₦20,000/month
0% commission
- Unlimited units, houses & team members
- iCal sync — import & export availability with Airbnb, Booking.com & more
- No commission — flat monthly price, unlimited bookings
Enterprise
Custom
- White-labelling: your logo, brand colours & your own domain
- Hide 'Powered by StayOS' branding everywhere
- High-priority support with response SLA
FAQ
Questions agents ask us
Commission, iCal, security — answered. Ask us anything on WhatsApp.
StayOS is a workspace for short-stay operators — shortlet agents, apartment and serviced-apartment managers, and vacation rental hosts. It replaces the WhatsApp-chat-plus-spreadsheet workflow with one system: list your houses and units, onboard guests through self-service KYC links, collect payments via virtual accounts and checkout links, generate agreements and receipts automatically, and publish units on your own branded discovery page. It's built on one core model that extends to hotels and long-term rentals as you grow.
Starter is free forever and includes up to 10 units and 3 houses with the core feature set. Instead of a monthly fee, we charge a 5% commission on each paid booking. If you have no paid bookings in a month, you pay nothing.
Three ways, chosen per booking: a generated bank account number (virtual account) for the exact amount that auto-reconciles, an invoice with a hosted payment page, or a direct self-checkout link for card, bank transfer or USSD. The payment link or account number is sent to the guest automatically on WhatsApp.
iCal is the standard calendar format used by Airbnb, Booking.com and Google Calendar. Import and export iCal feeds so a booking on Airbnb automatically blocks the dates in your StayOS calendar and vice versa — eliminating double bookings across channels.
Blog
Guides for running shortlets better
No-fluff guides on payments, guest vetting and direct bookings.
2026-02-03 · 6 min read
How to Collect Shortlet Payments on WhatsApp (and Actually Reconcile Them)
Read article2026-02-18 · 5 min read
iCal Sync Explained: How to Stop Double Bookings Across Airbnb, Booking.com & Your Own Site
Read articleRun shortlets like a business — not a WhatsApp chat
Join the waitlist for early access — free Starter plan, up to 10 units, no card required.