As with any business, setting rules and regulations can help hosts rent their property with fewer worries. You should know that there are always risks and challenges to Airbnb hosting. Almost all types of Airbnb rentals (especially short-term ones) benefit from setting house rules. These rules help provide you with some insurance against bad guests and help automate your Airbnb to a considerable degree. Today we will cover the subject of Airbnb house rules and give you some tips and examples.
Tips for setting up great house rules:
Setting up house rules requires no effort, but only if you want no one to read them! In order to set up rules that will stay in your guests’ minds, you should think carefully and pay attention to quite a few details. Read on to find out some tips that can help you set clear boundaries for what guests can and cannot do at your place.
The Three S, short, simple, and sweet:
When potential guests read house rules, they should be able to finish reading them quickly and keep almost all of them in mind. If your house rules read like a rocket-ship manual, you know you’ve done it wrong! Another good rule of thumb would be to set only the essential rules. Avoid rules about small details that are harmless, as these only confuse your guests rather than help.
Keep your guests and your home’s safety in mind:
Always make a note to keep guests notified about their safety. Ensure to inform them of any special rules necessary for keeping your house safe. For example, one of the best rules to include during Pandemic times would be to remind guests of social distancing.
Share the cultural do’s and don’ts of your country:
Sometimes it’s a good idea to tell your guests that some of the rules for your place are common in the country they’re staying. For example, in some locales, guests are expected to remove their shoes before entering the house. Sharing such rules with your guests can help you manage your place better and help them out if they plan to go elsewhere in the region.
Keep your rules interesting and flavorful:
Your Airbnb house rules reflect your character to a large extent, so try to keep that in mind when writing them. If you are a very professional or serious person, be courteous and formal in your writing. Or perhaps if you’re a fun and easy-going host, you could include some humor in the way you tell your rules.
Examples of good Airbnb house rules:
No smoking allowed:
Not only can this handy rule save you the cost of burn marks and such on your furniture, but it will also help save the hefty cleaning cost in case your house smells of cigarette smoke. A good tip when setting this rule is to designate an area outside your place for smokers, so you don’t risk losing any potential guests.
Allowing or not allowing pets:
While it may seem like the smart choice to disallow guests from bringing pets to your place, it might be a good idea to reconsider. Allowing pets in your property gives you the potential to tap into a portion of the Airbnb customer base that is rarely considered. However, consider that pets can cause potential property damage and cleaning headaches, so think thoroughly before setting this rule.
Taking the trash out before leaving:
This one can be pretty handy as sometimes you can’t clean the property after your guests check out, and unchecked trash can cause quite a few problems. Asking your guests to kindly take out the trash before checking out can help solve this problem to a large extent.
Fines on lost or damaged property:
Another great idea is to remind your guests that there will be fines if they misplace or damage anything. Airbnb has a security deposit feature for hosts in case of damages, but sometimes the cost of the damages may exceed the security deposit amount. So it’s a good idea to keep your guests notified about the fact that they would have to pay extra if they happen to damage anything.
To summarize, Airbnb house rules can be a great way to manage your property and ensure nothing goes wrong. Having precise and applicable rules gives hosts peace of mind and helps guests know their boundaries so they can enjoy their stay with fewer worries. We hope this article helped you set a few house rules for your place!
You have to be super strict and clear about some of your rules tho. Otherwise you’ll have to go through so much trouble, specially with the neighbours