Overview

If you already have rental agreements, liability waivers, or other documents as PDF files, you can import them directly into ArrivHQ. The system extracts the text from your PDF and populates the agreement content -- no retyping required. For Tier 2 agreements, AI can automatically identify sections and structure them for the section-by-section signing flow.

How it works

Importing text from a PDF

  1. Open a checklist and add or edit an Agreement step.
  2. Click AI Import from PDF.
  3. Upload your PDF file (drag and drop or click to browse).
  4. ArrivHQ extracts the text and populates the agreement content textarea.
  5. Review and edit the extracted text as needed, then save.

How text extraction works

ArrivHQ uses two extraction methods depending on your PDF:

  • Text-based PDFs (created digitally) -- Text is extracted directly using standard PDF parsing. This is fast and highly accurate.
  • Scanned or image-based PDFs -- When no extractable text is found, ArrivHQ falls back to AI-powered OCR using Claude Haiku. The AI reads the document image and returns the text content.

Both methods produce plain text. Formatting like bold, italic, and tables may not be perfectly preserved -- review the extracted text and adjust formatting as needed.

AI section extraction (Tier 2)

For Tier 2 agreements, you need to break the agreement into sections that guests initial individually. ArrivHQ can do this automatically:

  1. After importing your PDF text (or writing agreement content manually), click AI Extract Sections.
  2. Claude Haiku analyzes the agreement text and identifies logical sections (e.g., "Guest Damage Responsibility," "Late Checkout Fee Policy," "Cancellation Terms").
  3. Each section gets a title and the exact content text from that portion of the agreement.
  4. Review the sections -- you can edit titles, adjust content, add new sections, or remove ones that do not need individual initials.
  5. Save the step.

One-click PDF to Tier 2

For Tier 2 agreements, PDF import and section extraction can be chained:

  1. Upload your PDF.
  2. Text is extracted and populated.
  3. AI section extraction runs automatically on the imported text.
  4. You review the structured sections and save.

This takes a static PDF document and turns it into a fully interactive, section-by-section signing experience in one flow.

Limits & requirements

  • PDF import (text extraction) is available on all plans.
  • AI section extraction requires the Host plan or higher (AI Concierge feature).
  • Maximum PDF file size: 6 MB.
  • Scanned PDFs may produce less accurate results than text-based PDFs.
  • AI extraction works best on clearly structured documents with distinct sections, headings, or numbered paragraphs.
  • The extracted text replaces whatever is currently in the content textarea -- copy existing content before importing if you want to keep it.

FAQ

What PDF formats are supported?

Any standard PDF file. Text-based PDFs (created from Word, Google Docs, or other editors) produce the best results. Scanned PDFs and photos of documents work via AI OCR but may need more manual cleanup.

Can I import a Word document or Google Doc?

Not directly. Export your document as a PDF first, then import the PDF. Most word processors have a "Save as PDF" or "Export to PDF" option.

What if the AI sections are not quite right?

You can freely edit, add, or remove sections after extraction. The AI provides a starting point -- you have full control over the final section structure.

Does the imported text include images or logos from the PDF?

No. Only text content is extracted. Images, logos, headers, and footers in the PDF are not imported. If you need specific formatting, add it manually after import.

Is the original PDF stored?

No. The PDF is processed for text extraction and then discarded. Only the extracted text is saved as the agreement content. The original PDF is not stored in your account.