Airbnb house rules: free template and examples for UK hosts
Airbnb house rules guests actually follow: 10 rules with example wording, quiet hours under UK law, deposits and damage, and a free Word template for UK hosts.
Good Airbnb house rules cover ten things: arrival and departure, guest numbers, quiet hours, smoking, parties, pets, bins, keys, damage and the details UK law asks you to record. Below you’ll find example wording to copy, what makes the rules count, and a free house rules template for Word – no sign-up.
Download the house rules template (Word, free)
What should Airbnb house rules include?
Ten points are enough. One or two sentences each, readable in ten seconds.
- Arrival and departure. Check-in from 3 pm, check-out by 10 am – plus “Need a different time? Just ask.”
- Guests and visitors. The number of people booked, and whether visitors may come round.
- Quiet hours. Actual times, not “please be considerate”.
- Smoking. Vaping included, garden or balcony included – and where guests can smoke.
- Parties. A clear no.
- Pets. Yes, no or by arrangement.
- Bins and recycling. Which bin for what, where they are, and bin day.
- Keys, doors and windows. Lock up, close the windows, call you before a locksmith.
- Damage. Report it straight away – no threats.
- Guest details. What every guest aged 16 or over tells you on arrival.
Point 10 is the law, not a favour: in a home let for money, every guest aged 16 or over gives their full name and nationality on arrival, and guests who aren’t British, Irish or Commonwealth citizens also give their passport number and place of issue. You keep the record for 12 months. How that works without a key handover: Airbnb self check-in.
Example house rules to copy
House rules don’t have to read like a sign at the swimming baths. Say why the rule exists and guests are more likely to follow it.
- Instead of “Strictly NO smoking!”: “Please don’t smoke inside or in the garden by the door. There’s an ashtray at the back.”
- Instead of “Quiet after 11 pm!!!”: “Our neighbours get up early for work, and the walls are thinner than you’d think.”
- Instead of “Lost keys = £150 fine”: “Lost the key? Call us before a locksmith – it’s cheaper for everyone.”
- Instead of “All damage will be charged”: “Something broke? Tell us straight away and we’ll fix it before the next guests arrive.”
Want a sign? The template prints on one A4 sheet, and Word saves it as a PDF in one click.
Are Airbnb house rules legally binding?
They count when guests agree to them before they book. That’s why the rules belong in the listing first:
- Airbnb has standard house rules for pets, events, smoking, quiet hours, check-in and checkout, the maximum number of guests, and commercial photography and filming. Guests see them in the listing description, in the booking terms and in automated emails (Airbnb Help Centre). Anything else goes under additional rules.
- Booking.com shows house rules on the property page and during booking, and guests must agree to them to complete the reservation (Booking.com for Partners).
The sheet on the wall is then a reminder, not the contract. Write the same rules as in the listing – never stricter ones.
If you let a flat, read your lease and the building’s rules too: if they set rules for noise, bins or shared areas, copy them word for word.
Quiet hours: what does UK law say?
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the Noise Act 1996 treats 11 pm to 7 am as night hours – the period when the council can act on complaints of excessive noise from a home (Noise Act 1996, section 2). Scotland has its own rules; ask your council.
Deposits, fines and damage: what actually works
Many templates online threaten fines: £200 for smoking, £100 for a party. They’re hard to collect. What works better:
- Document damage. Photos, quotes, receipts. On Airbnb, send a reimbursement request in the Resolution Centre within 14 days of checkout. If the guest doesn’t pay, Airbnb reviews it under host damage protection – which includes extra cleaning, such as removing smoke odour (Airbnb Help Centre).
- Rules guests accepted when booking. A guest who booked a “no smoking” home can’t claim they didn’t know.
- Don’t turn away assistance dogs. Under Airbnb’s policy, guests with a service animal can stay even if pets aren’t allowed, without pet or extra cleaning fees (Airbnb Help Centre). The template already says: “Assistance dogs are always welcome.”
Paper or digital house rules?
On paper: print the template, frame it by the door and put a copy in your welcome book.
With GuestQR, the house rules sit in a digital guest guide: paste the link to your Airbnb or Booking listing, fill in the rules and print a QR poster for the wall of your home. Guests scan the code and read the rules on their phone – in their own language, one of eight, no app needed. Quiet hours or bin day change? You update it in a minute; the sheet on the wall would need reprinting.
