How do you manage your house rules?

[Sybe]

Hey everyone!

It has been an unspoken rule for centuries that when you’re the guest in someone else’s house, you abide by their rules. Your neighbour might want you to take your shoes off when you come in, or the store in your local mall might prohibit you from entering with food or pets.

Whether you’re welcoming guests into your own home or you have a separate property, house rules allow you to set expectations with your guests. Though even with house rules in place, breaches can happen, leading to tricky situations. Knowing how to deal with them can be very beneficial for both your business and your peace of mind!

How do you manage your house rules? How do you make sure that your guests are aware of the rules? What do you do when a guest breaks the rules and how do you address them? 

Let us know in the comments below!

Sybe

P.S. If you’re unsure how to add house rules to your listing, check out this Help Center article.

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Sybe 

Great question - and such a well worn topic in the forums. 

The Guest Suite is a wing of my full time residence. House Rules are rarely an issue, as our  guests see how we live as an example to follow. We respect our masterpiece of a home, it is clean, and the grounds are groomed and free of debris and trash. 

It is so simple - we meet them at their car, with a warm welcome. When we all enter the house, we remove our outdoor shoes, place them on the rack by the entrance; guests follow our example. Most of our guests remove their shoes at home anyway, so this is not revolutionary. We give a tour of the spaces available to them, answer questions and assure guests that we are here, available as - and only as - they wish. 

We establish ourselves as hands on communicative and responsive hosts from the moment of first contact online. We have a welcome letter sent when they reserve. We ask if they have any questions, goals, information about the house, the area, the house rules, house manual, etc. The conversation has started, and so has the trust and bond that we establish. 

I am convinced that hosting in my home is key to the total lack of issues we have.  Not using instant booking makes it personal, that our home and our guests are special, that their stay here is more than merely transactional.  Our guests are self screening both by the nature of our listing and our using requests to book; which starts a personal conversation and gives the opportunity for them to be assured that we are a good match for them.