How KynStay Works

Sign up and create your account

Create a free account in under a minute. During onboarding, you will choose the host role and fill in your profile — name, photo, and a short bio so your guests recognize you. You can also be a guest on other people's properties at the same time.

Add your property

Add your vacation home with photos, a description, the address, sleeping arrangements, amenities, and house rules. Your property stays completely private and will never appear in public search results.

Sync your calendar

Already list on Airbnb, VRBO, or another platform? Import your iCal feed so blocked dates appear automatically. KynStay bookings can feed back to your other calendars too, preventing double-bookings. See our calendar sync guide for setup instructions.

Set up pricing tiers

Pricing is entirely optional — many hosts share their homes for free. But if you do charge, With direct payment there are zero platform fees, and even with integrated KynStay payments (coming soon) it's just 5% — so you can split the savings with your guests: they pay less than they would on Airbnb, and you keep more than you would after platform cuts. Everyone wins. You can create custom pricing tiers for different groups — immediate family stays free, close friends get a discounted rate, and extended network pays a fair rate. Each guest gets assigned to a tier. You can also set weekend adjustments, seasonal rates, and per-night overrides for more granular control.

Invite your people

You choose exactly who can access your property using two methods (see our full inviting guests guide for details):

• • Email invitations — send a personal invite directly to someone's inbox. They create an account and instantly see your property.
• • Share links — generate a private link you can text or post in a group chat. You control whether access is automatic or requires your approval, and you can set the link to expire.

Manage bookings

When a guest requests dates, you get a notification and can approve or decline from your dashboard. Your calendar shows all upcoming stays at a glance. If you charge for stays, KynStay tracks payment status so nothing falls through the cracks — though payments happen directly between you and your guest, not through the platform. If your guest is also a host, you can confirm a booking as a stay exchange instead of requiring cash payment.

Accept an invitation or use a share link

Your host will either send you an email invitation or a private share link. Click the link, create your free account (or sign in if you already have one), and the property will appear in your dashboard. Some share links grant instant access, while others require the host to approve your request first.

Browse available properties

Once you have access, you can view the property's photos, description, amenities, house rules, and available dates. If you have been invited to multiple properties by different hosts, they all appear in one place under "Places to Stay."

Request a booking

Pick your dates on the calendar and submit a booking request. The host gets notified right away and can approve or decline. Once confirmed, you get access to everything you need: the property address, check-in instructions, house rules, and a way to message your host directly. All your stays are organized in "My Bookings."

Handle payment

If the host charges for stays, your booking shows the amount owed based on your pricing tier. You and your host handle payment directly — Venmo or Zelle (US), bank transfer, or whatever works in your region. KynStay helps you track payment status, but it's not fully automatic — hosts confirm when payment is received so both sides stay on the same page. Many hosts share for free, so there may be nothing to pay at all. See our payments guide for the full walkthrough.