House Rules Are Crucial for Vacation Rentals

“House rules” communicate to guests the rules for using your short-term rental property. They’re effective at preventing trouble before it happens and are essential to the success of any vacation rental business. However, some people who are just starting out in this business may not know what content to include. This article explains in detail why house rules matter, what to include in them, and how to get guests to actually understand and follow them.

What to Include in Your House Rules

Below, we introduce the key items you should include in your house rules.

No Outdoor Shoes Notice

Taking off your shoes indoors is standard practice in Japan, but for most foreign guests, wearing shoes indoors is the norm. To prevent guests from walking around the room in their shoes, put up a clearly worded sign at the entrance saying “Please remove your shoes.” This helps keep your cleaning costs down.

Noise Notice

Noise from guests is the most common cause of neighbor complaints in short-term rental operations. Disputes with neighbors due to nighttime noise in particular are far from rare. Include specific instructions in your house rules, such as “please keep quiet after 10 PM,” and make sure guests follow them.

Smoking Rules

We recommend banning smoking not just indoors, but on balconies as well, to minimize the fire risk that comes with smoking. For guests who really need to smoke, it’s a good idea to have alternatives ready, such as directions to a nearby smoking area.

Wi-Fi Connection Instructions

Wi-Fi availability is a key factor guests consider when choosing accommodation. Be sure to clearly explain how to connect to Wi-Fi in your house rules. For example, you could post the connection steps, SSID, and password in the room, or share them via a booklet or message. It’s also helpful to include troubleshooting steps and a contact for connection issues.

How to Use the Toilet

Toilet-related issues can place a significant burden on your operation, so it’s worth setting detailed rules. For example, the following points are effective to include:

• Do not flush anything other than toilet paper
• Do not flush large amounts of toilet paper at once
• Correct use of the washlet/bidet

To prevent issues before they occur, it’s important to describe these points clearly and specifically.

Emergency Contacts and Evacuation Routes

Don’t forget to clearly note emergency contacts and evacuation routes in case of emergencies. For example, it’s a good idea to include the following:

• Emergency contact information for the host or management company
• Information on the nearest hospital and police station
• A diagram of emergency exits and evacuation routes

Tips for Getting Guests to Follow Your House Rules

We’ve covered why house rules matter and what content to include in them. However, simply creating house rules isn’t enough—you need guests to actually notice and understand them. Below, we introduce effective ways to get guests to follow your house rules.

Send a PDF or Similar Document by Email Before Check-In

Once a booking is confirmed, send the house rules to the guest right away. Having guests review the house rules before check-in helps reduce the risk of trouble.

Display Them Visually Inside the Room

Rather than relying on written text alone, place visual signage around the room. If you’re enforcing a no-shoes rule, put up a sign at the entrance that says “Please remove your shoes.” If smoking is banned indoors and on the balcony, it’s effective to post no-smoking notices near the kitchen ventilation fan and by the balcony.

Provide Multilingual Versions

Short-term rentals welcome guests from a wide variety of countries. That’s why it’s effective to provide your house rules in major foreign languages, such as English and Chinese. Prepare clear, easy-to-understand translations to give guests peace of mind.

Use Photos and Icons for Clarity

Text alone doesn’t always get the message across. Consider incorporating photos and icons into your house rules. For example, adding a photo when explaining how to use the toilet, or using icons to represent “trash sorting” rules, can make things much easier to understand.

Awareness and Practice of House Rules Support Worry-Free Short-Term Rental Operations

We’ve explained why house rules matter, what to include in them, and how to get guests to follow them. Creating house rules isn’t the end of the story—you also need a system in place to ensure they’re noticed and understood. At Stay Buddy, we handle everything from setting up house rules to building and managing short-term rental properties, all under one roof. No matter how small your question about short-term rentals may be, feel free to reach out to us anytime!