Contents
- Advantages of house rules for your holiday apartment or holiday house
- Creating house rules: The most important tips
- Advantages of house rules for your holiday apartment or house
- This is what your house rules should include
- What happens if the house rules are disregarded?
- Free sample house rules
- Conclusion
Advantages of house rules for your holiday apartment or house
Tired of problems and misunderstandings with your holiday home guests? Then you definitely need a set of house rules! Such a set of guidelines can help to avoid misunderstandings and ensure that your holiday home is treated the way you, as the host, would want it to be. By creating house rules, you create a transparent set of rules for how to behave in your holiday home. In addition, house rules also help your guests to find their way around your holiday home and to get the most out of their stay and enjoy it. Of course, you should clearly communicate some information in advance in your property presentation, such as whether pets are allowed or how to get there, but these should also be included in the house rules. These also list everything that is relevant for your guests on site.
Very important: No matter how much effort you put into your house rules, if your guests can't find them, it's all been for nothing. So place the house rules in a clearly visible place in the holiday home and make your guests aware of them.
Creating house rules: the most important tips
When creating your house rules, you can give your creativity free rein. However, as a general rule, you should keep the text as short and clear as possible without leaving out any relevant information. Also, include the most important information in your description text so that your guests are aware of it before booking. Avoid unnecessary details and use subheadings if necessary to make the text clearer. Feel free to add a personal touch to your house rules. The more original and friendly the text, the more your guests will enjoy reading it. After all, a strict list of prohibitions does not look particularly inviting. So, the most important thing when creating your house rules is to think positively! Positive wording will help your guests feel welcome and look forward to their time in your holiday home when they arrive. By the way, you can find more tips on how to give your guests a great holiday experience right from the start here.
This is what your house rules should include
Not sure where to start? No problem, we'll show you the ideal structure for house rules. We'll make sure that all the important aspects are covered to make your guests' stay a pleasant one. Of course, you can customise the structure and content to suit your holiday home and meet your specific needs. Do you want to make it even easier? Then download our house rules template for free and customise it in just a few steps!
Depending on your priorities when renting out your property and the behaviour you expect from your guests in your holiday home, you can include different points in your house rules. We present the 20 most frequently used and proven contents for house rules.
1. greeting and introduction
The house rules are an ideal place to start with a warm welcome. Welcome your guests, explain the purpose of the house rules and ask for their understanding of the rules that have been set. Then ask them to read the house rules thoroughly and to comply with them during their stay. At this point, you can briefly summarise the most important rules, such as that guests should treat the inventory with care and leave the holiday home in a tidy state. Especially at the beginning, you should make sure to use a friendly and appealing tone.
2. important information and general notes
After the greeting, a section with general information is a good idea. Here you can, for example, let your guests know how you, as the host, can be reached if they have any questions or problems during their stay. You can also point out that you expect your guests to treat the holiday home and its furnishings with care.
Terms of use
This section is important for using the inventory. Decide whether
there will be a charge for using certain items such as the minibar or disposable items. Ask that the furnishings be treated with care. You can also provide relevant information here about using the heating, air conditioning and/or barbecue.
3. Kitchen
The use of the kitchen is a frequently discussed point in house rules for holiday apartments. In this section, you can explain how to use the kitchen appliances and what cleanliness standards apply. You can also specify the condition in which the kitchen should be left upon departure – for example, whether the refrigerator must be emptied and the dishes cleaned and put away.
4. Waste separation
How do you organise waste disposal in your holiday home? Point out to your guests in the house rules that they should sort the rubbish accordingly. Provide them with suitable containers for this and inform them where the different types of waste should be disposed of.
5. bathroom
It's almost impossible to avoid limescale in the bathroom. If your holiday home has a glass shower screen or lots of tiled surfaces, you can recommend that your guests use the squeegee you provide to remove any water residue. To prevent blockages, you should also point out that no objects should be thrown into the toilet.
6. outdoor area
On sunny days, holiday guests enjoy spending time on the terrace, balcony or in the garden. Therefore, it may be useful to set up rules for the use of barbecues, garden furniture or other outdoor facilities.
7. Damage
Minor damage is unavoidable when renting out a holiday home. To avoid any unpleasant surprises after your guests have left and you have to make repairs at short notice, ask them to report any damage immediately.
8. Ventilation
To prevent mould from forming in the holiday home, you should ask your guests to air it regularly – ideally several times a day.
9. Cleanliness
Use this point to explain whether you will hire a cleaning company or whether your guests should do a basic clean before they leave.
10. Quiet hours
Set quiet hours to ensure that your guests do not disturb any of their neighbours. Remind your guests to be considerate of each other. You can also set additional rules for your holiday home, such as not allowing parties.
11. Internet access
Wi-Fi is standard in almost all homes these days. If you provide your guests with internet access, you should explain how they can connect and what the terms of use are.
12. Smoking
Smoking should also be mentioned in the house rules. Make it clear whether smoking is allowed and, if so, in which areas of the property.
13. Pets
Many pet owners book a holiday home instead of a hotel so that they can take their four-legged friends with them on holiday. Of course, you should communicate whether you allow pets in your property presentation. You can add further rules for pets in the house rules. Guests will also appreciate additional information, such as where utensils such as bowls or baskets are located and whether there are stairs or floors that could pose an obstacle for pets. If you do not allow pets in your holiday home, please also point this out in the house rules. This aspect could also be of interest to allergy sufferers.
14. Visitors
Are guests allowed to receive visitors? If so, you can specify in the house rules whether prior notification is required or whether there is a maximum number of visitors. You should also mention any additional costs here.
15. Parking
Where can guests park their vehicles? Are there any specific parking regulations? This information should be clearly and understandably stated in the house rules. Since many holidaymakers travel by car to be flexible on site, you should provide your guests with information about parking options. If there are no parking spaces at your holiday home, provide tips on where guests can park. Also, point out unloading options.
16. pool or hot tub
If your holiday home has a pool or hot tub, you should set up guidelines for its use. Define when the pool may be used and what safety precautions your guests should observe.
17. key handover
To ensure clarity and security, you should state in your house rules how many keys you are handing over. How you will handle the potential loss of keys and the resulting consequences should also be stated here.
18. Duty of care, security and liability
Use this section of the house rules to remind your guests to follow safety regulations. Specify that the holiday home must be locked when you leave and that windows and doors must be locked. If your holiday house is equipped with an alarm system, include information on how to set it. Also point out that you will not be held liable for any loss of personal valuables. In addition, it may be useful to point out possible sources of danger for children, such as a busy road near the holiday home.
19. Emergency contacts
Include the most important emergency numbers that apply in the country in question, as well as a number where guests can reach you.
20. Early departure
In the event that guests leave early, you should state in the house rules how this will be handled.
21. Arrival and departure times
Inform your guests about the times for arrival and departure. If individual arrangements are possible, you can also mention this. Indicate by when the holiday home must be vacated on the day of departure and in what condition it should be handed over.
22. Other rules
Consider what other rules should apply in your holiday home. For example, you could include a paragraph on sustainable electricity and water consumption.
Finally, you can invite your guests to make suggestions for improvement and report any damage or consumption of goods. This will make it easier for you to maintain consistent quality.
In our free template, you will find further sub-items that may be relevant for you.
Display the house rules in a clearly visible place
After the house rules have been created, it is recommended that they be placed in an easily accessible location in the holiday apartment – for example, in the entrance area or on the door.
Use our free sample house rules
To minimise the effort for you, we have created a comprehensive sample house rules document that you only need to adapt here and there to suit your holiday home. Free of charge, of course! It's as easy as this:
- Download our house rules template.
- Decide which topics are relevant for your holiday home and delete the rest.
- Fill in the fields provided with the information that applies to your holiday home.
- Consider whether there is any other important information you would like to convey and add it.
- Print out the house rules and place them where they are clearly visible.
What happens if the house rules are disregarded?
The rules set out in the house rules are legally binding and therefore offer you, as the host, solid protection. If a guest disregards your rules, you are legally protected with house rules and can sanction the tenant. Of course, this must be done within reasonable limits and must not be done without observing the rules of the tenancy.
Conclusion
Your house rules are a valuable tool for quickly and easily clarifying many questions from your guests and ensuring that your holiday goes smoothly. They also help to ensure a consistently high quality of your holiday home and promote pleasant interactions. Thanks to our template, creating your house rules is easy and it makes it easier for you to communicate your requirements to the holiday home tenant.
