Advice on house rules

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Hi guys,

I don’t want to get crazy on too many wordy house rules. I’m wondering if some of you experienced hosts would share with me your house rules. Is it weird to ask people to use the bathroom fan when they shower…stuff like that.

Linda

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First we have the checkbox rules that prohibit children, infants, pets, smoking, and parties/events. In addition, these:

  • Quiet hours from midnight to 6 a.m.
  • Indoor Endless Pool is available evenings, 7-10 p.m. One of us will be in the room whenever the pool is in use. Bathing suits are required. We provide towels.
  • Kitchen use limited to microwave and limited storage in refrigerator.
  • We’ll be home while you’re here & will give you as much privacy or interaction as you want.
  • No other visitors allowed unless cleared ahead by hosts.
  • No strong colognes, perfumes, or other scents are allowed in our home.
  • Guests are welcome to take photos at our home, but photo shoot sessions require our prior permission.
  • We live here with our dogs, and visitors see them and interact with them. If you’re not comfortable with dogs, this might not be the best choice for you.
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This would be a house manual item, not a rule. If it is a guideline on how to operate the house and appliances, put it in the house manual. Rules are for things you will throw them out or otherwise penalize them for doing or failing to do.

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House rules vary depending on your type of listing, amenities guests have access to, whether you allow pets and children. @Lgstacey

What sort of property do you have, do you allow pets? do you allow children? do you host at home or remotely? etc etc

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We are finishing a new cabin right now, I am wiring the fan to the light. So unless they shower or poop in the dark the fan will do its job.

RR

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@Lgstacey, if you read the forum a lot you’ll know that a lot of hosts have a problem with guests not paying attention to the rules. Also that ‘guest don’t read’. You’ll also know that a lot of hosts get very stressed when guests don’t ‘obey’ the rules and the stress is greatly magnified if the host is trying to get Airbnb to do anything about it.

I believe that the best way to communicate your house rules to the guests is during the house tour. For instance, you or your co-host can say, when showing the bathroom “… oh and I wonder if you could do me a huge favour and switch on the bathroom fan when you shower? We have such a problem with mildew here … [or whatever your reason is] … thank you so much. Here’s the switch…”

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We do exactly what @jaquo recommended as we show the house to guests. We cover a number of things (bathroom fan, locking and unlocking the front door, closing a door that separates the house into two HVAC zones, etc.).

To further remind people, we have labels on some switches, like “Shower Fan—Leave ON.”

It helps. Not everyone does it right, but enough people do.

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One rule I think helps every host is “Only registered guests are allowed on the property.”
There’s a lot of grey area in how hosts and guests think of visitors. This makes clear you allow only the people on the official registration.

If you want to allow visitors (guests of actual guests) add something like “Please ask before inviting other people to our home.” Check your insurance coverage. Mine makes me a hard-ass on this point.

Here are my rules, honed over 5 years of hosting. :wink:

Welcome to our home! Let’s make sure we’re a good fit so you have a fabulous stay.

THE PLACE: This listing is the second floor of our home in downtown TC. Your suite does not have a full kitchen (no sink or range; just enough to prep snacks and beverages). It is small (440sf/40sm), private, and separated from our downstairs living space by an interior door. You’ll hear us going about our daily lives and see us, pets, or friends in the yard.

Guests agree to these rules at booking, so this is the quick description of the major downsides for anyone who didn’t read the listing. If they show up all surprised it’s not a huge house with a full kitchen, I can point back to this…

BEFORE YOU ARRIVE we’ll ask for a guest list with first and last names (and ages, if under 21), as required by the city and insurance. Only these registered guests are allowed on the property.

My city makes me collect names, otherwise this would just be a regular house rule “Only registered guests…”

WHILE YOU’RE HERE: We hope you have a fun time and enjoy the space! We ask that you and your traveling companions follow these five rules during your stay:

  1. Keep gates shut.
  2. Don’t enter our ground floor living space or outdoor deck without an invite.
  3. Ask before starting a fire and agree to follow our checklist for having one safely.
  4. Smoking (nicotine & cannabis) allowed OUTDOORS ONLY.
  5. Before leaving put trash & dishes in their bins, hang towels, and lock the door. It isn’t necessary to strip or make beds. Cleaning in excess of 3 hours (it typically takes 2) is charged at $35/hour.

Rules should be things that you are “get out of my house” serious about.

Like @Helsi suggests, many rules will be based on the needs of your particular home. You can see each of mine relate to safety of the property and its inhabitants. Our first house rule is keeping the backyard gates closed since we typically have animals (though we’re bereft at the moment).

Rule 5 means I don’t have to make 80 other rules preventing messes. Instead of “no shoes” and “don’t celebrate with glitter” I can just say “we’ll charge $35/hour to clean that”. I’ve only needed to claim on that once.

Thanks for reading! Tell me you’re a “good reader” I’ll have a treat for your arrival :slight_smile:

This might be my favorite because it lets me know who actually read the house rules. Guests who read arrive to some chilled sparkling wine in the fridge. I’m confident they can self check-in without issue. If they don’t mention the phrase, I’m more likely to meet them in person and give a thorough walk-through like @jaquo recommends.

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I don’t have house rules for my guests. Just the basics in my listing like no smoking, and parties. In my listing is also check in/out times. In my Airbnb I have house instructions for WIFI password and etc. I feel a lot of house rules discourages potential guests from booking. I explain further on my Youtube channel how this helps me compete in my market and etc.