How do you manage your house rules?

Sybe
Former Community Manager
Former Community Manager
Terneuzen, Netherlands

How do you manage your house rules?

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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.

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45 Replies 45
Huma0
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

@Mark116 

 

I hear you. I've had numerous damages from guests but only ever claimed for one. I just doesn't seem worth the hassle of going through it all if it's not a MAJOR expense (and that's without taking the revenge reviews into account).

 

I think I would be mortified if I damaged something in a host's listing, and do my best to rectify the situation, not just leave and not say anything. Okay, some people are careless and inattentive (especially when on holiday) and might not even have noticed, but the level of denial really baffled me when I first started hosting. People come up with the most ridiculous excuses sometimes, especially trying to blame other guests because it is a shared listing. They forget that I know who is and isn't staying at any given time and that people can hear glass smashing etc. when they come home drunk late at night and collide with stuff.

 

'Watermelon girl' was my most ridiculous, but that's a whole other story...

Willie64
Level 2
Malacca, Malaysia

certain guests with different backgrounds may break house rules. You cant avoid it.  if you set your price high, you probably get rich guest which are more educated and obey house rules. if you set your price low then you will get low or moderate-income guest which might not follow house rules. if you get a group of youngsters then they might break the house rules instead of family guests.  I did not write long house rules. Just highlight the important rules among house rules because guests lazy to read them. 

Sybe
Former Community Manager
Former Community Manager
Terneuzen, Netherlands

@Willie64 What do you do when a guest inevitably does break the rules? Do you have a certain approach to addressing it with your guests?

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@Sybe 

when you have to deal with that - firstly know (not presume) that people lie.

So, gather the facts.

Takes pictures right after guests checked out, preferably with witnesses and timestamp.

Collect "testimonies" of neighbors if there was a party or noise.

Be prepared to be called lier yourself.

Get ready to fight - it is YOUR money

And - do not rely on AirBNB - call your insurance and buy the rider to cover commercial rental damages and civil liability to as high of amount as it makes sense in your country (in USA I have 1 million and property is separated with LLC), in Portugal - 100,000E which is A LOT for Europe non litigious way of living...unlike USA - that will give you peace of mind

Helen744
Level 10
Victoria, Australia

@Sybe My house rules are important to me but are also few ,so I make them count and introduce and reinforce them at the appropriate times .Firstly around id and establishing exactly who will be in the house by whatever means possible . We will need to have some idea of each other before meeting . A blind date if you wish with different consequences. house rules specifically for me are told to the guest . number one rule . If small children are with the group then the gates leading to the road must be closed when the car is on the property . an inconvenience to those who want to go in and out but they pretty soon understand.Next rule . Try for the love of god to recycle . I provide bins of all types and expect guests to have a go at it .This leads guests to tackle garbage generally always if not properly at least in some way. Dont take linens off beds . I simply do not want them on the floors .Hang wet towels up or put them in the laundry basket .Dont lose the key because you only get one and I explain that the house is so secure that you wont get in without it The only rule I tell people is the one about closing the gate , but I explain the dishwasher and the stove and the bins are marked , the laundry basket is in the bathroom and wastepaper baskets are everywhere . The only thing I cannot do anything about is the free microwave popcorn. People love it . Its cheap but it gets everywhere . sigh. H 

Basha0
Level 10
Penngrove, CA

I find that guests may read rules when they book which could be months prior to their arrival. I email them the house info and agreement about 10 days before arrival which they have to sign. No excuses in their part. @Laura2592  good to hear from you!

Elaine701
Level 10
Balearic Islands, Spain

Indeed, "House rules" are in any practical sense, unenforceable, so in my experience, you need to resort to a bit of simple psychology. 

 

First, it's important to have some degree of contact with the guest and establish a friendly relationship with them. If they never meet you, then you're faceless. They don't know you and are unlikely to consider your interests when making or leaving messes or ignoring house rules. 

 

Second, most (decent) guests don't actually realise that house rules are unenforceable, so attaching some sort of penalty to violations of them can make them think twice. "Smoking in the house will result in a 500€ fine". Yeah, well, you may not be able to enforce that, but they don't know that. It makes them think twice. 

 

Third, and I can't say this often enough... Screen your guests. Ask questions before they book. How many people? What is the age range? If they seem unusually detached, don't answer, avoid answering, or give inconsistent answers, that's a red flag, and you have to decide for yourself whether you're willing to accept this guest. I can tell you from long experience that it's spared me regret quite often.

 

And then, there's a security deposit, if you feel uncomfortable with the guest who's just made a booking request, you find out it's a bunch of 20 yr olds, and you'd prefer to either scare them away or demand a big security deposit... It either scares them away or gives you security. If you're holding a thousand bucks, you can be sure they'll be extra careful. Often, they'll go to great lengths to leave everything in perfect condition. More than you ever expected. They want their deposit back. 

 

It's all psychology, really. And yes, it's work. But anyone who tells you that hosting is easy money has obviously never been in the business...

 

Which reminds me of those Airbnb hosting adverts I hear on the radio. "You can put that extra property to work and make extra money. And you're top to bottom covered by Air Cover", so it's all easy peasy. 

 

Yeah, right then. So, Airbnb, you've never been in this business eh? Allow me to give you a few pointers... 

But now Airbnb has taken away the possibility of keeping a deposit, @Elaine701 ... 

Elaine701
Level 10
Balearic Islands, Spain

@Mariann4 

 

How can they do that? If you collect a deposit, it's in your hands. If the guest damages something, you give them back the difference. That's what it's for.  How can Airbnb intervene in that? 

 

 

Most use the resolution centre to request a deposit. From a couple of months back Airbnb have put their foot down for this and and changed their ToS to explicitly prohibit cash deposits. 

 

Link attached @Elaine701 :

 

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/140/security-deposits?_set_bev_on_new_domain=1590733828_Y2U3Zjdi...

Elaine701
Level 10
Balearic Islands, Spain

@Mariann4 

 

Wow, that's new. It may explain why a future guest is having difficulty paying a security deposit through the resolution center. He's been trying, but it just doesn't work. He's been on the line to Airbnb, but they say his card hasn't been "validated", although he made the booking with that card, and that worked. 

 

We haven't received any message from Airbnb about it. 

 

**bleep**. I didn't want to be forced to cancel this booking, but it looks like I'll have to. 

 

Thanks for the heads up. 

Nothing new about hosts not being notified @Elaine701 ... 🤷‍♀️ And the stand is very much anti-host when we know collecting for damages is hard in the first place. It's our properties! When damaged by guests you need to be able to collect compensation to fix it

Elaine701
Level 10
Balearic Islands, Spain

@Mariann4 

 

Yes, well that's the point of a security deposit. I think Airbnb is the only platform that (now) prohibits it. 

 

With that new information, I just won't bother offering risky Airbnb guests (e.g., eight 20yr old males) a possibility to be approved for the booking. I just won't let them book. Nope. Not without a security deposit. 

 

And no, I don't expect any explanation from Airbnb. It's not my first rodeo. It just wont work and nobody can or will say why. 

 

Thanks again. Strategic revision in process... 

Just an example why I, who prefer to be totally invisible to guests (unless requested and till 1 day before check out) - annoy the living hell out of them twice.

First time when they request booking (NO, I do NOT instant book - sue me) - I say thank you for your interest - here are the rules - please read them and confirm.

Any normal potential guest really interested in my places will watch airbnb messages and see what I am asking of them - so if they do not reply within 24 hours - "I do not feel comfortable with them" - sue me. Got nothign to du with pictures which I can not see - you would not let me in if you saw mine - I am middle aged white male.

Second time I annoy them right after booking confirmed after thanking guests for booking, explaining that they will get detailed instuctions 3 days prior to check in and so on - rules are, once again, attached.

 

That approach, no matter how much airbnb "experts dedicated their lives to helping hosts" try to convince you otherwise - WORKS.

 

I had few bookings that were canceled by guests I knew I did not want within first 48 hours (I have strict policies - I am not smart enough to agree on "recomended" flexible "screw host any time" policies) and guests actually THANKED me for making sure they know what they agreeing on. 

"We wanted to have a bachelor party and were thinking that since entire property will be at our disposal....but glad we saw "Property's surroundings and hallways is under 24x4 CC" and we realised that it is not for us.

 

As I said - it is YOUR property - take care of it

 

P.S. And, unlike some hosts here, do set realistic expectations because no matter how many times you will tell guests: "Please do not wipe your below with face towels" - they WILL

Wende2
Level 10
Church Creek, MD

Hello all...I have house rules printed out and posted on the fridge, next to all the important info, WIFI, phones numbers and such.  Either they don't read them, like they don't on the listing, or they could care less.  My main rule...PLEASE be mindful of crumbs and spills, they attract ants = stress.  The weekend guests 2 small children left crumbs everywhere, sticky on the end table.  I use to try and leave a read between lines review, no more, I could write a novel for some, I just make it simple and to the point.  I really can't complain, I've had so few horrible guests it's been a plasure to have 99.5% visit.