Running a rental business is complex. Between managing multiple properties, handling bookings, processing payments, and communicating with guests, it's easy for inconsistencies to creep in. One property might have different cancellation policies than another. Booking confirmations might go out at different times. Payment processing could vary across listings.
That's where Global Settings in GoHighLevel becomes your operational backbone. Instead of configuring each rental property individually, you can standardize your entire rental operation from one central location—then override specific settings for individual listings when needed.
In this guide, I'll walk you through configuring Global Settings in GoHighLevel's Rentals feature so you can scale your rental business without scaling your complexity. Whether you manage 2 properties or 20, these configurations will save you hours and eliminate costly inconsistencies.
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Accessing Global Settings in GoHighLevel Rentals
The first step is knowing where to find Global Settings. In GoHighLevel, your Rentals module lives in the main navigation, but Global Settings sits one layer deeper.
Here's how to access it:
- Log into your GoHighLevel account
- Navigate to Rentals from the left sidebar menu
- Look for the Settings or Configuration section (often represented by a gear icon)
- Select Global Settings from the submenu
Once you're inside Global Settings, you'll see several tabs organized by function: Booking, Notifications, Payments, Branding, and more. Each tab controls a different aspect of your rental operation.
The beauty of this centralized approach is that any change you make here applies to every rental listing you manage—unless you specifically override it at the individual property level.
💡 Pro Tip
Before making any changes to Global Settings, take screenshots of your current configuration. This way, if you need to revert changes, you'll have a visual reference.
Configuring Booking Settings Globally
Booking settings are where you define the fundamental rules of how guests can book your rental properties. These settings control everything from minimum stay length to advance booking requirements.
Key booking configurations to set globally:
- Minimum Stay Length: Set a baseline minimum night requirement (e.g., 2 nights minimum). You can override this per property if needed.
- Maximum Stay Length: Define how long guests can book in advance. This prevents long-term bookings from clogging your calendar if that's not your model.
- Check-in/Check-out Times: Standardize your default check-in and check-out times (typically 3 PM check-in, 11 AM check-out). This reduces confusion across all properties.
- Advance Booking Window: Decide how far in advance guests can book (e.g., up to 12 months).
- Booking Confirmation Requirement: Choose whether guests must receive instant confirmation or if you want manual approval for each booking.
These settings ensure that every new property you add to GoHighLevel automatically inherits professional, consistent booking rules. You won't accidentally create a property with different terms than your competitors.
Setting Up Global Notifications and Communications
Communication failures cost rental businesses money. A missed notification could mean a guest shows up to an unlocked property, or you miss a cancellation request entirely.
Global notification settings let you define who gets notified, when they get notified, and how they're notified—all from one location.
Configure these notification channels:
- New Booking Notifications: Set which team members receive alerts when a new booking comes in. Include your property manager, owner, and booking coordinator.
- Cancellation Alerts: Define who gets notified immediately when a guest cancels. This triggers your re-booking strategy.
- Reminder Messages: Enable automated reminders for guests (24 hours before check-in, for example) via SMS or email.
- Payment Failure Notifications: Ensure someone on your team knows immediately if a payment fails.
- Guest Inquiry Responses: Set SLA times for responding to guest questions and route notifications accordingly.
Within each notification type, GoHighLevel allows you to customize the message template and choose delivery methods (email, SMS, in-app).
Standardizing Payment Configuration Across All Rentals
Payment inconsistency is dangerous. If one property requires full payment upfront and another allows 50% deposits, you're creating confusion and operational risk.
Global payment settings ensure every booking follows the same financial rules unless you intentionally override them.
Essential payment configurations:
- Payment Gateway Selection: Connect your primary payment processor (Stripe, PayPal, Square) globally. This ensures all properties route through the same system.
- Deposit Requirements: Define whether you collect full payment upfront, 50% deposit, or some other percentage. A global setting prevents guests from seeing different policies across your listings.
- Payment Timing: Specify when payments are due (at booking, 30 days before arrival, etc.).
- Currency and Tax Settings: Set your default currency and tax rates. If you operate across multiple tax jurisdictions, you can override per property.
- Refund Policy: Standardize your refund rules. This is critical for compliance and guest trust.
- Late Fees and Additional Charges: Define any cleaning fees, service fees, or damage deposits that apply universally.
By standardizing these settings, you reduce payment disputes and simplify reconciliation. Your accounting team will thank you.
This is built into GoHighLevel. Try it free for 30 days →
Customizing Booking Page Branding While Maintaining Consistency
Your booking page is often the last impression before a guest commits to a reservation. It needs to be professional, on-brand, and consistent across all your properties.
GoHighLevel's global branding settings let you create a unified brand experience while still allowing individual property customization where it makes sense.
Global branding elements to configure:
- Company Logo: Upload your primary logo once. It appears on every booking page.
- Color Scheme: Set your brand colors as defaults (primary color, secondary color, accent color).
- Typography: Choose your font family for consistency across all booking pages.
- Booking Page Header: Create a standard header message or image that appears on the initial booking form.
- Footer Information: Add your contact information, links to policies, or social media icons globally.
- Confirmation Email Template: Design a professional confirmation email template that goes to all guests.
The key advantage: if you update your logo or rebrand, you change it once in Global Settings and it propagates everywhere. No property gets left behind with outdated branding.
💡 Pro Tip
Use high-resolution images for your logo and booking page header. Low-quality images damage your credibility before guests even see your property photos.
When and How to Override Global Settings for Specific Listings
Global Settings are powerful because they create consistency, but they're not rigid. GoHighLevel lets you override global settings at the individual property level.
When should you override global settings?
- Unique Property Requirements: A luxury villa might require a 7-night minimum while your standard properties require 2 nights.
- Seasonal Pricing Variations: Peak season bookings might have different deposit requirements than off-season.
- Market-Specific Rules: Properties in different cities or regions might need different cancellation policies due to local regulations.
- Special Promotions: You might waive deposits or reduce minimum stays for specific properties temporarily.
How to override settings for a specific property:
- Navigate to the specific property in GoHighLevel Rentals
- Go to that property's individual settings (usually a gear icon or "Settings" button)
- Look for an "Override Global Settings" option or similar toggle
- Enable it for the specific setting you want to change
- Enter the new value (e.g., 7-night minimum instead of 2)
- Save your changes
GoHighLevel will show you clearly which settings are using global defaults versus property-specific overrides, so you never lose track of your configuration.
Frequently Asked Questions
If I change a global setting, will it affect bookings already made?
No. Global Settings apply to new bookings going forward. Existing reservations retain their original terms. This prevents upsetting guests by retroactively changing their booking conditions.
Can I have different payment gateways for different properties?
Yes. While Global Settings define your primary payment processor, you can override it at the property level if you need a secondary processor for specific listings. However, this adds complexity—most rental businesses should stick with one payment gateway globally.
How do I know which settings are actually global versus property-specific?
GoHighLevel typically marks global settings with a label like "Using Global Setting" or displays a global icon. When you override a setting, it shows "Property Override" or similar. Always check before making changes so you understand the scope of impact.
What happens if I accidentally misconfigure a global setting?
You can always revert. Go back to Global Settings, identify the misconfigured setting, and correct it. Changes take effect for new bookings immediately. If you're concerned, test changes on one property first before applying globally.
Should I use global settings or property-specific settings?
Start with global settings for anything that's the same across all (or most) of your properties. This saves time and reduces errors. Only create property-specific overrides when the property truly requires different terms. This keeps your configuration clean and auditable.
The Bottom Line: Global Settings = Scalable Operations
Configuring Global Settings in GoHighLevel is one of those tasks that takes an hour upfront but saves you dozens of hours over the coming months. Instead of manually setting up each property with individual configurations, you build a framework that every new property inherits.
Start with your most standardized settings (check-in/check-out times, notification recipients, payment gateway), then get more granular with advanced settings like tax configurations and special fees as you become comfortable with the platform.
The rental businesses that scale efficiently are the ones that automate their operations early. GoHighLevel's Global Settings are the foundation of that automation.