Good house rules do three things: they protect your property, prevent disputes, and help guests feel confident about what's expected. Bad house rules — vague, buried in a PDF, or never actually read — do none of these.
Here's a complete template you can copy, adapt, and add to your guest guide today.
Why House Rules Matter More Than You Think
Airbnb's resolution process almost always comes down to one question: were the expectations clearly communicated? Hosts who win disputes consistently have clear, accessible rules. Hosts who lose them often had rules buried in a welcome email nobody read.
Rules that are easy to find and easy to understand get followed. Rules that require a guest to open an attachment and search through six pages don't.
The House Rules Template
Copy and adapt the sections relevant to your property:
Check-in & Check-out
- Check-in: from [TIME] · Check-out: by [TIME]
- Early check-in and late check-out are subject to availability — please ask in advance
- Please do not ring the doorbell before [TIME] out of respect for neighbours
Guests & Visitors
- The property is booked for [X] guests maximum
- Unregistered guests and parties are not permitted
- Please let us know in advance if you expect any daytime visitors
Noise & Neighbours
- Quiet hours: [10pm – 8am] on weekdays, [11pm – 9am] on weekends
- Please keep noise to a minimum in shared areas (hallways, stairwells)
- We have good relationships with our neighbours — please help us keep them that way
Smoking
- Smoking is not permitted anywhere inside the property
- Smoking [is / is not] permitted on the balcony/terrace
- Please dispose of cigarette ends responsibly
Pets
- Pets [are / are not] welcome at this property
- [If welcome:] Please keep pets off furniture and let us know of any accidents immediately
Kitchen & Cleaning
- Please wash up or load the dishwasher before checkout
- Dispose of food waste in the bin under the sink
- Leave the property in a reasonable condition — you don't need to deep clean, but please tidy up
Rubbish & Recycling
- General waste: [colour] bin
- Recycling: [colour] bin
- Bins are collected on [day]
- [Any local specifics — e.g. glass goes to the bottle bank at the end of the street]
Heating & Energy
- Please close windows when heating is on
- Turn off lights, heating, and appliances when leaving the property
- [Any quirks — e.g. the boiler takes 20 seconds to warm up]
Checkout
- Lock the front door and leave the key [location]
- Strip the beds and leave towels in the bathroom
- Close all windows
- Full checkout instructions are in the [Checkout] section of this guide
How to Make Rules Stick
The best rules in the world don't help if guests don't read them. A few things that make a difference:
Keep them short. If your rules fill three pages, guests will skim or skip. Aim for one screen on a mobile phone.
Lead with the most important ones. Noise, guests, and checkout are usually the most critical. Put them first.
Explain the why where it matters. "No parties" lands differently than "No parties — the property is in a residential building and we want to maintain good relationships with our neighbours." Context creates buy-in.
Make them easy to find. Rules sent in an email are easy to miss. Rules in a digital guide — with their own section, available any time during the stay — get referred to.
With Hellostr, house rules get their own dedicated section in your guide. Guests can open them from the main menu any time during their stay — before they do something they're unsure about, not after. Update them once and every future guest sees the latest version.
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