Self-help templates
House Rules and Guest Acknowledgement (for a Short-Term Rental)
For giving every guest clear rules: quiet hours, visitors, parties, smoking, pets, safety, check-out steps and what happens if rules are broken.
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How to use it
- When: a host lets a home or room for a short stay and wants every guest to read, understand and accept a clear set of rules before arriving, or at check-in.
- Who signs: the guest who made the booking (for the whole party) and the host. Where the rules matter a lot, ask each adult guest to sign too.
- Fill in everything in [square brackets] and cross out options that do not apply. Keep the rules short and reasonable, because rules that are fair are far easier to follow.
- Give it before arrival: send the rules with the booking confirmation, and keep a printed copy in the property.
- Use it with the other two documents: the Short-Term Rental Agreement and the Check-In and Check-Out Condition Report.
- Tip: put the emergency numbers, the Wi-Fi password and the check-out steps on one page next to these rules, so guests do not need to ask.
What is inside
- Art. 1. The property and the host
- Art. 2. The guest and the party
- Art. 3. Quiet hours and neighbours
- Art. 4. Visitors, parties and number of people
- Art. 5. Smoking, pets and safety
- Art. 6. Using the home and its contents
- Art. 7. Check-out steps
- Art. 8. If the rules are broken, acknowledgement and declaration
- Notes on the clauses and a checklist of what to check under your country's law
What these templates are not
- They are self-help templates, not legal advice, and they do not replace a lawyer.
- Laws differ from country to country, and some rules cannot be changed by contract. Each template ends with a checklist of what to check where you live.
- For a high-value or unusual situation, ask a local lawyer or notary to look at the final text.
TheLawToKnow Tools. Self-help template. Not legal advice. Check the law currently in force. Written with the help of AI tools and reviewed by a lawyer-author.