22 May How To Set Your Airbnb Rules And House Manuals

Any Airbnb rules for your rental be just as important as your listing itself. Sometimes people need a little bit of an added direction when it comes to the do’s and don’ts of your location. Other times there is an unfortunate truth that common sense just isn’t… that common.

With the wide variety of guests coming into your home, it’s important that whatever rules you decide on that they are agreed upon by both parties ahead of time.

Where Do Your Airbnb Rules Begin?

It’s impossible to try and accommodate for every case, nor should you try to. Having an overbearing list of rules can be overwhelming and seem unnecessarily strick for your guests. I find that with my rules page I like to stay with the magic number of ten.

While my Airbnb rules have fluctuated and changed through my time as a short-term rental owner, I try to stay below this number for the sake of ease and brevity.

If you have a list of items over this amount, consider mentioning these pseudo-rules during your house tour instead. For example, if you didn’t want people walking with shoes on across your new carpet, show them the shoe area during the house tour.

What Are Good Rules To Have?

When developing Airbnb rules for my listing, there’s one thing that I like to keep in mind.

What would be the questions that I would have as a guest?

While the list of rules remains unique to your listing and personal preferences, here are a few questions to think about that your guests can have.

• Can guests have outside friends over? How many?
• Can friends stay overnight? Do they need approval?
• Do you allow smoking on the property? If yes, where?
• Is your listing 420 friendly?
• Can guests have parties?
• Do you allow pets inside the home?
• Are any areas of the listing off-limits?
• Where does trash go? Is recycling enforced? Do you expect your guests to do their dishes?
• Do you allow the use of your washer and dryer?
• Can I use the mailbox to receive packages?
• Can shoes stay on while they’re walking around the unit?

Where Should You Post Your Airbnb Rules?

While the rules should appear in your listing, there are other locations that are suitable for additional placement. Consider posting the rules on laminated sheets within your listing. Individual rules can be placed as reminders in locations where they could be broken. Another alternative is to post your rules digitally inside your Airbnb guidebook.

While these methods are certainly no guarantee that your rules will be followed, they do work as gentle reminders. We are all human after all. However, if the rules are explicitly not followed, this is definitely something that I would follow up on when writing a review.

Can Your Rules Change?

Of course! It’s your property and certain experience may have you reconsider prior written rules. My biggest suggestion for this, however, is to not change your rules during guests stay. The rules are agreed upon by both parties so it’s your duty to hold up your end of the bargain- even if it’s not favorable.

If something important does happen to pop up, you can always make a request by communicating clearly with your guests. While there is no guarantee that they will follow along with this new impromptu plea, most people will show you the common courtesy.

Laying Down The Law

Do you have a particular set of Airbnb rules that work well for your listing? Have you come across a set of rules that you found absurd? Post below!

If you want a really simple template to follow please check out our new Airbnb House rules Template.

You can also connect with other like-minded Airbnb Hosts by joining my Facebook Group.