TL;DR: Every listing needs a complete, ready-to-sign rental agreement before it can go live. Radius starts you with a default you can edit, replace, or clear. Use merge fields for anything that changes per booking, preview it, and confirm it's final — this is the exact agreement your guests sign when they book.
Who this is for: 🏠 Host
Overview
Your rental agreement is the document your guest reviews and signs when they book your property. You set it up once on your listing, and it's reused for every booking. Radius is the facilitation layer — we provide the template tools, the e-signature flow, and the workflow around it, but Radius is not a party to your agreement and doesn't set or adjudicate its terms. You own the legal language.
Setting it up is the last step of creating a listing, and it lives under the Rental agreement tab when you edit one. A few things are pulled in automatically and don't belong in the body: your rates and fees (from the Pricing step), your cancellation policy (Firm or Strict, from Rules & policies), and a Booking type section that states whether a booking is month-to-month or fixed. Anything that changes per booking — the guest's name, the dates, the totals — goes in as a merge field that fills itself in. The agreement has to be complete and ready to sign before you publish: there are no blanks to fill in later.
How it works — step-by-step
1. Open the Rental agreement step
It's the final step when you create a listing, and the Rental agreement tab when you edit an existing one.
🏠 Host: This is where you build the one agreement that ships with this listing. You can come back and edit it anytime — changes don't affect bookings already made.
2. Paste in your rental agreement
Add your own rental-agreement language in the editor. It sits alongside three sections that are filled in for you from your listing settings and can't be edited here: the booking terms (rate and fees), the Booking type (fixed or month-to-month), and your cancellation policy. They're locked because they're driven by the Pricing and Rules & policies steps you already configured — so they always match your listing.
3. Use merge fields for anything that changes per booking
Click a chip above the editor to drop in a merge field — like {{guest_name}}, {{check_in}}, {{property_address}}, or {{total_fees}}. Each one fills in with that booking's real details when a guest books. They're placeholders that complete themselves — not blanks you have to fill.
🏠 Host: Don't type a guest's name, an address, or a dollar amount by hand — insert the matching variable instead, so every booking is accurate and stays in sync with your listing.
4. Know what's already attached for you
At the top of the builder you'll see a locked recap of what's fixed and attaches automatically — you don't retype any of it in the body:
Booking type — a short section that states whether the booking is month-to-month or fixed (the booker chooses at checkout).
Rates and fees — your nightly rate, cleaning fee, and any other fees, with a Total fees figure. From your Pricing step.
Cancellation policy — your Firm or Strict policy. From your Rules & policies step. It's the same for both booking types.
The Booking type section is written for you and isn't editable. On a month-to-month booking it spells out the month-to-month terms — the guest can extend with your approval at the nightly rate locked at confirmation, ending the stay early follows a 14- or 30-day notice-to-vacate period, and your calendar is held for 120 days past the current end date to absorb extensions. On a fixed booking it states the set check-in and check-out dates with no built-in extension or notice period. Your cancellation policy is identical for both.
🏠 Host: To change a rate, a fee, or your cancellation policy, edit the Pricing or Rules & policies step — not the agreement body.
📅 Month-to-month: A booking is month-to-month only when your listing offers it (the Month-to-month setting on the listing) and the booker selects it. The month-to-month terms are standard and written for you — you don't draft the extension, notice, or calendar-hold language.
5. Preview it
Click Preview to see exactly what your guest will see. Your real inputs show in blue; a sample guest name, example dates, and the per-booking deadlines show in grey (those fill in at booking). Read it the way a guest would.
If your listing offers month-to-month, you'll see a Preview as: Fixed / Month-to-month toggle. Switch between the two to see how the agreement reads for each — the Booking type section is the part that changes; everything else stays the same.
🏠 Host: Blue = your live inputs flowing into the contract. Grey = example guest, dates, and computed deadlines. If a number looks wrong, fix it in Pricing — the preview reflects your real listing.
6. Confirm and submit
After you preview, the Finalize this agreement panel asks you to tick a short checklist and add your initials. This confirms the agreement is final and complete. You can't submit until you've previewed and confirmed.
🏠 Host: If you edit the agreement after confirming, you'll be asked to preview and confirm again — that's intentional, so what you sign off on is exactly what ships.
What to do — and what not to do
A few habits keep your agreement clean, accurate, and ready to publish.
✅ Do
Use merge fields for per-booking details — guest name, dates, totals. They fill in automatically and stay accurate.
Use the {{total_fees}} variable to reference fees in the body. It adds up your cleaning fee plus your non-refundable fees and always matches your Pricing.
Set fees in the Pricing step and your cancellation policy in Rules & policies — both attach to every agreement automatically.
If you mention a utility cap, make sure the amount matches what's in your House Rules.
Preview before you submit — and if your listing offers month-to-month, check both the Fixed and Month-to-month views. Read it as a guest would.
Have counsel review your terms if you're not sure they're right for your area.
❌ Don't
Don't leave blanks or placeholders — no ____, "TBD", or "[insert]". The agreement ships with your listing and is signed as-is.
Don't type fee amounts by hand. Use {{total_fees}} instead — a typed-in amount goes stale the moment you change a price.
Don't try to give each fee its own variable. There's one fee variable, {{total_fees}}; every fee is listed individually in the booking summary automatically.
Don't write your own refund, cancellation, or termination terms (e.g. "no refunds," "non-refundable," a set cancellation fee). Your selected cancellation policy is attached automatically and governs refunds — your own wording would only conflict with it.
Don't write your own month-to-month, extension, or notice-to-vacate terms — the Booking type section states them for you.
Don't retype your house rules or cancellation policy into the body — they're attached for you.
Don't paste a specific guest name, address, or dates — use the variables so each booking is correct.
If your agreement won't submit
Before you can submit, Radius checks that the agreement is complete and runs a quick setup check that flags likely problems in the Finalize this agreement panel. If you're stuck, it's almost always one of these — each maps to a "don't" above:
A blank or placeholder was left in. Remove it, or replace it with the right merge field.
A fee amount is typed by hand. Delete it and use {{total_fees}}.
A fee is mentioned that isn't in your Pricing. Add it in the Pricing step, or take it out of the agreement.
The agreement has its own refund or termination terms. Remove them — your cancellation policy is attached automatically.
A utility cap doesn't match your House Rules. Make the two amounts the same.
To fix it: go to the Rental agreement step, click Preview, read the flagged items in the Finalize panel, make your edits, then preview and confirm again. Once it's clean, the panel shows Ready to submit.
💡 Tip: The setup check is AI-assisted — it's a guide to help you finish setup, not legal advice, and it can occasionally get something wrong. If you think a flag is mistaken, you can still review and submit. Stuck? Click the chat icon and Contact Radius Support.
Why these rules exist
Why variables instead of typed-in values: the agreement is reused for every booking. Variables keep each guest's name, dates, and totals correct and in sync with your Pricing — a hand-typed value would be wrong the next time anything changes.
Why the cancellation policy and booking-type terms are attached automatically: they're the standardized parts of every agreement. Attaching them for you means guests always see the real terms, and nothing in your body text can accidentally contradict them.
Why no blanks: the agreement ships with your listing and is signed exactly as written at booking — there's no later step to fill anything in.
Why one Total fees variable: it always reflects your current Pricing, and every fee is itemized for the guest automatically — so you never maintain fee amounts in two places.
Who does what (at a glance)
Step | 🏠 You (Host) | Radius (automatic) |
Write the agreement | Edit the template; insert merge fields | Pre-fills a default to start from |
Fees, policy & booking type | Set fees in Pricing and your policy in Rules & policies | Attaches them — plus the Booking type section — to every agreement |
Check it | Preview (both booking types); fix anything flagged | Runs the setup check; fills variables in the preview |
Finalize | Confirm the checklist + initial | Unlocks submit once confirmed |
At booking | — | Fills in real details and the chosen booking type; collects the guest's signature |
Common situations
My listing accepts month-to-month bookings
Nothing extra to write. The Booking type section and the month-to-month terms (extensions, notice to vacate, the 120-day calendar hold) are added for you. Use the Preview as toggle to see both the fixed and month-to-month versions before you confirm.
I changed my pricing after setting up the agreement
If you used the {{total_fees}} variable, there's nothing to update — it always reflects your current Pricing. If you typed a dollar amount by hand, update it (better yet, switch to the variable so it stays in sync going forward).
I need a detail that doesn't have a merge field
Don't leave a blank for it. Contact Radius Support and we'll help, or you can send an addendum after a booking is made on this base agreement.
I want different terms for one specific booking
For partner-network bookings, agreed overlay terms append automatically. Outside that, terms for a single booking are handled in the booking conversation before it's confirmed. See How rental agreements work below.
Frequently asked questions
Do guests sign this on Radius?
Yes — guests review and sign the agreement in the Radius platform when they book. See How rental agreements work for the full signing flow.
What's the "Booking type" section, and do I write it?
It's an auto-generated section at the top of the agreement that states whether the booking is month-to-month or fixed. You don't write or edit it. On a month-to-month booking it includes the standard extension, notice-to-vacate, and 120-day calendar-hold terms; on a fixed booking it states the set dates. The booker chooses the type at checkout, on listings that offer month-to-month.
Does month-to-month change my cancellation policy?
No. Your Firm or Strict cancellation policy is the same for both fixed and month-to-month bookings. Month-to-month only adds the extension, notice-to-vacate, and calendar-hold terms — it doesn't change refunds.
Can I use my own agreement instead of the default?
Absolutely. Edit, replace, or clear the default and paste your own terms. Just use merge fields for the per-booking details, and leave fees, the cancellation policy, and the booking-type terms to the sections that attach them.
Why can't I add a separate variable for my pet fee or parking fee?
Fees roll up into the single {{total_fees}} variable, and each one is itemized for the guest in the booking summary automatically. That keeps your fees in one place — your Pricing — instead of two.
Is the setup check legal advice?
No. It's an AI-assisted guide to help you finish setting up — it can occasionally be wrong, and it doesn't review your terms for legal sufficiency. You own the legal language in your agreement.
What happens if I leave the agreement blank?
A complete agreement is required to publish. If it's left blank or incomplete, review will return your listing to draft until it's ready.
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Still need help?
Click the chat icon at the bottom-right of any page on help.bookradius.com, then click Contact Radius Support under "Create a ticket." Full walkthrough in How do I contact Radius?