Running a rental management business means handling dozens of moving parts—booking rules, payment processing, notification workflows, and guest communication standards. Without a centralized system to manage these elements, inconsistencies creep in fast. That's where Global Settings in GoHighLevel becomes your operational backbone.
Global Settings allow you to standardize how your entire rental business operates across all listings and bookings while still maintaining the flexibility to override settings for specific properties. In this guide, I'll walk you through exactly how to configure Global Settings for Rentals in GoHighLevel, from initial setup through advanced customization strategies that'll save you hours of repetitive configuration work.
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Accessing Global Settings in GoHighLevel Rentals
Before you configure anything, you need to know exactly where to find Global Settings. In GoHighLevel, the path is straightforward:
Navigate to: Rentals → Settings → Global Settings
Once you're in the Global Settings page, you'll see several configuration tabs organized by function. These tabs are your control center for standardizing your entire rental operation. Each section controls a different aspect of how bookings, payments, and communications flow through your system.
The beauty of Global Settings is that they apply to all your listings immediately, but you can create listing-specific exceptions whenever needed. This hierarchy—global defaults with local overrides—is what makes GoHighLevel so powerful for agencies managing multiple properties.
💡 Pro Tip
Screenshot your Global Settings configuration after you've set everything up. This becomes your operational playbook and makes it easy to train new team members or implement changes across your portfolio.
Configuring Scheduling and Availability Settings
Scheduling is the foundation of rental management. Your Global Settings should define how availability windows work across all properties unless you specify otherwise.
Key scheduling configurations include:
- Check-in and Check-out Times — Set your standard check-in (e.g., 3 PM) and check-out (e.g., 11 AM) times globally. This ensures consistency across listings and reduces guest confusion.
- Booking Window — Define how far in advance guests can book (e.g., up to 12 months) and the minimum notice required for new bookings (e.g., 24 hours).
- Blocked Dates and Blackout Periods — Set global blackout dates for maintenance, cleaning, or seasonal closures that apply to all properties unless overridden.
- Minimum Stay Requirements — Establish whether you require minimum night stays (e.g., 2-night minimum) across your portfolio.
- Buffer Days Between Bookings — Configure turnaround time needed for cleaning and property preparation between guest stays.
Once these scheduling parameters are set globally, your team won't need to configure them property-by-property. If you have a property with unique scheduling needs—a premium villa that requires 3-night minimums instead of 2—you can override just that setting for that listing.
Setting Up Global Payment and Fee Configuration
Payment settings are critical because they directly impact your revenue. Global Settings let you standardize fees and payment processing without touching individual listings repeatedly.
Configure these payment elements globally:
- Cleaning Fees — Set standard cleaning fees that apply to all bookings (e.g., $150 per stay).
- Service Fees — Define platform or booking service fees charged to guests.
- Damage Deposits — Establish default security deposit amounts across your portfolio.
- Payment Methods Accepted — Choose which payment gateways (Stripe, PayPal, etc.) guests can use.
- Payment Timing — Set when payments are due (upfront, upon confirmation, split payment, etc.).
- Currency and Tax Settings — Configure your default currency and how taxes are calculated and displayed.
By setting these globally, you ensure pricing consistency and reduce the risk of configuration errors that could cost you money. A guest booking a property shouldn't face wildly different fees based on which listing they select—unless that's your intentional pricing strategy.
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Establishing Notification and Communication Defaults
Your guests expect clear, timely communication. Global Settings let you automate this across your entire portfolio.
Key notification settings to configure:
- Booking Confirmation Emails — Automatically send confirmation details to guests when bookings are confirmed.
- Pre-Arrival Messages — Set up reminder emails or SMS messages sent 24-48 hours before check-in with check-in instructions.
- Post-Stay Follow-ups — Configure post-checkout messages requesting reviews or feedback.
- Payment Reminders — Establish automatic reminders for unpaid balances.
- Owner Notifications — Decide when and how you (the property owner/manager) are notified of bookings, cancellations, and issues.
- SMS vs. Email Preferences — Set communication channel preferences for different notification types.
These automated workflows eliminate manual communication tasks and ensure consistency in how guests experience your brand. Every interaction reinforces professionalism.
Implementing Branding and Confirmation Settings
Your rental business has a brand identity, and Global Settings help enforce it across all guest touchpoints.
Branding configurations include:
- Logo and Color Scheme — Apply your company logo and brand colors to all booking confirmations and communications.
- Company Name and Contact Info — Set the business name, phone number, and support email that appears on all guest-facing documents.
- Confirmation Page Customization — Design the post-booking confirmation page that guests see after they complete a reservation.
- Email Template Branding — Ensure all automated emails match your brand guidelines.
- Legal Terms and Cancellation Policy — Set your global cancellation policy, house rules, and terms of service that apply to all bookings.
When a guest books with you, every touchpoint should reinforce your brand's professionalism and reliability. Global branding settings make this consistent across your entire portfolio.
Managing Listing-Specific Overrides
Global Settings provide the foundation, but rental businesses often need flexibility. GoHighLevel allows you to override global settings at the listing level.
Common reasons to override global settings:
- A luxury property that justifies higher cleaning fees or minimum stays
- A property in a different timezone requiring different check-in times
- A pet-friendly listing with additional pet fees not charged on other properties
- Seasonal pricing variations for specific properties
- Properties with unique cancellation policies due to local regulations
To override a setting for a specific listing, navigate to that listing's settings and look for the option to customize that particular setting. You'll see which settings have global defaults and which can be customized locally. This two-tier approach ensures standardization where it matters while preserving the flexibility your business requires.
💡 Pro Tip
Document which properties have custom overrides and why. This prevents configuration drift and makes it easier to identify discrepancies when reviewing reports or troubleshooting guest issues.
Best Practices for Global Settings in Rental Agencies
1. Start Conservative, Expand as Needed — Configure Global Settings that apply to 80%+ of your portfolio. Handle exceptions through listing-level overrides rather than bloating your global configuration.
2. Test Before Full Rollout — When implementing new global settings, test them on one or two listings first. Make sure notifications trigger correctly, fees calculate properly, and guest experience flows smoothly.
3. Review Quarterly — Business needs change. Every quarter, review your Global Settings to ensure they still align with your pricing strategy, operational capacity, and market conditions.
4. Train Your Team — If you have team members managing rentals, ensure they understand Global Settings and know when to use listing-specific overrides versus updating global defaults.
5. Monitor Booking Data — Use GoHighLevel's reporting to track which settings are working. If you notice cancellation patterns or guest complaints tied to specific settings (e.g., too-strict cancellation policies), adjust accordingly.
6. Keep Communications Personal — While automation is powerful, customize pre-arrival and post-stay messages where possible. A personal note from the property manager can significantly improve reviews and repeat bookings.
Global Settings in GoHighLevel transform rental management from a scattered, error-prone process into a streamlined operation. Instead of manually configuring policies property-by-property, you set standards once and apply them instantly across your entire portfolio. This is how top-performing rental agencies scale without adding proportional overhead.