What are your house rules?

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Based on experience and the fact that we are in the middle of marijuana country, and near a university, I have a rather lengthy list

An actual photo of your face on your profile will be required to book.

Names of all persons 18 or over in your group, other than your significant other/adult children, will be required before door entry code is given.

Tampering with the Ring Video Doorbell will be grounds for immediate cancellation and eviction.

Communication is key. We ask that guests kindly respond to host communications in a timely manner, usually within an hour if you are checked in. We communicate almost entirely via the Airbnb messaging platform. Since there is no way to know if you have read a message, please respond with, at the very least, OK to all messages.

Check In - Check In Instructions you will be sent the day you are due to arrive, with your door code.

Check Out - Message us when you leave the house please

To keep our costs down (and pass those savings on to our guests) we kindly ask that you turn off lights and heating when it’s not in use or leaving the house. Mother Nature thanks you too.

Any food in the kitchen cupboards or refrigerator is available to whoever is currently staying in the house. Please feel free to help yourself.

Please have all children remain in the kitchen with food and drink. No food in the bedrooms.

If you are here for an extended stay, please let us know if essentials need to be replaced ie; toilet paper, paper towels, towels or sheets need laundering, etc.

Please do not rearrange the furniture, inside or outside. Please put things back where you found them.

Please do not sleep on the couch without the special bedding made especially for that purpose.

If you do not need the comforter, quilt or blanket that is on a bed, please do NOT throw it on the floor. Place it on a shelf in the closet or any surface that is Off the floor.

Please do NOT unplug the Air Purifiers/Ionizers. There is one in the Dining Room and one small one In each bedroom.

If you’re coming to Eureka/Humboldt County to party you’ve picked a great area to do so. Unfortunately, just not at our place. This is a quiet family neighborhood and everyone keeps an eye/ear on each other. Though we’re sure it won’t come to it, serious complaints of unruly behavior will unfortunately result in you being asked to leave. Not good for you. Not good for us.

Being a family home, we have a no smoking policy; this includes e-cigarettes/vape implements. (Although you are welcome to smoke either out front or back at least 15 feet from all doorways and windows.)

What you do in your personal time is entirely up to you, but when staying at our place we have a strict no illegal drug use policy. This is just the law… not so much one of our rules.

While we do a thorough professional clean between each guest stay, we kindly ask that prior to leaving, you clean and put away any dishes or kitchenware used and put any dirty towels in the hamper provided in each room. It helps us get through our cleaning process quicker and allows us to keep cleaning costs down for you and future guests.

We understand that accidents happen. But we do ask that you please let us know when they do. Chances are we can fix them as effortlessly as possible. This applies to any problems as well. Please let us know right away if there is an issue so we can address it immediately. We want your stay to be as comfortable as we can make it.

The easiest way to disrupt an enjoyable stay is a plumbing problem. To prevent this, we kindly ask you to please place things like feminine hygiene products in the trash bin we’ve provided in the bathroom. We simply want to ensure you have a royal flush kind of holiday :slight_smile:

We understand that for a whole variety of reasons, you may want additional guests to stay or visit. In the event that you want additional guests to stay or visit, please contact us to let us know. We’re reasonable folk and will accommodate wherever possible. However, until approved by the hosts, only the guests who are named and registered in the original reservation are permitted to enter the property. Any violations may result in immediate termination of the booking with no refund.

Each host has to fine-tune their rules for their area and the guests that they get. I hope this helps, good luck

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Wow! I didn’t realise you could put so much content there.

Just to be clear, it’s this box we’re talking about…

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Right?

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Yes, that’s the right place. While you can put a lot of detail in, I keep mine to simple bullet points. A lot depends on whether you live where you host. I think you do???

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Nope. It’s an independent property.

But I do agree about the bullet points. I’ve been putting together notes from other threads over the past week and will try to formulate something today.

Let’s see if anyone else shares theirs as a source of inspiration.

Thanks :slight_smile:

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This is a stand-alone “cabin” inside the pool area behind the house, entrance is in back (not through the house) by walking between our house and the neighbor’s…

In the Listing Description screen:
blah…blah text…

No Children, no Pets, and no more than two guests.
We do not accept Text Messages. Please call, or email through AirBnb only.
A full frontal headshot photo is required of all guests.

House Rules

  • Not suitable for children (2-12 years)
  • Not suitable for infants (under 2 years)
  • Not suitable for pets
  • No smoking
  • No parties or events

Additional rules

  • No Early or Late Check-in without prior approval.
  • No late Check-outs. We are not a hotel, and have a life outside of AirBnb.
  • No smoking or vaping anywhere on the property.
  • We have cats who will probably avoid you; but can be kept in the main house during your stay if you prefer. Please help us keep them inside by firmly closing the pool cage door.
  • Please respect our neighbors by being quiet coming and going. No loud parties, please.
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These are mine. I choose to put a small synopsis of the listing description at the top. I had several more rules at one point (no torrenting, for example) but found they were in reaction to one-off issues with guests. It’s hard to find the sweet spot between keeping mayhem at bay and coming off as a power-tripping security guard. :sweat_smile:

I want you to have a great stay! Since this is a home, not a hotel, please take note of the following:

BEFORE BOOKING: Know that Nested is the second story of a two story house. It is small (~440sf/40sm), self-sufficient and private, but only set up for beverage and light snack prep (Has fridge & microwave, but no range or kitchen sink). There’s Wi-Fi, but no TV; and shower but no tub. I live downstairs with Izzy the cat.

BEFORE ARRIVAL:
Please give me an estimated arrival time by the day before your stay. Self check-in is available anytime after 3pm; I’m most available to greet you 5-9pm.

Make sure your guest count on the reservation is accurate (and includes ages, if under 18), since only registered guests are allowed on the property (insurance reasons).

WHILE YOU’RE HERE:
Keep gates shut.

Keep noise to a conversational volume (and quiet entrance/exit) between 11pm and 8am.

Don’t flush anything other than toilet paper & human waste down the toilet.

Tobacco, vaping, or medical MJ allowed OUTDOORS ONLY, at table near garage.

Before leaving put trash in 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.

To confirm your identity I may ask to see a government ID.

Thanks for reading! Let me know whether you prefer wine or chocolate to kick off your stay in TC.

I hope to never evict a guest, but in case of major disruption or rule violations, all guests will be asked to leave the property immediately without refund. Exclusive use of the space extends through the end of your paid stay. Any personal items will be removed from the suite & door code changed shortly after checkout time.

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I have a rule of no giving out my address for parcels or mail without prior permission.

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House Rules

No food of any kind in the bedroom. Smoking allowed outside. If your shoes are wet and muddy, please leave them downstairs in the hall. If you are cooking in the kitchen please wash the dishes that you have used and leave the kitchen tidy. Most importantly, relax and enjoy your holidays!

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Fellow host that I know accumulated 27 pages worth of rules in a pdf document.
It probably started with one just line too.

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I allow one side of A4. If it goes over during an edit something has to come out!

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How do you share a document in airbnb? All I see is the teeny tiny box to type into.

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We are live in hosts.

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I have an entire (brief but entire) STR contract I downloaded from http://www.shakelaw.com/ , plus I added relevant bits of my county permit rules with a cite (no noise, no commercial use, etc.). Says the primary guest is agreeing to the contract by booking. Don’t know if that would hold up legally, but worth a shot. I guess I could require an e-signature on the contract, haven’t experimented with getting that onto the Air platform

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Yes indeed, personally I think it’s too long and it would definitely deter me from staying. Your list of rules makes me a bit… Like this…

  • I have to answer within an hour :scream:? - I’m on vacation, let me be :sweat_smile:.
  • Check Out - Message us when you leave the house please. - Why don’t you check your ring video doorbell?
  • Mother Nature thanks you too. - Please educate someone else.
  • If you are here for an extended stay, please let us know if essentials need to be replaced. - Can’t you just provide enough? Or can I call you at 3am when I notice we have run out of toilet paper?
  • Please do not rearrange the furniture, inside or outside. Please put things back where you found them. - You better have stickers on the floor to indicate the correct position.
  • Place it on a shelf in the closet or any surface that is Off the floor. - Sounds like a very dirty floor.
  • Please do NOT unplug the Air Purifiers/Ionizers. - Hell what is that? If it makes noise I will most certainly unplug it. And why does the air need purifying?
  • If you’re coming to Eureka/Humboldt County to party you’ve picked a great area to do so. - I’ve read enough of this paragraph and switched to the next.
  • (Although you are welcome to smoke either out front or back at least 15 feet from all doorways and windows.) - I might just exhale the last half of my cigarette inside the house.
  • …you clean and put away any dishes or kitchenware used … - Can I just put it dirty in the cupboard?
  • We understand that accidents happen. - I just shit my pants, please help.

Sorry, I kind of exaggerated a bit to get my point across. Sorry also for this unsolicited advice. I think the list is very long, and also the tone of it really isn’t pleasant to read. Somehow reading it snapped me into this ‘rebel’ mode. I would try to condense it a bit, and give it a nicer feel :smiley:.

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It wouldn’t hold up as it doesn’t pass contracts law at “go”, unfortunately. Its not even that it is unsigned. For a contract to be binding, there must be active consent by both parties. Silence after reviewing a contract does not imply consent.

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I am guessing you don’t live in a litigious area. I do. If you think my list is too much you should see the ones from the local professional vacation rental companies. None of my guests have complained, in fact they have been very understanding and appreciated the information ahead of time.

I wanted to address just one point, Check Out - why don’t I just check my Ring Video? Because guests are in and out constantly and one cannot always tell when they are leaving. For example, if they show up with just a backpack and are in and out all day for several days carrying that same backpack, how can I be sure that they’ve checked out possibly early when again all they have is just a backpack for luggage ?

The rest of your comments are your opinions and you are most certainly entitled to them. If you were to come to my area and didn’t feel my place was suitable, I can most certainly recommend others. Have a Great Day!

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Thanks everyone for sharing their rules! I’m getting some good ideas of what to add and how to fine-tune my rules list.

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The great thing and the bad thing about Airbnb is that each one is different and everyone needs to consider that as they evaluate other host’s advice. I’ve seen some listings (I use Airbnb as a guest) that I would never stay at. Some of their rules, comments and reviews are just appalling in may opinion. And they have 700 5 star reviews. LOL!

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Although it may not pass in court, I presume it would pass with Airbnb. No?

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Yes, that is the content box. You can put as much as you want in there, it just shows a small part when you are editing. I typed out my rules page in Microsoft Word and then copied and pasted it into that box.