Your Airbnb house rules are some of the most important things you can have on your listing. They outline to your guests what you expect of them while they stay at your Airbnb. So what exactly are Airbnb house rules?
Airbnb house rules are a set of guidelines that you ask your guests to follow before they commit to booking your property. They outline what you expect of your guests before, during and after their stay. If a guest breaks a rule, they are liable for any damages that may occur. They also run the risk of being evicted from the property.
So without further ado, here are our top 11 most helpful Airbnb house rules.
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We’ve all heard the horror stories of raging parties that turn your property into a nightclub. Unfortunately, we all know how it ends. This is why we have this Airbnb house rule in the #1 position.
Not to say by having this rule your guests will play along. There is always the risk of someone throwing a party, so what can you do?
There are some great products out there which can help hosts monitor their listings.
For starters, the Ring Doorbell is a camera that you attach by your door like you would a doorbell. When someone rings the bell, you get an alert and can see the comings and goings.
But what about inside your house? As security cameras are only allowed outside the house as per Airbnb’s guidelines. We have found a nifty little device that monitors noise levels by a company called Noise Aware.
In summary, by using these devices you can monitor what is going on in your Airbnb. If you find that your guests are hosting a party, you can get it shut down before it gets out of hand.
2. No unregistered Guests
This rule covers a lot of bases when hosting your home. Its main use is to stop your guest booking for two people and then sneaking in more.
It also eliminates friends popping over or someone filming a movie or advertisement. We have even heard of guests
While you may think,
Be careful, some guests are crafty and will want to avoid paying the extra guest fee. For further reading I encourage you to read my article on the extra guest fee.
3. No eating or drinking in the bedrooms
This is a
Picture your guest whipping up some spaghetti and meatballs. They take it into the bedroom, get comfy under the covers and chow down.
Food and drink stains are a huge problem. It sometimes requires bleaching, stain removers, soaking and many washes to remove. Therefore, adding a rule of no eating or drinking will not only save you time and money. You can also ask for compensation from your guest if food or drink stains appear.
4. Do the dishes!
Ahh, dishes, the bane of everyone’s existence. You don’t want to do them at home so what would possess you to do them while on a trip!
Even if you have a dishwasher or provide washing up liquid and sponges, your guests won’t take the hint. Doing the dishes takes up so much extra cleaning time. And if you hire a cleaner, this could mean extra fees on top of their hourly rate.
So if you provide a kitchen for your guests, state in your house rules that all dishes must be clean upon checkout. You can even add that if any dishes are not done, they will incur an
For further reading about saving time on your Airbnb cleaning, check out these 11 hacks.
5. No smoking
You would think in this day and age that your guests would know they should only smoke outside. But with so many different nationalities and
Along with the rule you can write that guests must dispose of their cigarette butts in the bins provided. Many guests will drop their butts into the garden or pot plants. So make it clear in your Airbnb house rules that this is not acceptable.
Make sure you provide your guests with a container by the door. This is where they can put their butts,
6. Fake Tan = BYO Sheets
Have you been lucky enough not to encounter your bed with a body-shaped orange stain left on the sheets? If not, then you are doing well and should buy a lottery ticket!
In saying this, you can claim on any stained sheets. this is often referred to as liquid gold by the Airbnb
But if you
For more, check out my article on choosing the best sheets for Airbnb. I also teach you how to deal with stains.
7. Lights and AC/Heating to be turned off when away
A simple rule that will not only save you a few dollars but save the environment too. We all know that hotels have been doing this for years with the use of the room card in the electricity slot. So why not enforce this in an Airbnb.
A guest is there to explore or work in your town or city. So there is no need for them to leave lights on or run the A/C all day.
Of course, it is hard to track this rule. But you can install Wifi AC/Heating remotes. These allow you to turn the units on or off and even adjust the temperatures.
8. No Pets
There are many pros and cons to allowing or not allowing pets. We have asked a group of hosts for their opinions and here’s what they had to say.
Cons
- Potential guests that have allergies to pets won’t book your place
- They can leave your place untidy if the owner doesn’t look after their needs
- Hair everywhere = hours of vacuuming!
- Potential damage to furniture, carpet, and windows
- Dogs may bark at night which won’t impress the neighbours
- They can leave a lingering smell which is hard to remove in the time between guests.
Pros
- There is a big market for people travelling with their pets
- A lot of people don’t accept pets leaving you open to more opportunities for bookings
- If you’re an animal lover, it is a great
opportunity to meet some new furry friends
As you can see, there weren’t too many comments for the pro column. In saying this, there is a market for both pet and no pet properties. So don’t be too discouraged if you decide to go pet-friendly.
Check out my detailed article on Airbnb and pets which may assist in setting your house rules.
9. State check in and out times
There is nothing worse as a host having your guest turn up early to their booking, or worse, checking out late.
We hear countless stories about guests turning up in the AM of their booking. Standing there knocking on the door only to find another guest in their PJ’s with a look of confusion.
Or the more common situation of a guest checking out late. This disrupts your cleaners schedule putting everyone behind and giving you less time to prepare for your next booking. So consider adding this to your Airbnb house rules.
We highly recommend having these times clearly written in your house manual. If you don’t have a house manual, you can download my Airbnb house manual template to get started. It is completely free of charge.
10. Noise Curfew
Having a noise curfew is essential if your Airbnb is in the suburbs or in an apartment building.
Keeping your
Setting a noise curfew will help cut down on any late night parties or get-togethers. If your guests break this curfew you have the ability to remove them from your property.
As a result, I would encourage you to add a noise curfew to your Airbnb house rules. Guests should be aware not to be too noisy, but it’s always good to remind them.
11. The lost key fee
When your guest loses their key it can be quite
The key is often lost for good. So now you have to get another one cut, or if your keys have a fob, you have to
Stating that any lost keys will incur a fee of X amount of dollars will help to keep your guest’s keys safe and secure. Once I added this to my Airbnb house rules, it has rarely ever happened.
Another handy tip is to never put the address of the Airbnb on the key chain. If they keys get lost, you may end up having to change the locks.
What happens if you break an Airbnb house rule?
Okay, so we now know the essentials. So what happens if you break an Airbnb house rule? What can you, as a host, do?
To be blunt and honest, it is up to Airbnb whether you can claim, evict or pull money from a security deposit.
If your guest breaks a house rule that results in damage to your Airbnb, you can file a claim in the resolution centre. You can find this under send or request money.
For a full guide on how to file a claim to Airbnb, check out my article which explains the process step by step. I also give you all the tips on how to make a successful claim as the process can be tricky.
You can also leave a low rating when it comes time to review the guest. Be honest with your review so that future hosts can see that the guest doesn’t respect house rules.
If the rule they broke was only small and didn’t cause any damage, I would consider letting it slide. Sometimes bringing up a broken rule to a guest isn’t worth it and can lead to an unfair ‘revenge review’. I have written an article on how to get good reviews on Airbnb which I encourage you to read.
Where are house rules on Airbnb?
When adding house rules you can choose from the five preset rules that Airbnb suggest. These are the basic rules that everyone will have listed on their ad.
Underneath the preset
There is also an option to include details that your guests should know about your listing such as:
- Are there pets living on the premises?
- Are you next to
a main road or live above a busy shop? - Do they have to climb stairs?
- Are any spaces shared with other guests?
- Are there some amenity limitations like no oven or fridge?
Including as much info about your listings quirks and limitations will let potential guests know if your property is right for them or not. In
Funny house rules for Airbnb guests
Another approach that could work is to inject a bit of humour, rather than getting too serious. I’ve seen hosts come up with some funny house rules for their Airbnb guests.
For an example of funny house rules, you can use the sample below as a guide.
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Key Takeaways
To summarise, we have gone over all the main house rules that you should include in your Airbnb listing. These rules cover all aspects of your guests stay and lets them know what you expect of them.
Sample Airbnb house rules for guests:
- No Parties or Events
- Only registered Guests
- No eating or drinking in the bedrooms
- Do the dishes
- No smoking
- Fake Tan = BYO Sheets
- Turn
of lights and AC/Heating when out of the property - No Pets
- State check in and check out times
- Noise curfew
- Lost Key fee
Once you have added your rules onto the listing, you should then include them in your house manual. Have the manual handy inside your property so it’s easy for your guests to find.
Now that you have your Airbnb house rules set. If a guests breaks your rules, you have more of a chance to claim damages or even evict your guest (in extreme cases).
But remember to choose your battles wisely. Don’t reprimand a guest because they left the AC on all day. They won’t take this well and you could end up with a dreaded revenge review.
So now that you have all your essential rules in place, you can go forth and start accepting guests with confidence.