Best House Rules on Airbnb No smoking etc

Answered!
Joshua63
Level 3
Los Angeles, CA

Best House Rules on Airbnb No smoking etc

I am a superhost with 87% postive reviews with 3 years running strong. 

 

I have been an Airbnb host for quite sometime. I have through trial and error made some house rules. I would like to see if anyone is able to add to them or even subtract. I'm open for suggestions. 

 

So here they are.

 

No smoking
No parties or events
Check-in time is 3PM - 2AM (next day).

Hello and thank you for your interest in our apartment. 
We have some general house rules.

Check-in is at 3pm, and check-out is by 11am. Arriving slightly earlier, or want that extra hour to sleep? Should be fine, but please check with us first.

You're welcome to smoke inside the house for a $300 charge, you can smoke on the balcony for free. Just make sure you put the ashes inside the ashtray. We have no problem with Electronic Cigarettes. We also do not have a problem if you consume medical marijuana on the balcony. 

We do have a zero drug policy on illicit drugs.

Excessive noise is subject to cancellation of stay. All guest funds will be forfeited for the entire stay. We have neighbors that have been instructed to call the police. Meaning screaming, or loud music. I'm not here to monitor your every move have a good time, just don't hold a party or make noise. Please respect my home. 

Whilst 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. 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 which also means better chances of having your full security deposit returned too. 

No Additional guest inside the house then the amount listed on our orginal reservation. Meaning if you book for 2 people you can not have more than 2 at the house at all times. We count infants as guest. Our maximum amount is 5 guest. 

You will be required to notify us of any additional extra guest. 

We have annoying neighbors that have nothing better do with their lives, so if you're planning to have a party it will get shut down real quick. 

Santa Monica city ordinance quiet hours to be set at 10pm-8am

The easiest way to disrupt an enjoyable stay is a plumbing problem. To prevent this, we kindly ask you to please place things like sanity napkins in the sanitary bin we've provided in the bathroom. We simply want to ensure you have a royal flush kind of holiday :)" 

No pets unless approved, so before you bring your pet penguin please ask. We are in strict compliance with ADA and FHA. Just make sure you have the proper paper work. 

Trash must be taken out everyday.

The food on the plates need to be put inside the trash along with taken out to prevent bugs, prior to checkout along with everyday.

If there is a maintenance issue we reserve the right to enter the property with no notice.

Lost key fobs are subject to a $100 charge.

If the Cameras are shut off we reserve the right to enter the property to check the amount of guest along with charge a $100 fee. We will confirm with our ISP to confirm there is an outage first. We only have cameras on the outside of the property and would never violate anyones privacy.

The individual booking the reservation must be over the age of 18 years old, we reserve the right to verify. 

Other then that please have fun, our place is amazing you won't regret your stay.

 

Please advise me if there are any improvements that can be made on my house rules. 

 

Also as I outlined if anyone needs help hosting I'm free for co-hosting, I am currently located in Los Angeles, I update my prices 3 times a day.

1 Best Answer
Robyn52
Level 2
Australia

Joshua,

I have been holiday hosting for over 8 years. I joined AirB&B about 3 years ago. Although I can appreciate what you have done regarding the rules of the house for guests, it is long and if I can offer any advice, it would be better to simplify the copy.

 

Aside from very basic rules on my AirB&B site, I also have a welecome letter that is left on the dining/kitchen table requesting that guests leave the rubbish outside and to not smoke inside (I have an outside setting with an ashtray for their use), contact numbers, etc.

 

I also have a folder with information (just like a hotel) which explains how to use the TV, washer, dryer etc and gives the guests maps of the area and what is on each month.

 

I have stayed in many holiday lets around the world, including AirB&B properties and I find that instead of listing a whole host of things prior to the guests arrival, it's far better to have suttle notes left in obvious places for guests to see, so that they are reminded of what is expected of them when they stay on your property.

 

A small framed - House Rules for Guests on a wall that is clearly visible, is also a reasonable idea.

 

 

View Best Answer in original post

10 Replies 10
Lilian20
Level 10
Argelès-sur-Mer, France

Hello @Joshua63 Great house rules !

You seem to be a perfect co-host for anyone in your area.

Linda108
Level 10
La Quinta, CA

@Joshua63  Your list of rules highlights the difference between onsite and offsite hosting.  Much more detail required.  I did notice that your rule about returning the security deposit is a bit incorrect in that the security deposit is not taken only reserved access if there is a claim.

Helen3
Level 10
Bristol, United Kingdom

Hi @Joshua63

 

I am not sure whether some of the rules you have listed are enforceable through Airbnb in terms of your charges.

 

Also telling me you have annoying neighbours would put me off.

Andrew157
Level 10
Windermere, United Kingdom

As well as hosting we travel with airBnB and  your house rules would put me off staying with you as they are too long

 

However we have not had any issues with anyone stating at our place (yet)

Robyn52
Level 2
Australia

Joshua,

I have been holiday hosting for over 8 years. I joined AirB&B about 3 years ago. Although I can appreciate what you have done regarding the rules of the house for guests, it is long and if I can offer any advice, it would be better to simplify the copy.

 

Aside from very basic rules on my AirB&B site, I also have a welecome letter that is left on the dining/kitchen table requesting that guests leave the rubbish outside and to not smoke inside (I have an outside setting with an ashtray for their use), contact numbers, etc.

 

I also have a folder with information (just like a hotel) which explains how to use the TV, washer, dryer etc and gives the guests maps of the area and what is on each month.

 

I have stayed in many holiday lets around the world, including AirB&B properties and I find that instead of listing a whole host of things prior to the guests arrival, it's far better to have suttle notes left in obvious places for guests to see, so that they are reminded of what is expected of them when they stay on your property.

 

A small framed - House Rules for Guests on a wall that is clearly visible, is also a reasonable idea.

 

 

This is what I want to do.   Can you point to links, or send the documents?

I agree with you 

Robyn
Wendy-and-Frank0
Level 10
Stonington, CT

Two things:

 

Your rules are longer than the Bible;

 

The minute you let someone smoke in your house, as your next guest, I'm going to smell it.  I don't care how much you charge for cleaning.  I'm going to smell it!

 

Pete69
Level 10
Los Angeles, CA

Too wordy and too many points that are implied or could be covenyed via notes in the house.

 

Air Bnb isn't going to allow you to arbitrarily have a $300 smoking charge and neither is a judge in court. It would be the exact cleaning cost. You would have to provide receipts.

Here's what I say:

"This is a non-smoking room. Future guests are expecting a non-smoking room. Please go outside and away from open doors and windows if you must smoke."

I don't even mention marijuana. It's legal in LA. None of my business.

By the way I leave a day of prep time between guests. Even if they smoke outside, it takes about a day to fully clear out smoker BREATH with fans running. Sometimes guests just plain smell.

 

Same with lost keys. You can't arbitrarily say $100.  Airbnb might allow $5 to $10 . I wouldn't even mention this in your "rules". I have a sign on the inside of the door that says "Check out 12 noon, leave keys inside or on top of the lock box. Also check to be sure that you didn't leave something behind (under the bed, vanity drawer, in the refrigerator, etc).". Then later, as they're passing the gate to get to the front of the house I have a reminder note saying "Don't forget to leave your keys when checking out". So far nobody has ever left keys behind.

 

Please dispose of food waste in one of the outside trashcans so as not to attract ants into the house.

 

Don't even mention about arriving slightly earlier or later. Guests who want to will just ask anyway.

 

You said "If there is a maintenance issue we reserve the right to enter the property with no notice." I beleive this is illegal in California.  You need permission. Don't even mention this.

I do think it’s a good idea to tell guests ahead of time that they cannot have parties or events at your place and that only those listed on reservation are allowed, otherwise they will take advantage and then say they didn’t know they couldn’t—it’s easier to ask someone to leave if they’re breaking written rules. This is my first experience with Airbnb, but I had a licensed B&B for five years, and although I had very few issues, there were some that were sneaked in on me—smokers, children, pets, etc. and it’s not easy to deal with once they are there!  One guest unplugged the battery from the smoke detector in the room in order to smoke.  The room reeked.  The same guest did several things against the rules, then wondered why she didn’t have a standing reservation the next year for the local event.  Bottom line house rules are like employee handbooks, if you don’t have one, you don’t have leverage.  But you can be short and sweet.