Airbnb house rules template you can copy today

The house rules template (copy this)

Adapt the numbers to your property and delete anything that doesn't apply. Keep it under ten lines — long lists get skipped.

• Quiet hours: please keep noise down between 10pm and 8am. The building is residential and neighbours are close.
• No parties or events. Only the guests on the reservation may stay overnight.
• Maximum occupancy: 4 guests. Extra guests need to be approved before arrival.
• No smoking or vaping anywhere inside, including on the balcony. Smoking indoors means a deep-clean fee.
• Pets: allowed / not allowed. If allowed, please keep them off the beds and sofa.
• Shoes off inside, please — the floors are original and mark easily.
• Please don't move furniture or take towels or linens outside the apartment.
• Rubbish: bins are in the courtyard, recycling in the yellow container.
• Check-out is at 11:00. Leave the keys on the kitchen counter and close the door behind you.
• Any damage happens? Just message us — honest accidents are fine, hidden ones aren't.

How to write rules guests don't resent

Every rule reads better with a reason attached. "No noise after 10pm" sounds like a threat; "the neighbours have a newborn, so please keep it down after 10pm" gets followed. Lead with the why, keep the tone warm and put the two rules you actually care about first.

• One sentence per rule, plain language, no legal wording
• Give a reason for anything that might feel strict
• Say what is allowed, not only what's forbidden
• Put fees in the same sentence as the rule they belong to
• Never bury a rule in a paragraph — guests scan, they don't read

Rules in the listing aren't enough

Guests read your listing weeks before arrival and forget it by check-in. The rules that get respected are the ones visible in the apartment on the day. ScanStay puts them one scan away: guests scan the QR poster for the Wi-Fi password and see the house rules on the same page.

• Rules sit next to the Wi-Fi details, so they get seen
• Auto-translated into 16 languages — no more "I didn't understand"
• Change a rule once and it updates instantly, no reprinting
• Scan analytics show the page was opened during the stay

Rules that prevent the most damage

Across hosts, four rules save the most money: occupancy limits, no smoking indoors, no parties, and shoes off or pets off furniture. Make those four impossible to miss and treat the rest as gentle guidance.