When are infants overcapacity allowed in a reservation?

Infants can be brought over your property's maximum capacity in most booking channels, but the rules vary depending on which platform your listing is on. This guide explains the infant overcapacity policies across different booking channels and what you need to know.

What is considered an infant?

An infant is defined as a child younger than 2 years old. Infants typically stay free of charge if your property allows children, though policies differ by booking channel.

Infant overcapacity policies by booking channel

Airbnb

Airbnb has the most generous infant overcapacity policy among major booking channels.

• Infants are children under 2 years old; children are 2-12 years old
• Infants stay for free if children are allowed at your property
• Children aged 2-12 are priced the same as adults
• Guests can bring up to 5 infants over maximum capacity

Booking.com

Booking.com allows one infant to exceed your property's maximum occupancy.

• Guests can bring 1 infant (under 2 years old) over capacity

Holidu

Holidu offers flexibility regarding infant overcapacity with no numerical restrictions.

• Infants under 2 years old stay for free
• Everyone else counts as an adult
• There are no restrictions on the number of infants allowed over maximum capacity

VRBO

VRBO treats infants differently from other channels.

• Infants and children count as adults
• No infants are automatically allowed over capacity

Important things to know about infant overcapacity policies

You cannot change these policies

These infant overcapacity rules are part of the terms and conditions you agreed to when listing your property on each channel. You cannot modify or remove these policies, and it is not possible to add restrictions to your property description regarding infant overcapacity.

Only option to prevent infants over capacity

If you do not want infants exceeding your property's capacity, the only option available is to set your property to "children not allowed" in your amenities settings.

To do this:

1. Go to Configuration on the top-left side
2. Navigate to Amenities
3. Navigate to Children
4. Select Children Not Allowed

Cancellation penalties for infant overcapacity

If you cancel a booking because an infant exceeds your property's capacity, the cancellation will be recorded as a host cancellation. You may face penalties from the booking channel for host-initiated cancellations. Consider these policies carefully before listing your property.

Summary table of infant overcapacity policies

Booking Channel	Infants Under 2	Number Allowed Over Capacity	Cost
Airbnb	Yes	Up to 5	Free
Booking.com	Yes	1	Free
Holidu	Yes	No limit	Free
VRBO	No	0	Counted as adult

Need additional help?

If you have questions about infant policies or your property settings, contact our support team. Understanding these policies helps you manage guest expectations and avoid cancellation penalties related to occupancy limits.