House rules that guests actually follow: where to write them and how the AI passes them on

By GuestChat Team · 2 October 2026

Rules nobody reads are no use at all. And rules written like a legal code ("it is strictly forbidden to...") do get read, but they put people off. What works is a few rules, clear and explained, that show up where the guest looks.

Where you write them

House Rules, in Services & Policies: the main text. It is what the guest sees in their access link, in the property's rules section, and what the AI uses when they ask.
Property Policies, in the same section: three clear boxes, Pets allowed, Children allowed and Extra guest allowed.
Your own rules, in AI Training: for specific situations where you want an exact answer.
The house rules tag in your automated messages, if you want to remind guests before they arrive.

How to word them

Few. Five or six rules get read. Twenty don't.
With the reason why. "Quiet after 11 pm: it's a building with neighbors who get up early" is respected more than "Quiet after 11 pm".
Positive when possible. "You can smoke on the terrace" works better than "No smoking inside".
Specific. "Food waste in the gray bin, packaging in the yellow one, the dumpsters are on the corner" instead of "recycle".

The ones that prevent the most conflicts

Noise and quiet hours.
Number of people: who counts and whether visitors are allowed.
Parties and gatherings.
Smoking: where it's OK and where it isn't.
Trash and recycling, especially on check-out day.
Pets, if you accept them: where they can and can't be.

How the AI passes them on

When a guest asks something related ("can we play music on the terrace?"), the AI answers with your rule and, if you wrote it with the reason, it explains it. It doesn't make up exceptions to look good. If the guest asks for an exception, the sensible thing is for you to decide; with one of your own rules you can leave it written exactly what to answer in that case.

Example of well-written rules

Quiet from 11 pm to 8 am: it's a residential building.
Four people maximum; visitors until 10 pm.
No parties.
Smoking only on the terrace, with the door closed.
Before you leave, take the trash to the dumpsters on the corner.

Common mistakes

Rules that contradict each other between the booking site, the property profile and your own rules. The AI only knows what's in your profile: if your listing says something else, the guest will get two versions.
Rules hidden in a long paragraph of property information. Put them in House Rules, which is where people look for them.
Rules you don't enforce. If you accept pets "sometimes", decide what that "sometimes" means and write it in one of your own rules. Vagueness is what starts arguments.
Rules only inside the apartment. The sign in the kitchen is fine, but the guest needs to know them before booking and before arriving, not when they open the fridge.

Where to start

Read your current rules out loud as if you were a guest who doesn't know the building. Remove the ones you have never needed, add the reason to the ones that get broken, and check that the policy boxes say the same thing as the text.