I'm new at this

[Juliette252]

I'm really curious of what kind of house rules people post in their homes and what other things I should have posted for my guests. Would anyone be willing to reply with ideas or even a photo of yours that I can read as an example? I really appreciate any advice. 

Thank you

[Sarah977]

@Juliette252 You can click on any host's profile here and go to their listings and read their house rules.

The pretty common ones are no parties or events, no unregistered guests allowed on the property, no smoking (sometimes anywhere on the property, sometimes only outside), no pets, no infants ( Airbnb ridiculously classifies 0-2 years old as "infant" when anyone who has been around children knows that a 2 year old is totally different than a 2 month old when it comes to the potential for damages or a mess), not suitable for children under 12.

But some hosts do allow pets, and children, and smoking, some hosts have pools or hot tubs they need to post rules about, so it really depends on what you are offering and want to cater to. 

And some long-time hosts have beefed up their house rules list as time goes on and experiences have shown them that what one would assume is common sense is in short supply when it comes to rental guests.

I have a home-share listing and only host one guest at a time, so I have almost no rules aside from no parties and no pets. It's not like people can do outrageous things in my house without me being aware of it.

[Anonymous]

@Juliette252  Your House Rules become part of a binding contract with the guests when a booking is confirmed, so they should contain every condition that needs to be disclosed prior to booking, and ones that are serious enough to enforce.

The one I take most seriously is: "only registered and paid guests are permitted on the property. No additional visitors are permitted at any time."  That might sound strict, until you realize how frequently listings like yours are targeted for use as party houses, makeshift brothels, and drug-dealing sites.

You say "pets are allowed," which is something I would strongly discourage until you have more experience with Airbnb. It's important to know that the Host Guarantee does not cover pet-related damage, so you might find yourself stuck with the bill if your furniture is destroyed or your carpets are soiled. If you're confident that you can handle that, at least set some limitations to which type and number of animals are permitted and stress that they may not be left unsupervised.

You should immediately take your phone number off of the listing  -  this info should only be transmitted after a booking has been confirmed. I have no idea how it managed to slip through the auto-censors.

I don't see any mention in your listing of how you plan to monitor the home for inappropriate activity, but I'd strongly recommend adding that in to deter the criminals that tend to target new/unreviewed listings.

[Juliette252]

Also should I have a deposit and if so what's a good amount?

[Anonymous]

@Juliette252  It doesn't matter, because the deposit is fake. Airbnb doesn't actually charge or hold it at the time of booking. Say whatever amount you want to, it has no effect on the actual claim process in the event of damage.

[Colleen253]

@Juliette252 

I second everything Andrew has said. Your question about the deposit leads me to wonder if you've had a thorough read of the Airbnb help pages to learn everything you need to know about hosting on the platform? I strongly recommend starting there. Reading topics on this forum will also help you become a savvy host. Then you'll have both the technical knowledge and some very useful 'street knowledge' under your belt before you wade too far in. Best of luck!

[Ann72]

@Juliette252  At $95 a night for 7 guests, it doesn't matter what your house rules are.  You'll get horrible, low-life guests who will break all the rules and then complain that your place was too expensive.

Do some math.  Ninety-five divided by 7 is $13.57.  What kind of accommodation would you stay in for $13.57 a night?

[Juliette252]

My house is priced comparable to the houses in this area.  I have my listing on smart pricing until I get it rented a few times then I will increase the price. There's no way my house could rent for as much a yours in this part of the world.

[Ann72]

@Juliette252  Mine are higher than most people around, and yet they rent.  

A good way to use Smart Pricing is to use a minimum that you're happy with.  Don't let it go below that.

Your place is great and if you show that you value it, you will get guests who value it, too.  If you think it's only worth $13.57 a night, you'll get guests who think that, too.

[Juliette252]

I really appreciate your feedback. I will definitely increase my price now that it's been booked a few times already. 

[Colleen253]

@Juliette252 Be wary of Smart Pricing and careful how you use it. Ann has a good tip. If you don't set your minimum (set it much higher than the stupid suggestions it will give you), Airbnb will  set your prices very low, to attract bookings. They don't care at what price you get a booking, they only care about getting the bookings.

[Ann72]

@Juliette252  That's my girl.  Here's a longer discussion of the whole subject:  https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/Festival-A-Smart-Pricing-Journey/m-p/1123517

[Anonymous]

@Juliette252  One pricing feature you might want to use is the "Extra Person Fee." There's no reason that a group of 7 people should get to rent for the same price as a group of 3, considering the additional resources that they're using.

But you still need to communicate that the property's entrance is monitored, lest anyone be tempted to cheat by undercounting their group size.

[Juliette252]

Im going to look into that. You make a really good point.