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Protecting free reservations from abuse

Tier 3 lets renters reserve without payment when you choose that path — useful for low-friction move-ins. Without guardrails, bad actors can squat on units with fake emails. StoreAll includes practical limits owners can tune.

Built-in protections

  • Honeypot field on public forms — bots trip silently
  • Rate limits per IP and per email address
  • Cap on open reservations per customer (default: two concurrent holds)
  • Auto-expiry on unpaid holds (configurable hours, default 72)
  • Optional verified customer account required before reserving

Owner settings to review

In Manage → Settings → Reservation protection:

  1. Require account — turn on if abuse appears; adds friction only for real renters once per email verify
  2. Hold hours — shorter windows (24–48h) for hot markets; longer if move-ins need scheduling lead time
  3. Pair with staff habit: release or confirm holds before expiry emails confuse renters

Operational response

When a hold expires:

  • Unit returns to available in inventory automatically (via scheduled expiry job)
  • Renter sees expired state in portal if they had an account
  • Next waitlist match can be contacted

Balance friction and conversion

Too strict — renters bounce to competitors. Too loose — inventory looks reserved with no revenue.

Start with defaults, watch open reservation count and expiry rate for two weeks, then tighten account requirement if needed.