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6. Clear house rules

Most common rules have to do with children, pets, smoking and parties.  Make sure your rules are clear and to the point. Don’t give guests any room for interpretation and you will have fewer misunderstandings.

No smoking should be a default rule. The smell of smoke can easily kill your Airbnb business. If you have an outdoor area where smoke doesn’t get into the home, you can allow guests to smoke outside, if you must. However, be prepared to clean and be prepared for guests using the floor or your plants instead of the provided ashtray. Make sure you spell out your smoking rules clearly and post them prominently.

No parties should be a default rule. A professional host will not allow parties in their space. Parties are never good for your home, your reputation as a host, and will never be looked upon favorably by your neighbors. Unless you get into business exclusively to host parties or photo shoots, we would strongly suggest against allowing any parties in your rental.

Pets? If you are planning on running a professional Airbnb business, you should not allow pets unless they are certified service animals. We have five pets at home, we love pets, but we don’t love them in our Airbnb’s or anywhere near the linens.  Some people are severely allergic and accepting pets can limit the pool of potential guests.

 

Some hosts say allowing pets has actually been good for business since so few hosts are pet-friendly.  If your space is equipped for pets and you feel your business would benefit, you can try it out for a few months and evaluate after you’ve hosted a few pets.  Make sure that if you do host pets, you let future guests know.

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