Holiday let house rules are essential boundaries for guests that set expectations and help to keep your property safe. Robust guidelines should set a careful balancing act between encouraging good behaviour and not putting off potential guests from booking with you. In this article, we provide an overview to creating house rules for your holiday let in addition to some downloadable examples you may wish to copy further down.
This guide is intended to be for informational purposes only. For help regarding what is legally enforceable regarding house rules or rental agreements, please seek professional legal advice.
What are holiday let house rules?
What are good house rules for a holiday let?
How to get guests to read your house rules
Sample house rules for a holiday let
Can setting house rules reduce the likelihood of a claim?
What holiday let rules do I need to follow as an owner?
What should I do if a guest violates house rules?
What should I include in a holiday let rental agreement?
Downloadable holiday let house rules template
What are holiday let house rules?
House rules are do’s and don’ts for guests. These set expected rules for when guests stay at your property. They are often featured in the listing description in addition to other places such as emails sent to the guest or the property itself. A guest not following house rules could result in a breach of contract. Holiday let owners may want to raise this should any disputes arise.
A typical list of house rules for guests could include tasks such as when to take the bins out, check out instructions, noise, and no smoking rules. Other types of rules may be more bespoke. Whilst some house rules are widely used, others will depend on the type of guests you are trying to attract to your property. For example, you may wish to highlight that your holiday home is not suitable for children if you are targeting adult guests. Homes with special features such as jacuzzis or barbecues may also require specific rules around use.
What are good house rules for a holiday let?
No house rules are universal but there are some sensible guidelines to consider that are more widely applicable. Key areas to think of with regards any solid set of house rules include:
- Safety and security: Reducing the risk of property damage, theft, or liability can help mitigate potential losses before they occur. Rules such as how to behave in high risk areas such as pools are simple ways to encourage guests to use the property in ways that are safe and secure.
- Occupancy and visitors: Stipulations centered around the maximum number of guests or visitors may reduce issues such as overcrowding or wear and tear.
- Housekeeping basics: Practical rules such as how to look after the house, disposing of waste, and keeping the property tidy can make tasks such as changeovers and cleaning go more smoothly.
- Etiquette: Consider setting sensible guidelines around etiquette such as keeping the nose low during certain hours to prevent complaints with neighbours.
- Checkout instructions: Avoid confusion when the time comes with a step by step guide on what to do before leaving.
When creating house rules, focus on your goals and tailor them to your holiday let where needed.
How to get guests to read your house rules
It is one thing creating a set of house rules and another issue when it comes to making sure your guests have actually read them. Here are some key ways to make sure this happens:
- Listing description: Many booking websites show guest house rules on the listing before you book. If you also allow your guests to book directly with you, consider copying this approach on your website where applicable.
- Scheduled messages: Either through the booking websites themselves or directly if guests can book through your own website, consider including a list of your house rules in communications that are sent to guests. Scheduled replies such as welcome messages and important information just before the booking date are useful touchpoints where a reminder regarding house rules may be relevant.
- Guest check-in: If meeting your guest to hand over keys in person, this may be a good time to remind your guests of the house rules. Including them in your guest information pack is another useful way of making them visible after the guest accesses your property. Make sure this is in a location where it is likely to be seen.
Sample house rules for a holiday let
The sample rules below are an illustration of what you may wish to use for your house rules. It is not intended to be prescriptive, however. Feel free to adjust it to your own needs.
- No parties or events. Only the booked guests are allowed on the property. No unapproved visitors.
- Maximum occupancy. Do not exceed the number of guests on the booking.
- Check-in and check-out. Follow the stated times. The process for checking out and where to leave the keys can be found in your guest information pack.
- Respect neighbours. Be mindful of your neighbours with respect to noise, especially after 10pm.
- Parking. Park only in the designated space(s) and do not block access.
- Pets. No pets are allowed unless explicitly agreed in advance.
- No smoking or vaping anywhere on the property.
- Use amenities safely. Always follow the safety rules for the pool/fireplace and supervise children at all times. Contact us immediately if you are unsure regarding the rules or instructions for use.
- Look after the house. Leave the home as you found it. Please dispose of rubbish and recycling properly.
- Report issues promptly. Tell us as soon as possible about damage, missing items, or lost keys.
- No commercial use. No filming, photoshoots, or business use without written permission.
- Emergencies. Use the emergency contacts/instructions provided and contact us as soon as you can if an urgent issue arises.
- Guest information. Please read the guest information booklet on arrival and follow the property instructions (appliances, bins, amenities, local guidance, and checking out).
Can setting house rules reduce the likelihood of a claim?
The likelihood of a claim occurring may be mostly due to the conscientiousness of the guests staying at your property. House rules can encourage good behaviour, however. Encouraging your guests to contact you in situations such as lost keys or emergencies means that you can deal with losses before they become bigger ones. Your property may end up in a better or more secure position in the process. Supplying your house rules at multiple touchpoints and signposting to key information means that you have done as much as you can to encourage your guests to use your home safely. Insurers typically require you to reduce risk as much as you reasonably can, and house rules are one way you can do this.
Notify your insurer as soon as possible in the event that you need to make a claim. Pikl Insurance is a specialist provider for short-term rentals and holiday homes. If you are unsure what cover you may require in the event of an issue occurring, visit our holiday home insurance page for more information.
What holiday let rules do I need to follow as an owner?
Whilst guests should follow house rules, owners themselves will also be subject to a number of different requirements. These may include:
- Booking platform rules: Sites like Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com have their own terms and conditions that owners will need to follow. Consider these to be the platform’s own ‘house rules’.
- Contractual agreements: Beyond the booking platforms themselves, organisations such as property management companies or banks providing mortgages will have their own rules that holiday let owners may need to follow, such as requiring appropriate insurance.
- Laws: Holiday home owners will be subject to a number of different rules, including being required to conduct a risk assessment of the property in addition to having to follow fire safety laws. These requirements may help shape your house rules and how you go about reducing guest liability.
Visit our holiday let regulations page to understand more on this topic.
Are house rules enforceable?
Holiday let house rules may be enforceable as long as they are clearly laid out, sensible, and visibly stated in the booking terms. If the guest booked through a website, violating a house rule is something you may wish to raise to the booking provider where relevant should a dispute with a guest arise. For larger claims or issues involving guests that booked directly on your website, claiming through your insurer may be the best option where damage or liability is concerned.
However, it is also important to note that house rules may not be enforceable on their own. Having a clearly defined set of house rules does not absolve holiday let owners from following the law. You will still need to make sure that your property is safe for guests.
What should I do if a guest violates house rules?
Deciding how to respond to a guest breaking a house rule may depend on multiple factors. This includes the severity of the violation. In the first instance, you may want to try and resolve any disputes with the guest directly where this is appropriate. This may be the best course of action for minor issues where a common sense approach is needed.
Resolving disputes through a booking platform
If a resolution cannot be achieved directly with the guest or is not possible, a dispute process could be raised if the booking was made through a platform such as Booking.com or Airbnb. This option could be used for owners that incur minor guest damage as a result of a house rule violation and do not want to make a claim on their insurance. That may require the submitting of evidence along with a chance for the guest themselves to state their case. Once a decision is made, the platform may decide to charge the guest if the decision was made in your favour and there are damages involved.
Enforcing house rule violations for direct bookings
Decisions around how to enforce a house rule violation for bookings made directly with you may depend on your rental agreement. For example, if damage occurred and a deposit was taken, then you may be able to withhold some of it for minor damages, depending on the terms of your contract. If more significant damage occurred, issues such as taking legal action or hiring your own contractors to repair your property may be stressful or difficult to resolve by yourself. Claiming through insurance may be the most effective course of action if this occurs.
Claiming through your insurer
Making a claim through your insurance provider may be the most effective solution where guest related damages or injury is involved regardless of where the booking was made. Unlike most platform protection, an insurance policy regulated by the FCA means that you have some protection via the Financial Ombudsman if you are not happy with the outcome of a claim.
When speaking to your insurer, it is important to be able to document what happened clearly. Having photographic evidence, a timeline of events, proof of purchase, and a crime reference number if a crime has been committed can help your claim to progress more smoothly. Our holiday let inventory list guide discusses how to manage your inventory and how to document this process.
What should I include in a holiday let rental agreement?
Whilst house rules are general guidelines that guests should follow, rental agreements are core legal contracts. Booking platforms themselves will set their own terms of service. However, you may want to consider creating your own rental agreement to protect yourself in case something goes wrong if you allow guests to book with you directly. An overview regarding what you may want to consider including in any agreement could include:
- The name of the parties involved and who is bound by the contract.
- Booking details such as arrival/check out date and maximum occupancy.
- A security deposit (if used), including what percentage down payment is required.
- Booking payment terms.
- The terms of cancellation, including what happens if either the guest or yourself cancels the booking.
- Any key restrictions set out in your house rules.
- Responsibilities for care of the property, such as cleanliness expectations, reporting damage, and charges for breakages.
- Key handling, access arrangements, and check out details.
- Waste, recycling, parking, and any local rules guests must follow.
- Your right of access for emergencies or urgent maintenance, and how this will be handled.
- Rules regarding guest safety, responsibility for personal belongings, and use of higher-risk facilities.
- What constitutes a breach of the contract.
- Consequences of breaching the agreement regarding issues such as ending the stay, forfeiting payments, and recovery of costs.
The above is just a general guide of what you may wish to consider. For help regarding a legally robust rental agreement for your holiday home, speak to a qualified expert.
Downloadable holiday let house rules template
If you would like to download our house rules template, click on the link below.
Regardless of how thoughtfully created your house rules are, sometimes accidents or damage can occur regardless. Insurance is typically the most cost effective way of protecting yourself in scenarios such as these if something goes wrong. With cover varying from one insurer to the next however, it is important to make sure that any policy is suitable to your needs. If you have any questions about cover, speak to a member of our customer services team.
