Why most house rules fail
Most rule lists fail for the same reason: they are written for the owner, not for the guest. They open with prohibitions, they arrive at the wrong moment, and they sit in a document nobody opens twice.
A rule works when three things are true. The guest saw it before the situation arose, it explained the reason rather than just the restriction, and it was easy to find again at the moment it mattered.
The six topics that cover almost everything
Rather than writing free-form paragraphs, work topic by topic. Six cover the overwhelming majority of real incidents:
- Smoking — inside, on the balcony, in the garden. Say which, not just "no smoking".
- Pets — allowed or not, and under what conditions.
- Noise — a time window beats an adjective. "No noise after 10pm" is actionable; "be respectful" is not.
- Cleanliness — what you expect on departure, stated as a short list.
- Energy — heating, air conditioning, windows.
- Pool and shared areas — supervision, hours, safety.
Say what is allowed, not only what is forbidden
A rule phrased as a permission reads as hospitality; the same rule phrased as a prohibition reads as suspicion. "Pets are welcome, we just ask that they stay off the beds" and "No pets on the beds" carry the same constraint and produce very different stays.
Put them where they are needed
Rules that live in a PDF attached to a booking email are rules nobody consults. The ones that work are the ones reachable in two taps, at 11pm, from a phone, in the guest's own language.