All FAQs
Traveling with Kindred
Finding homes, requesting trips, credits, check-in and what to expect as a guest.
You can book a trip in our Kindred mobile app (iOS or Android), and you can also browse homes and request to book in the web app at livekindred.com. We recommend getting started by exploring all of our great homes! You can add a trip to your wishlist directly by clicking the "+" button! Because we are a community of primary homes, our inventory is changing daily. By opening a wishlist, you will get a notification for any new match, as soon as it pops up!
We also recommend creating your user profile, which you'll need to do before you book your first trip. You can complete it in the “Profile” section of the app or in the web app.
Once you’ve found a home you like over a date range you’re interested in, you can request to book directly in the app or in the web app.
Once your request is submitted, it generally takes around 48 hours for hosts to respond to requests. You’ll hear back via email & text message, and if approved for your stay, you’ll be able to complete your booking directly in the app!
To finalize your trip, you’ll be prompted to first complete your ID verification (hosted through Stripe; Kindred will not store these details in our system), and complete payment for the trip, which you can do from the email you’ll receive once the trip is approved, or directly in the app. As a reminder, you just pay a service fee + cleaning fee for each trip on Kindred — see more in the pricing section of our resources hub! Once paid, your trip is confirmed!
You can request up to two homes at a time for the same trip. Alternatively, if you're planning multiple different trips, you're more than welcome to submit requests for all of those at once.
Great question! Homes that are listed as “open to inquiries” are ones where the host has not indicated that their home is available, nor have they requested a swap to your area. You're welcome to reach out by clicking "send a message." This will allow you to send them a message and allow them to start a chat with you if they are interested. You'll see the option to send a message on their profile if they're open to receiving these types of requests.
A host has 48 hours to respond once they have been notified of your request. If they approve, decline or reply with a message in that time, the request moves forward. If they do nothing, the request expires automatically. Kindred members can request up to two homes over the same dates to increase their chance of approval.
A request can also expire for other reasons. It expires if your profile or trip payment isn't completed within 72 hours of approval or 24 hours before the start date, whichever comes first.
Yes! We know that travel is always better when you can share it with your people.
When booking a stay with travel companions, members must disclose any overnight guests ahead of time. You'll be able to indicate whether you plan on bringing any guests when you submit your initial request to the host in the app. It is ultimately up to the host to approve overnight guests. This is critical to ensure members are always kept up-to-date on who is staying in their home, and helps us deliver a safe and consistent experience for all members.
When bringing guests, members are responsible for educating them on all house rules and Kindred’s member code of conduct, and will be held accountable for the behavior or actions of any of their guests. Pro tip — we recommend all overnight guests review the host’s home guide before the stay. You can access this on each trip’s detail page in the app, by going to the “Trips” tab.
Please note — Kindred has a “no party” rule. We limit overnight guests to 6, and prohibit any large gatherings of 10 or more people in a Kindred home at any given time without explicit prior permission. If you are looking for a venue to host a party, we have a few ideas for some other platforms you can use :)
We also allow members to book on behalf of immediate family (spouse, parent, or partner) as long as you disclose it to Kindred and the host ahead of booking. This is also outlined in our member code of conduct.
Members can bring pets on a Kindred stay if that is expressly discussed and agreed upon by the members ahead of booking, and if pets are allowed in the hosting member’s building or lease.
If members request to bring their pet on a trip, they must share a picture of their pet and details about their pet care arrangements in the video introduction (must include pet age, type, shedding/non-shedding, level of training if relevant, whether they will be leaving the pet unaccompanied in the home without a crate or enclosure, and whether they will need to grant home access to a dog walker or similar).
Bringing pets requires informed and enthusiastic host consent each and every time. One of our member conduct values is to over-communicate, and this is especially important with pets. Any inaccurate or omitted information about bringing a pet is considered a member code of conduct violation and may result in removal from the network.
You can read more about our pet policy in our terms of service.
Our goal is for Kindred to be a friendly, safe, and inclusive environment for all members, including those who are assisted by service animals. If you travel with a service animal or require any other kind of accommodation, we’d love to give you special attention to find home swap options that work well for your needs.
Service animals must be disclosed to the host as part of the original trip request. If you travel with a service animal, we invite you to register them to your account by sending an email to hello@livekindred.com with their name, breed, size, and shedding/non-shedding status. Our concierge will help you find fabulous swapportunities that can accommodate your service animal.
Unlike hotels or vacation rentals, Kindred homes are private places of residence not bookable by the general public, and regulations like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) do not cover private residences. Just as each person's private residence is not required to be wheelchair accessible, it is similarly not legally required that Kindred members accommodate service animals in their homes, so we must always get the host’s permission in advance.
That said, we find that most Kindred members are happy to accept animals in their homes, and we strive to foster an environment of mutual respect, earnest effort, and open communication to help members find home swaps that work for their particular needs, whatever those needs may be.
By default, check-in is at 4pm and check-out is at 11am, but you can request early check-in or late check-out with the host's approval.
Yes. Open your trip in the app and send the request to your host up to 3 days before your stay begins. Your host decides whether to approve it, and Kindred then checks that the cleaning can be moved to fit. You can request early check-in and late check-out for the same trip.
Each request costs 0.5 credit, which is held when you send it. You get the credit back if your host declines, doesn't respond in time, or Kindred can't adjust the cleaning. If another guest is booked back to back with you, or the cleaning schedule can't move, the request isn't possible. If a new booking arrives after approval, Kindred tells you and returns your check-in or check-out to the standard time (4pm and 11am) and your credit. You can follow the status of each request on your trip, and the credit appears in your credit history.
With approval, you may be able to adjust your trip.
If a host shortens a trip after confirmation, the Host Cancellation Policy applies to the affected nights.
Read more about the Cancellation Policy here.
We make every effort to ensure trips go according to plan for hosts and guests, but we understand that unforeseen circumstances can cause plans to change. Our cancellation policy is designed to provide Kindred members with a consistent and predictable travel experience while allowing reasonable flexibility for adjustments. Guests can refer to the guest trip protection policy specifically for more details.
If a guest cancels a confirmed booking between 31–60 days before the arrival date, the following terms will apply to the credits and fees related to the booking:
If a host cancels a confirmed booking between 31–60 days before the arrival date, the following terms will apply to the credits and fees related to the booking:
If a guest cancels a confirmed booking between 8–30 days before the arrival date, the following terms will apply to the credits and fees related to the booking:
If a host cancels a confirmed booking between 8–30 days before the arrival date, the following terms will apply to the credits and fees related to the booking:
If a guest cancels a confirmed booking between 0–7 days before the arrival date, the following terms will apply to the credits and fees related to the booking:
If a host cancels a confirmed booking between 0–7 days before the arrival date, the following terms will apply to the credits and fees related to the booking:
We will consider exceptions to our cancellation policy in qualifying extenuating circumstances. Please review the policy in full for these exceptions.
Kindred allows guests to modify their trip length (extending or shortening a stay) if requested more than 30 days in advance. With host approval, guests may also increase their guest count or add pets to a confirmed trip. Read more about trip adjustments here.
Our goal is to create a seamless experience for our community. As a result, Kindred reserves the right to cancel memberships or future bookings if members violate our member code of conduct or cancel more than two bookings in a 12-month period.
Review our full cancellation policy here.
If your host cancels more than 30 days before arrival, you receive a full refund of your credits and fees. Within 30 days of arrival, Guest Trip Protection applies, and Kindred works with you to book a replacement stay or provide a refund. The host loses the credits tied to the booking, gifts you credits, and cannot accept new bookings for those dates.
As a guest, your Kindred booking only includes the cleaning fee + Kindred's nightly service fee. No tourist taxes are included in your total or imposed by Kindred.
In some cities, the payment of the tourist tax is only required for paid rentals, but in others, it is required for all visitors, including home swaps or exchanges. Your host may therefore ask you to pay for the tourist tax if it is required by law in their city.
If tourist taxes are required by law, it's advised that tourist tax be paid when you arrive at your host's home or after the exchange. We recommend consulting the official websites of your destination ahead of time to learn about the local rules regarding any tourist taxes!
On a Kindred trip, you are a houseguest embedding into your host’s home and community while they are out. It’s normal to run into neighbors!
We encourage you to smile, introduce yourself, and share that you are a friend of the host’s who is looking after their place while they are out. Most of all, be kind and respectful.
On the last day of your trip, you can check out right in the Kindred app. It takes about a minute and lets your host know that you've departed.
We'll send your host a message in your trip group chat letting them know you've checked out, along with your note.
The checkout button shows up only on your checkout date. If you need to leave early or late, let your host know in your trip chat first.
Want to leave a longer thank-you? You can write in your host's guestbook any time after your trip.
Kindred credits represent “earned nights” that a member can spend to stay in a Kindred home. We designed Kindred to be a give-to-get community, where you must contribute to the community in order to benefit from it. Members who host others earn credits that they can use to book a stay at a different home at a later time.
Currently, 1 credit = 1 night at any home, anywhere in the world. Credits do not have any assigned monetary value and cannot be purchased or sold.
There are only 3 ways to earn credits:
If you would like to earn more credits, we recommend referring friends to Kindred, and adding more home availability to increase the chances of a member booking your home. You can also share details about your home on social media and tag our members-only Instagram for a feature! Some members also like to post in the community Slack groups to share what’s so special about their city, town, and home.
