Task Management

Task Management is where every job your team needs to do lives — cleaning a turnover, fixing a broken AC, restocking supplies, running an inspection. Tasks create themselves from your reservations, go to the right person automatically, and get handled from a phone in the field.

What it does

Your operation runs on hundreds of small jobs every week. Task Management keeps all of them in one place so nothing slips — from the moment a job is needed to the moment it's paid for.

Task types

• Turnover clean — Between two reservations
• Deep clean — Periodic full clean
• Maintenance — Repairs and fixes
• Inspection — Quality check
• Laundry — Linen swap
• Custom — Anything else you need to track

How tasks get created

There are three ways a task appears on the board:

1. Automatically from reservations. When a guest checks out, a turnover task is created for that property with the right time window and any special instructions. Mid-stay cleans work the same way.
2. From a guest message. If a guest texts "the toilet is broken," Vanio AI reads the message and creates a maintenance task for you — no one has to type it in.
3. Manually. You can create a task yourself from the dashboard anytime.

How tasks get assigned

You have three options, and you can mix and match:

• Direct assignment — You pick the cleaner. They get notified instantly by app or SMS.
• Offer cascade — The system offers the task to your primary cleaner first. If they don't accept within a few minutes, it rolls to your backup, then to your full team.
• AI auto-assign — Vanio picks the best available person based on who's nearby, their skills, and how much they already have on their plate.

Automatic task rescheduling

When guests modify their checkout dates through Airbnb, tasks like cleaning and laundry automatically reschedule to match the new dates. This means:

• No manual adjustments needed — If a guest extends their stay by two days, your turnover cleaning automatically moves to the new checkout date
• Tasks stay properly scheduled — Maintenance and inspection tasks adjust to the new timeline so nothing gets missed
• Your team sees updated schedules — Cleaners and other staff get notifications with the corrected timing automatically

This works for any date changes guests make through the booking platform — extensions, early departures, or date shifts all trigger automatic task rescheduling.

Turnover cleaning and workflow automations

Vanio gives you two ways to automatically create a cleaning task when a guest checks out:

• Auto-cleaning setting — A simple per-property toggle in your property settings that creates a turnover task on every checkout.
• Turnover Cleaning workflow automation — A user-configurable automation (found in Settings → Automations) that lets you control the scope, schedule, checklist, and assigned role for cleaning tasks.

One task per checkout, every time

If you have both the auto-cleaning setting and a Turnover Cleaning workflow automation active for the same property, Vanio now creates exactly one cleaning task per checkout — not two.

The workflow automation is the canonical path. When Vanio detects that an active cleaning automation already covers a property, the auto-cleaning setting steps aside for that property automatically. You don't need to turn anything off — it just works.

The auto-cleaning setting remains the fallback for any properties that don't have a workflow automation set up. Those properties continue to get their turnover tasks created as before.

If you were seeing duplicate cleaning tasks before: this was a known issue that is now fixed. You no longer need any workarounds — simply keep your workflow automation active and it will handle task creation on its own.

[Screenshot: Automations settings page showing an active Turnover Cleaning automation]

Task state management

When you take action on a task in your dashboard, your choices are respected:

• Resolved tasks stay resolved — If you mark a task as completed, cancelled, closed, or archived, it won't be reassigned back to Vanio AI automatically
• Snoozed tasks stay snoozed — When you set a reminder for later, the task remains hidden from the active inbox until that time
• Your workflow stays organized — Tasks remain in exactly the state you put them in, keeping your task management clean and predictable

Editing task titles

You can update task titles directly from both the task sidebar and task modal views — just click on any task title to edit it:

• Click to edit — Tap the task title and it becomes an editable field
• Auto-save — Your changes save automatically when you press Enter or click away
• Cancel changes — Press Escape to cancel your edits and revert to the original title
• Works everywhere — This works for both property-linked tasks and standalone tasks

This makes it easy to clarify task descriptions or add important details without opening separate edit forms.

Task options menu (the "..." button)

In the top-right corner of any open task, you'll see a ... (three-dot) button. Click it to access two actions:

• Task Properties — Opens a panel where you can set the task's start date, estimated duration, approval or acceptance requirements, and deadlines.
• Convert to Task — Available on subtasks. Promotes a subtask into a standalone task.

If the "..." button previously seemed to do nothing: this was a display issue that has been fixed. The menu and its options were always there — they just weren't visible due to a layering problem. Both actions now work as expected.

[Screenshot: Task view header showing the "..." menu open with "Task Properties" and "Convert to Task" options]

Setting task properties

To configure the details for any task:

1. Open the task from your dashboard
2. Click the ... button in the top-right corner of the task
3. Select Task Properties
4. Set any combination of:
   • Start date — When work on this task should begin
   • Estimated duration — How long the task is expected to take
   • Requires approval / acceptance — Whether a manager needs to approve the task before it's considered complete, or whether an assignee must explicitly accept it before starting
   • Deadlines — The date and time by which the task must be finished
5. Your changes save as you go

[Screenshot: Task Properties panel showing start date, estimated duration, approval toggle, and deadline fields]

Converting a subtask to a standalone task

If a subtask has grown into something that deserves its own place on the board:

1. Open the subtask
2. Click the ... button in the top-right corner
3. Select Convert to Task

The subtask becomes an independent task, separate from its original parent.

Opening and closing the task pane on mobile

On mobile, tapping a task slides open a details pane from the right side of the screen. You can close it in either of two ways:

• Tap the X button — in the top corner of the pane
• Tap the darkened area outside the pane — anywhere on the dimmed background to the left of the open pane

Both do exactly the same thing: close the pane and return you to the task list. Tapping inside the pane itself — on a checklist item, a button, or any other control — works normally and won't close it.

What your team sees

Your cleaners and maintenance staff don't need to learn new software. They can use the Vanio app — or just text messages. Either way, for each task they get:

• Property address and access code
• The full checklist, room by room
• Estimated time
• Pay rate
• Special instructions from you

To accept, they reply "1". They take photos as they work. When they're done, they text "done." That's it.

Vendor SMS messages always include the exact unit

When Vanio sends a contractor or vendor an offer for a maintenance task, the SMS will always include the specific unit name — for example, "Signature 18604" — so they know exactly where to go. You no longer need to worry about a vendor showing up without knowing which unit needs the work.

While the task is in progress

• A timer runs while they work, with pause and break support
• Photos attach to the task as they're taken
• They tick off checklist items as they go
• If they find something wrong — damage, missing supplies, a broken appliance — they tap Report Issue, snap a photo, and you're notified right away

Issue reporting

Anyone with access to a task can report problems they discover — whether they're a cleaner in the field or a property manager reviewing from the office. When someone finds something that needs attention:

1. Open the task and go to the Issues panel
2. Click Add Issue
3. Select the issue type — damage, cleanliness, maintenance, missing supplies, or other
4. Add details — description, location, and photos
5. Mark as blocking if it prevents the guest from checking in

You're notified immediately when an issue is reported, and it appears in your dashboard for follow-up.

Who can add issues

The Add Issue button is visible to every team member who has access to the task — you don't have to wait for an assigned cleaner to report something first. Anyone on the following roles can add an issue directly from the Issues panel:

• Cleaners — spot damage or maintenance needs during cleaning
• Inspectors — identify quality issues during walkthroughs
• Maintenance staff — report additional problems they discover while fixing something else
• Property managers and owners — document issues found during property visits or noticed while reviewing a task from the dashboard

This means if you spot a problem while reviewing a task from the office, you can log it immediately rather than waiting for someone in the field to report it first.

[Screenshot: Task Issues panel showing the Add Issue button visible to a property manager]

Property-wide issue visibility

When your team opens any task, they can see all unresolved issues across the entire property — not just issues reported within that specific task. This gives inspectors and cleaners the full context of what needs attention at each location.

For example, if a maintenance issue was reported during yesterday's cleaning but an inspector is doing today's quality check, they'll see that open maintenance issue and can verify whether it's been addressed.

The task timeline

Every task keeps a complete history: when it was created, who it was offered to, who accepted, every photo, every comment, every status change, and the final completion time. Scroll back and you can see exactly what happened.

Finding and filtering tasks

Use the filter bar at the top of the task list to find specific tasks quickly:

• Assignee filter — Show tasks assigned to specific team members. Select a team member from the dropdown to see only their tasks.
• Status filter — Filter by task status (pending, in progress, completed, etc.)
• Date range — Show tasks for specific time periods
• Property filter — View tasks for particular properties
• Task type — Filter by cleaning, maintenance, inspection, etc.

Filters work together, so you can combine them to find exactly what you're looking for. For example, filter by assignee "Sarah" and status "in progress" to see what Sarah is currently working on.

Checklist templates

Create reusable checklists for different job types so your team follows the same steps every time. When you create tasks, Vanio automatically applies your most recently updated default checklist template unless you've created a property-specific template for that listing.

Setting up templates

1. Go to Settings → Checklists
2. Click Create Template
3. Add your checklist items room by room
4. Save and name your template

Once saved, you can apply any template to new tasks. Your team sees the full checklist on their phone and ticks off items as they complete them.

How Vanio chooses which template to use

When creating a new task, Vanio follows this order:

1. Property-specific template first — If you've created a custom checklist for a specific property, that always gets used
2. Most recently updated default — If no property-specific template exists, Vanio uses your most recently updated default template for that task type

This means updating your default cleaning checklist will automatically apply those changes to all properties that don't have their own custom checklist.

Managing templates

From the checklist settings page, you can:

• Edit — Update checklist items or reorder them. Changes save automatically when you click Save Template
• Add/Remove Items — Click Add Item to include new checklist steps, or use the delete button to remove items you no longer need
• Duplicate — Copy a template to create a variation
• Delete — Remove templates you no longer need

When you delete a template, it's permanently removed from your account. Tasks that already used that template keep their checklists — only the template itself is deleted.

Tips for editing templates

• Save early, save often — Changes only persist when you click Save Template
• Test your edits — After making changes, create a test task to verify your checklist appears correctly
• Keep it simple — Clear, specific checklist items help your team work faster and more consistently
• Update your defaults regularly — When you improve your default template, those improvements automatically flow to all properties without custom checklists

Working with checklist items on a task

Once a task has been created, you can manage its checklist items directly — adding new steps, ticking them off as work progresses, editing their text, or removing ones you no longer need.

Adding checklist items

Open the task and use the Add item field at the bottom of the checklist to type a new step, then press Enter or click the add button to save it.

Completing checklist items

Tap the checkbox next to any item to mark it complete. Tap it again to uncheck it. Completed items show with a strikethrough so your team can see at a glance what's left to do.

Editing checklist item text

You can now update the text of any checklist item after it's been created — useful for fixing typos or clarifying a step without having to delete and recreate it:

1. Hover over the checklist item — a pencil icon appears to the right of the item text
2. Click the pencil icon — the item text becomes an editable field, pre-filled with the current text
3. Type your changes
4. Save — press Enter or click the checkmark button to save. Click the X button or press Escape to cancel without saving

[Screenshot: A checklist item in edit mode, showing the text input field with checkmark and X buttons]

A few things to know:

• Editing text doesn't affect completion state — if an item was already checked off, it stays checked off after you rename it
• The item name can't be left blank — you must enter at least one character to save
• If the new text matches the old text exactly, saving will simply close the editor without making any changes
• Editing checklist items is available to anyone with permission to manage task checklists

Deleting checklist items

Hover over an item and click the X button that appears on the right to delete it. Required items cannot be deleted.

Marketplace

For larger operations, you can send tasks to a marketplace where vetted service providers bid on them. You review the bids, pick one, and they take the job. It's useful when your in-house team is full or you need a specialty service you don't staff in-house.

Billing and payments

Each task has a rate — flat or hourly. When the task is marked complete, Vanio can pay the cleaner automatically, either same-day or on a batch invoice cycle. See the Payments doc for setup details.

Ways to view your tasks

• List — Everything in one scrollable list, filterable by date, status, assignee, or property
• Schedule board — A visual timeline of each cleaner's day. Drag and drop to reassign.
• Kanban — Cards sorted by status: to do, in progress, completed
• Grouped — Group by time of day, by assignee, or by property

Real-time updates

The dashboard updates the moment something changes. When a cleaner accepts a task or marks it done, you see it instantly — no refresh needed.

Overdue task notifications

When a task hasn't been started after its due time, Vanio flags it as overdue and sends a notification so nothing slips through. Here's how the timing works:

• 2-hour grace period — Vanio waits 2 hours past the task's due time before sending an overdue notification. This gives your team a reasonable window to start the job before an alert goes out.
• Based on your property's local time — The due time is always evaluated in the timezone of the property the task is assigned to, not a global clock. A task due at 1:00 PM at a property in Denver will trigger its overdue notification at 3:00 PM Denver time — regardless of where you or your team are located.
• Notifications stop after 3 days — If a task is more than 3 days past its due time, Vanio considers it stale and won't send additional overdue alerts for it.

If you previously received overdue notifications earlier than expected: this was a known issue affecting properties in timezones west of UTC (such as anywhere in the Americas). Notifications were arriving several hours too early. This has been fixed — notifications now fire at the correct local time for each property.

Common questions

Can my cleaners use this if they don't speak English? Yes. Messages between you and your staff are auto-translated both ways.

What if the primary cleaner is sick? The system offers the task to your backup automatically. You can also override and assign it to anyone on your team.

Can guests report issues themselves? Yes, through the guest portal. The issue becomes a task you can assign like any other.

What if a task is running late? The dashboard flags overdue tasks in the operations view so nothing gets forgotten. Overdue notifications are sent 2 hours after the due time, based on the property's local timezone.

What happens to tasks when guests change their checkout dates? Tasks like cleaning and laundry automatically reschedule to match the new dates — you don't need to manually adjust anything. Your team gets updated notifications with the corrected timing.

What happens to tasks when I delete a checklist template? Existing tasks keep their checklists — only the template is removed. You won't be able to apply that template to new tasks.

Why didn't my checklist changes save? Make sure to click Save Template after editing. If you close the template editor without saving, your changes will be lost.

Which checklist template will be used for my tasks? Vanio uses property-specific templates first if they exist, then falls back to your most recently updated default template. This ensures your latest improvements are always applied consistently across your properties.

Why isn't the assignee filter showing the right tasks? The assignee filter now works correctly — when you select a specific team member, the task list will update to show only tasks assigned to that person. If you're still seeing all tasks after selecting an assignee, try refreshing the page.

Will my resolved or snoozed tasks get reassigned automatically? No — when you mark a task as resolved, completed, cancelled, closed, or archived, it stays that way. Similarly, when you snooze a task with a future reminder, it remains snoozed until that time. Your task organization choices are respected and maintained.

Who can report issues on a task? Any team member with access to the task can add an issue — cleaners, inspectors, maintenance staff, property managers, and owners. The Add Issue button appears in the Issues panel for all of these roles, so you don't have to wait for an assigned cleaner to report something before you can document it yourself.

I'm a property manager — can I log an issue on a task without being the assigned cleaner? Yes. The Add Issue button is now available to you directly in the task's Issues panel. Open the task, go to the Issues section, and click Add Issue to document the problem right away.

Why do I see issues from other tasks when I open a task? Your team can see all unresolved issues across the entire property to get full context of what needs attention. This helps inspectors and cleaners understand the complete status of each location, not just issues from their specific task.

Can I edit task titles after they're created? Yes — just click on any task title in the sidebar or modal view to edit it directly. Your changes save automatically when you're done, making it easy to clarify descriptions or add important details.

Can I edit the text of a checklist item after it's been created? Yes — hover over the item and click the pencil icon that appears. The item text becomes editable, and you can save your changes by pressing Enter or clicking the checkmark. Renaming an item won't affect whether it's marked complete or not.

I have both the auto-cleaning setting and a Turnover Cleaning automation enabled. Will I get two cleaning tasks per checkout? No — this was a bug that has been fixed. Vanio now creates exactly one cleaning task per checkout. When a Turnover Cleaning workflow automation is active for a property, it takes over task creation and the auto-cleaning setting steps aside for that property automatically. No action is needed on your end.

I was using both settings as a workaround for something — do I need to change anything? If you were running both intentionally, your workflow automation is now the one creating cleaning tasks. Review your automation in Settings → Automations to make sure it's configured exactly as you want — checklist, schedule, and assigned role — since that's the single source of truth going forward.

I opened a conversation with a guest and asked Vanio AI to create a maintenance task, but I couldn't find the task afterward. Is this a known issue? Yes, and it's now fixed. Maintenance tasks created by Vanio AI from a guest conversation will always appear on the conversation thread where you opened them — even if that guest has multiple reservations. If you experienced this before, you no longer need to search elsewhere for the task; it will show up right where you expect it.

My vendor got an SMS about a maintenance job but didn't know which unit to go to. Will this keep happening? No — this was a known issue that is now fixed. Vendor SMS messages will always include the specific unit name (for example, "Signature 18604") so contractors know exactly where to show up.

I'm getting overdue notifications at the wrong time — earlier than expected. Is this a known issue? This was a known issue affecting properties in timezones west of UTC (such as the US, Canada, and Latin America), where notifications were firing several hours too early. It has been fixed. Overdue notifications now fire 2 hours after the task's due time, calculated in your property's local timezone. If you're still seeing unexpected timing, make sure your property's location is set correctly in your property settings.

The "..." button in my task didn't seem to do anything — is it broken? No — this was a display issue that has been fixed. The menu was always functional, but its options were opening behind the task panel and weren't visible. Clicking ... now correctly shows two options: Task Properties (to set start dates, estimated duration, deadlines, and approval requirements) and Convert to Task (available on subtasks). Both work as expected.

How do I close the task pane on mobile? You have two options: tap the X button in the corner of the pane, or tap anywhere on the darkened area outside the pane. Both close it immediately. Tapping inside the pane on any content or controls works normally and won't dismiss it.