Make the most of House Rules: host tips & how-to’s

[Airbnb]

When it comes to setting House Rules, you’ll want to strike a balance between protecting your home and ensuring a great stay for guests by setting clear expectations. That’s why Airbnb’s House Rules tool allows hosts to select from a list of standard rules, as well as write their own, and requires guests to acknowledge and agree to the House Rules before booking.

“Rules are just another way you can really see a host’s true personality shine through,” Superhost Kelly, of Austin, Texas, U.S.A. said. “I would never rent from a host who had no rules. And if guests are able to see from a list of rules that they wouldn’t enjoy that host or that property, then that is a good thing to learn.”

Almost nine out of 10 hosts have selected from Airbnb’s basic rules, which touch on issues such as smoking, parties, pets, and kids*. However, hosts who write custom House Rules book more stays than hosts who don’t, according to Airbnb’s internal research. This may be because those hosts set clear expectations, and their guests have a better idea of what kind of stay they’re in store for.

By writing clear rules in your listing, guests can view them before they book, during their stay, and even after checking out. House rules are also sent directly to them once a reservation is confirmed, so you don’t have to rewrite or resend emails to every guest. Setting rules can help you save time and help prevent miscommunication.

Here’s how to set up and make the most of Airbnb’s House Rules feature. Plus, hosts share some of their best rules and tips:

How to create House Rules

On the web:

1. Go to your listing(s) on Airbnb.com
2. On the listing you want to add House Rules to, click “Manage listing”
3. Click “Booking settings” at the top of the page
4. Next to “House Rules,” click “Edit”
5. Select your expectations and write rules for guests, and then click “Save”

On the app:

1. Go to your listing(s) on the Airbnb mobile app
2. Click on the listing you want to add House Rules to
3. Under “Guest resources,” click “House rules”
4. Select your expectations and write rules for guests, and then click “Save”

5 House Rules tips from hosts

1. Keep it simple

“You don’t want to add so many rules that guests think they’re at mom’s house,” said Superhosts Wendy & Frank, of Stonington, Connecticut. Some hosts offered up suggestions**:

House Rules should NOT read like legal mumbo jumbo; otherwise, nobody will read it or potential guests will go to another listing that’s less complicated:

• Parties not allowed.
• You may not exceed the number of people specified at the time of booking.
• The internet may not be used for illegal activity.

 —J Renato, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Don’t add things you can’t enforce, like extra security deposits or charges for something broken.*** I don’t put courtesy requests or pointers, like where to leave towels and what to do with laundry, into my House Rules. I communicate those in person when guiding guests through the apartment or leave friendly note. While the ones that really matter to me absolutely belong in the House Rules.

• Our place is meant for either a couple or for a single adult.
• No children.
• The couch in the living room is not to be used as an extra bed.

—Annette, Prescott, Arizona, U.S.A.

2. Talk about local customs and climate

When writing your House Rules, take the opportunity to teach guests about your cultural norms and the local area. “Many times guests come from cultures and customs that are very different from ours, and want to spend a few days relaxing without too many obligations,” Superhosts Andrea & Ricardo, of Buenos Aires, Argentina, said. More hosts offered up their rules:

• We ask that you be prudently silent and discreet, especially at night or during the siesta.—Beatriz Elena, Medellin, Colombia
• No shoes inside. This is very common in Thailand.—Nutth, Chiang Mai, Thailand
• Do not leave the lights on and the windows open at sunset, or the house will be filled with bugs, mosquitoes, and moths.—Monica, Santa Maria de Palautordera, Spain
• No eating/drinking of any food/drinks, other than water in the Airbnb room. Please do not keep any food in the bedroom. No one is a fan of bugs.—Momi, Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.A.

3. Point out safety concerns

Much like customs and cultural norms, it’s wise to assume guests come from other areas of the world with different laws and safety issues. These hosts address this in their House Rules:

• Please close and lock all windows and doors when you leave the suite.—Dave & Deb, Edmonton, Canada
• No candles. None. Instead, we provide flameless, battery-operated candles for you to use.—Heather, Ithaca, New York, U.S.A.
• No business involving the public or unauthorized guests is permitted. External security cameras are in use.—Jayesh, Urangan, Australia
• Illegal downloads are forbidden. If you’re found guilty, government fines can run about 1,700 euros per movie.—Branka & Silvia, Zagreb, Croatia

4. Use some humor

When in doubt, lighten things up to show your personality and encourage guests to read your House Rules. These hosts share some tips:

• I expect guests to behave like grown ups:
  • Don’t burn down the house.
  • Don’t kick my dog.
  • Eat drippy food at the table.... It's a nice table.
  • There are several waste baskets around the house: the toilet is not one of them.

—Amy, Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.A.

• I have incorporated a question in the middle of my House Rules in all UPPER CASE. If the guest answers, it demonstrates to me that they have taken the time to read the House Rules:
  • WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE MUSICIAN? There is no right or wrong answer.

—Eloise, Winslow, Arizona, U.S.A.

5. Be yourself

Some hosts have a long list of House Rules and others have hardly any rules at all; either way, they still come away with five-star reviews. Hosts recommend reflecting your hosting style — whether it be relaxed, flexible, formal, strict — in your rules to help guests determine if it’s the right fit:

• Live and let live! Most guests are on vacation and don’t want to be lectured. I make soup, and lay out bread, cheese, and croissants. They feel as if they are welcomed.—Aija, Welcome, Hicksville, New York
• My listing is very clear on what I need from our potential guests who share our space:
  • All of the House Rules below MUST be read all the way through to the end. It will not be in your best interest to skim thru my rules. Therefore, please do not do so.
  • This is OUR home. We want our wonderful guests who stay with us to respect that this our home and we are raising our child in this home.
  • No raising of voices, arguing, or vulgar language.
  • No drugs in/out of our home.
  • Any violations and you will be asked to leave.

—Momi, Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.A.

Superhost Momi includes 12 more detailed House Rules after this, and she’s received more than 100 five-star reviews. Guest Steven, of Pullman, Washington, U.S.A., wrote: “I must say after reading [Momi’s] House Rules, I was a bit nervous. I soon realized that this would not be an ordinary stay. And to my delight I was correct.”

Once you’ve published your House Rules, confirmed guests will automatically receive them and can access them at any time. Creating House Rules once will help set guest expectations and set the stage for many five-star stays.

___________________________________________________________________________

*House Rules include limits on smoking, areas beyond the listing space that are off-limits, permission to have visitors, and more. To add information about how to use appliances and amenities in your home, see our House Manual tips.

**Host tips have been edited for length and clarity.

***If a guest violates a house rule, the host and guest are encouraged to communicate and resolve the issue. Creating House Rules helps Airbnb CX mediate a disagreement; however, Airbnb CX cannot enforce House Rules. If a host asks a guest to leave because of a House Rules violation, the guest will be refunded for the nights not spent and Airbnb CX can help facilitate that. If a guest refuses to leave, then the case will be escalated and be handled on a case-by-case basis.

[Jason861]

Airbnb should absolutely refund guests. As a host for 2 years I agree with their policy. Customers who are not happy will not return. Less customers means less business for everyone. Renting your home on a short term basis can be risky. Everyone should expect and budget for occasional damages. If you don't like it, stop listing your home on this site.

Airbnb allows us to make good money at least partially due to their policies that favor guests. The customer is always right (it seems no one has heard this before). Isn't that what reviews are for anyway? They damage your space, they get a bad review and others won't let them book.

[Helen427]

@Carine119 @Michelle1555 @Beulah1 @Michael1678 and @fellowAirbnbHosts, it's an idea to msg ppending Guests and ask if they have Read and agreed to abide by your House Rules which are part of Terms & Conditions of Airbnb .

That way you have it up your sleeve should the need arise for redress.

There's also valuable information in CC of you look up associated keywords.

Welcome aboard new faces & make sure you come back & join us others who pop into CC now & again.

All the best with hosting

Central To All Home & Location, Auckland , New Zealand

[Khadija5]

It's a simple tip but my guests help me to make the decions for the next person. I always ask them what could I do to make your stay better. Or simply ask them if they have any tips. I love their views face to face. 

[Chaula1]

I’m a super host going into my sixth season and I have quite a number of House rules and agree that establishing firmly  that guests must  read and abide all the house rules Makes for less problems during the guest stay, However the quick check boxes , followed by “additional House rules” ,  create this scenario that when the guest receives their itinerary they only see the first one or two lines of “additional House rules” and they have to click a hyperlink which takes them to another page on our  platform where they can read the rules in their entirety. On registering, they are asked to check a box that they have read the house rules and agree. But for most guests, this is like when any of us are going to download an upgrade for our operating system and simply click “agree” to terms of service. Does anyone actually read terms of service? 

The frequent changes in the architecture of the platform make it difficult to know or understand what guests are really seeing and what they mean when they click that box. I have to arm wrestle firmly with Registering guests before they get here asking several times that they verbalize to me that they have seen,  understand ,and abide House rules.

It would save a lot of heartache if House rules would be displayed in their entirety in the confirm itinerary without using a hyperlink. 

[Nellie1]

Love the tips on the house rules!

[Jessica1092]

When guests have violated the house rule upon checking in, they are not entitled to receive any refund for strict cancellation policy & long term reservation. 

[P20]

I think the best way to change guest behavior is to write honest reviews. It’ll take time for this to work within the Airbnb community but a few negative reviews will get a guest to think twice before trashing someone’s home. 

Airbnb should also consider giving hosts better support with these issues or they’ll lose out in the long term where owners with nicer properties will simply avoid listing on Airbnb. 

[Zippinderpal0]

House rules helps for good guests only but not for bad ones, Bad guests make great use of Airbnb policies if they have experienced bad practice in past and gets ever refund of spent nights. And host is alread a victim - may be they recover to you but next will be the victim again for sure.

Better to spend more policies in favor of host in case of house rules violation

[Tammy208]

There there are some great ideas in this articles.  

I love the humour ones.... may steal a couple of those.   I made a list and posted them in a picture frame on the counter for guests review upon arrival.  I posted them as reminders with rules and things that are for their advantage as well so it’s not just nah say stuff. 

Eg.  Where the iron is, if they need dishes washed where to put them so I can wash and return to them, where house coats and slippers are etc 

[Michelle961]

I am SO SO SO frusterated by this article. It sounds great -Post your rules, ahe guest agrees... All good right? NOT EVEN CLOSE! TWO times now I have had guests BLATENTLY disobey my clearly posted house rules (No Smoking). Airbnb said it was my decision to evict them, but they would get a refund EVEN THOUGH IT IS clearly listed in house rules that any smoking will be cause for eviction and no refund. So, basically you can list all the rules you want to protect your home/family, the guest can agree to them, but if you enforce your rules then YOU as the host get to choose if it is worth loosing the money you were counting on to pay your rent AND get that vendictive negative review they won't do anything about. Thanks for having my back Airbnb... 😞

[Kaya2]

I continually struggle with guests seeing my house rules because it is not obvious that there is a link they need to open. I believe that our personalized house rules should be clearly posted (not behind a link) and that guests must click a box indicating that they accept them BEFORE they book. I have to send all inquiries, pending reservations, and instant books a copy of the rules and about 1/3 need to withdrawl or cancel because we are not the right place for them. Had they seen them beforehand, they would have known this and saved us both wasted time & energy.

[Cathie19]

Thanks @Airbnbfor the article.

Rules need to be exact and not ambiguous or open for interpretation. Never assume a guest knows your thoughts or house boundaries.

I’m one of those hosts who has lots listed in my house rules, but they cover many areas such as illegal /commercial activity, pool  use, dangerous plants, ID cards and profile pics etc.

I’ve  never had a complaint, just an observation that it shows that I come with WHS /OHS  knowledge. Those rules are there to protect the guest, myself and my family... and my asset.

Also, the precise rules are great when the not so great guest appears on the horizon and the gut is unhappy... you then state all rules to be accepted - no exceptions! Usually the would be guest disappears into the ether! 

[Akos4]

Very useful article, now, I have amended my house rules as well. I also put no smoking in the apartment and no shoes in the apartment as I tend to find guests like to go all over the places with their shoes on (even if the room is carpeted).

[Angelyn1]

Loved reading all these posts. Quite a lively discussion. Airbnb needs to evolve and create more ways to support hosts because good guests make good neighbors.

Several cities in Texas have recently outlawed Airbnb in their cities because Airbnb homes were not being respectful neighbors. 

I went to Austin to testify in support of STRs to the Comittee on Urban Planning. Major concerns were:

1. Too many guests per property 

overloading streets with lots of parked cars making it difficult for neighbors to have access to their houses.

2. Loud or obnoxious behavior from guests and Local Police being called into nice neighborhoods to deal with partiers, overloading limited resources like Police.

3. Not knowing who is staying in the house makes neighbors feel unsafe.

Airbnb needs to develop policies and procedures for encouraging great guests and supporting great hosts or communities will eliminate out ability to create this income by making STR’s illegal. Bad guests is a huge problem that Airbnb needs to address!!!!

Step up Airbnb!!

[Ron-And-Kathleen0]

I have a seaside property that only rents for 7-day minimum during the Summer. I have clear House Rules concerning no smoking, no pets, no underage guests (unless children of a family staying with us), 8 guest maximum. I communicate these rules in writing and through conversations, and I have had no problems in 2 years. But if a large group of teens showed up, or a smoker or a shedding dog, etc, I would need to cancel immediately when it was discovered. If AirBNB wants to refund the guest for bad behavior that is a mistake but I EXPECT to be paid by AirBNB for my full 7-day rental that I was contracted for. I cannot replace that rental at the last minute. I will also give an accurate review about the guest not following House Rules.