5 rules every Airbnb rule book should have

As an Airbnb host, some rules may seem obvious to you. However, your guests may not come to the same conclusion. That’s why as an Airbnb host, you should create a rule book that contains all the rules for guests to follow, so you can all be on the same page.

So what rules should you include in your Airbnb rule book?

1. No parties

As IGMS says, you should avoid allowing guests to throw parties that could turn wild and cause damage to your rental and furniture, so you should add a rule about parties not being allowed to your Airbnb rule book.

Make sure you are very clear with this rule, and include a specific number of people allowed within the rental, eg. no more than ten visitors are allowed per visit.

This ‘no parties’ rule will do a better job of safeguarding you from wild nights and breakages. If your guests ignore the rules and anything is damaged, then pointing to the rule book could make it easier to get the money back to replace these items.

2. No smoking

It may seem obvious to you that smoking is not allowed in your rental, but you definitely should write this rule in your rule book. Guests who smoke cigarettes can leave a horrible smell around the place, stain the walls, leave marks or ash on the bed sheets or furniture, leave their cigarette butts lying around, or worst-case scenario, accidentally start a fire.

3. No pets allowed

Airbnb Universe suggests another common rule that you should have for your Airbnb property is that no pets are allowed in your property (unless your property is specifically equipped to have pets, and that's its unique selling point).

There are many reasons for this rule, and these include:

• Pets can deter allergy-prone guests
• Pets are more likely to damage your property and leave messes
• Animals can be loud and cause a noise disturbance for your neighbours

For all these reasons (and more), I believe that not allowing pets at your property is the best way to appeal to the largest number of guests.

4. No illegal activity to be conducted in the premises

As Airbnb Universe says, although this seems very obvious, it is a good idea to cover all your bases with your rules just in case the worst were to happen.

5. Any damages over the deposit account will be paid by the guest

Although it is difficult for you to force guests to pay if they have damaged your property beyond the security deposit, the logic behind this rule is to dissuade guests from damaging your property. Including a rule about making guests pay for any damages may persuade guests to be a bit more careful when looking after your Airbnb property.

Conclusion

So now you understand the importance of an Airbnb rule book, and why you should have one, it’s time to get cracking! 

You can always also add your own rules. Although depending on what they are, you might want to also clarify these on your Airbnb listing. This is so you don’t surprise your Airbnb guests when they turn up at your property and discover your rule book.

If you are an Auckland Airbnb host that doesn’t have time to worry about these rules but wants to see money coming into your account, you could always consider Zodiak Management as a management company for you.

Zodiak Management takes care of any damages caused to your Airbnb from smoking, parties, and other rule-breaking behaviour, so you can just focus on watching your bank account expand.