Deposits (pre-authorization)

A deposit is an amount you pre-authorize on the guest's card — it's not charged until you capture it (e.g., in case of damage). If you don't capture, the pre-authorization is released automatically after the stay.

Prerequisites

To handle deposits, you need:

• A Stripe account connected and linked to the property (see Connect Stripe).
• A deposit amount configured on the listing (the property's Settings section).

Create a deposit

On a booking's page, the Deposit card appears if the property has a deposit amount configured:

• If no deposit has been created for this booking, the Create deposit button opens a form.
• Enter the amount (defaults to the property's configured value), confirm.

ZenHost then triggers a pre-authorization on the Stripe side: the amount is held on the guest's card without being charged.

The deposit lifecycle

The Deposit card on the booking page shows the current status:

• Pending — the deposit is created but the Stripe pre-authorization has not yet completed.
• Pre-authorized — the amount is held on the guest's card. No funds movement yet.
• Captured — you decided to charge the amount (after damages, for instance).
• Released — the pre-authorization was cancelled, the guest's card is free.
• Refunded — a captured amount was refunded.

Edit a deposit

You can edit a deposit amount as long as it's still Pending. Once pre-authorized, the amount can no longer be adjusted — you'd need to release and recreate.

Capture or release

Based on the property's state after the guest's departure:

• Everything's fine — you release the pre-authorization. The guest's card stays untouched.
• Damage to assess — you capture part or all of the amount. The guest is charged.

These actions happen from the Deposit card on the booking page.

Stripe's deadline

Stripe pre-authorizations have a limited lifetime (typically 7 days). If you don't capture within that window, the pre-authorization expires and the amount is automatically released bank-side, regardless of what ZenHost shows. Capture or release within the window.

Refunds

A captured amount can be refunded in part or in full. The guest gets the refunded amount back on their card within a few business days.

Guest side

The deposit amount appears on the guest portal in the payments section; the guest knows what to expect. The pre-authorization, the optional capture, and the release then show up on their bank statement.

Best practices

• Right-size the amount: the deposit should reflect your policy. Not too high (risk of capping the guest's card), not too low (otherwise the deposit covers nothing).
• Capture or release fast: the 7-day window forces a decision shortly after departure.
• Document captures: photograph any damage before capturing — useful for disputes (Stripe can be petitioned in case of contention).