How to write Airbnb house rules

Write the rules in the listing’s House rules and requests section before a guest books. Cover quiet hours, the maximum number of overnight guests, pets, smoking, events, and the check-in and checkout times saved on the listing. Keep each line specific enough that you can point to it later.

The house rules generator prints a one-page sheet from words you type. It does not write the rules, send them to Airbnb, or change the listing. A sheet in the home can repeat what the guest already saw. For a reservation booked on or after November 20, 2026, it cannot introduce a new rule.

The pages below were checked on 27 October 2026. This guide is not legal advice. Permits, occupancy limits, and building rules are local. Confirm them for the property. The New Airbnb host checklist is the wider list for the first stay. This page stays on the rules themselves.

Save the rule where the guest can read it

How to set house rules: house rules are a core set of expectations guests are required to follow. Anything else you want them to keep in mind goes in requests.

The areas Airbnb lists are:

• Pets
• Events
• Smoking, vaping, and e-cigarettes
• Quiet hours
• Maximum overnight guests
• Commercial photography and filming
• Lock up at checkout
• Allowing all, some, or none of the Airbnb Service categories in the home

The same page says to contact Airbnb if you want a rule that limits those service categories. This guide does not set that rule.

Requests are for extra detail. Airbnb’s examples are asking guests to remove shoes indoors and limiting daytime visitors. Contracts do not go in requests. If a homeowners association or a local government might fine a guest, the page says to add that information where local rules belong, not as a private penalty.

On desktop:

1. Click Listings and select the listing.
2. Under Listing editor, click House rules and requests.
3. Click Add house rule, or click a rule to edit, then click Save.

For a request, use the same screen, click Add requests, choose During the stay or Before checkout, write the request, and click Save. The page says Airbnb may flag a request that conflicts with its policies. If you save a flagged request, it can be reviewed further.

Rules and requests show in that section of the listing, to anyone who views it. They are also in the booking terms, in automated emails, and in the reservation details in the guest’s Trips tab. A change applies only to future reservations received after you save it. A pending or confirmed reservation keeps the rules that were on the listing when you received it.

What rules are allowed: Airbnb says this policy applies to reservations booked on or after November 20, 2026. Rules and requests have to be in the designated section at booking, so a guest can decide before booking. The page says hosts may not introduce new rules or requests in another part of the listing, or after booking, including by message, by a sign in the home, or in person. The rules have to match the rest of the listing and Airbnb’s policies. The page’s example is that hosts may not ask guests to sign a separate contract or to hand over personal information such as a government ID, except where the law requires it and in other limited cases the page points to.

Quiet hours

Quiet hours are one of the house-rule areas on the house-rules page. Write a start and an end.

Guest ground rules say guests should respect designated quiet hours and should not disturb the surrounding community with a disruptive level of noise. The page’s examples are loud music, shouting, and slamming doors.

The community disturbance policy lists excessive noise as one sign of a disturbance. That policy is separate from the hours you choose. It does not allow disruptive gatherings during a reservation.

Name both times. A line that only says to be respectful does not say when the home is supposed to be quiet, so there is nothing to point to later. The hours you print have to be the hours saved on the listing. What to put on your Airbnb Wi-Fi sign and guest welcome info treats a welcome note the same way: it can repeat a rule that was already disclosed, and it is not a place to add one.

On the house rules generator, quiet hours are optional. If you fill either time, fill both. Each field holds at most 40 characters. The sheet shows them as start – end. An optional example line, off until you turn it on, reads “Quiet hours apply outdoors as well as indoors.” Edit it if you use it. It is an example on this site, not a sentence Airbnb requires. If the listing does not say that outdoor hours match the indoor hours, leave the line off.

Guest limit

The maximum number of overnight guests is a house-rule area on the same house-rules page.

Guest ground rules say guests should respect the approved number of overnight guests and should ask the host if they are unsure about bringing additional visitors. Disruptive gatherings are always prohibited on that page. It points to the community disturbance policy.

Safety expectations say hosts must follow relevant laws and safety regulations, including applicable fire code requirements and safe occupancy limits. This guide does not state an occupancy number for a property. The number on the listing has to be one you can host, and one local rules allow. Confirm the local limit yourself.

Airbnb’s page on neighbor reports suggests setting a maximum number of overnight guests, and adding a request about visitor limits when capacity limits or building rules apply. Daytime visitors are the kind of extra detail Airbnb already gives as a request example on the house-rules page.

An extra guest fee is a price, not a guest limit. Additional fees describe it as a fee for additional guests beyond a number you choose. It is set with the listing’s fees. It does not replace the maximum you save under house rules. The Airbnb fee calculator can include a host-charged fee of that kind in one stay you describe. Airbnb host service fees explained is the fee page. This guide does not set the fee.

The generator’s guest field is optional. It accepts a whole number from 1 to 30, or a blank. The number you print has to be the number on the listing. An optional example line, off until you turn it on, reads “Daytime visitors should stay within the overnight guest limit.” Turn it on only when the listing already says that.

Pets

Pets are a house-rule area. Say what the listing allows, in the house-rule field, before a guest books.

Guest ground rules say guests should not bring pets into a listing designated as no pets, bring more pets than are approved, or fail to tell the host about a pet they bring inside. The page says service animals, and in certain locations emotional support animals, are not considered pets. It points to Airbnb’s accessibility rules.

The service-animal help page, checked on 27 October 2026, says a service animal is generally a dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability. It says a service animal is not a pet. Guests can generally be accompanied by one during a home reservation even when the house rules prohibit a pet.

During a home stay, that page says hosts are not allowed to do the following because of a service animal:

• Refuse the reservation, unless an Airbnb-granted exemption applies.
• Charge extra fees related to the reservation, such as a pet fee or a cleaning fee for animal hair or dander.
• Treat the guest differently from another guest, such as by imposing different house rules.

The page says hosts may ask only two questions: whether the guest requires the animal because of a disability, and what work or task the animal has been trained to perform. A host may not ask the guest to describe the disability, and may not ask for the animal to demonstrate the task. Guests are not required to provide documentation, and hosts should not ask for it. Guests do not have to disclose a service animal before booking. They can choose to say so before check-in.

An emotional support animal is different on that page. It says an emotional support animal does not have to be trained to do work or perform tasks. Unless the policy says otherwise, a host may charge a normal pet fee, charge a cleaning fee for hair or dander, or decline the reservation if the listing does not accept pets. The page says hosts in California and New York are required to accommodate emotional support animals for home reservations, and hosts in Quebec and Ontario are required to accommodate them for all reservations. Where that requirement applies, the page says hosts may not refuse, charge those extra fees, impose different rules, require disclosure before booking, or treat the animal as a pet.

The page also says hosts and guests are responsible for the laws that apply to them, and that an Airbnb-granted exemption is possible in limited cases, such as a direct threat to a host’s health when the host lives in the listing. Ask Airbnb about an exemption. This guide cannot tell you whether one applies. Additional fees say service animals always stay for free. A pet fee, when you charge one for a pet the listing allows, is a flat fee. It is not a fine for breaking a rule.

The generator can print Pets as Not allowed, Ask first, or Allowed, or leave the line off the sheet. Those three labels are the sheet’s words. They are not a claim about which switches Airbnb’s editor shows. Save the listing with Airbnb’s own pet choices. If the sheet says Ask first, the listing has to say the same thing in the house rules or a request before the guest books.

Smoking

Smoking, vaping, and e-cigarettes are a house-rule area on the house-rules page.

Guest ground rules say guests should respect no-smoking rules and should ask the host if they are unsure about the limits. The page includes tobacco, cannabis, and e-cigarettes, and it says guests are responsible for compliance with applicable laws. The community disturbance policy lists smoking nuisances as one sign of a community disturbance.

Safety expectations say hosts must follow the laws that apply. This page does not say whether a particular substance is legal at a particular address.

The generator can print Smoking as Not allowed, Outside only, or Allowed, or leave it off. Outside only is a line you chose for the sheet. If the listing needs that limit, put it in the house rules or a request before booking, in words that match the sheet. A sign that adds the limit later is a new rule for a reservation booked on or after November 20, 2026.

Parties and events

Airbnb’s house-rule area is Events. The generator labels its line Parties, and it can print Not allowed or Allowed, or leave the line off. The sheet uses your wording. The listing still uses Airbnb’s Events field.

Guest ground rules say disruptive gatherings are always prohibited.

The community disturbance policy says Airbnb does not allow open-invite parties, disruptive gatherings, or other community disturbances during a reservation. It says this includes disruptive gatherings regardless of size. The signs it lists include excessive noise, excessive trash, trespassing, smoking nuisances, parking nuisances, neighborhood vandalism, and serious injuries or reckless behavior. It does not allow open-invite gatherings, and its example is parties advertised publicly or on social media. It does not allow advertising a listing as party friendly, or hosts facilitating severe or repeated disruptive gatherings. A house rule that allows events does not turn that policy off.

The neighbor-reports page suggests selecting Not allowed for Events, setting a maximum number of overnight guests, telling guests where to park, and printing house rules that match what was on the listing when the guest booked. That is Airbnb’s suggestion on that page for avoiding a dispute with a neighbor. It is not a form this site submits for you.

Check-in and checkout

Check-in and checkout times are saved with the arrival details, not as a substitute for the house rules.

Check-in and checkout times: you can give guests a check-in window of at least 2 hours, or offer flexible check-in. You can set a start time and leave the end flexible, or choose flexible for both. Whichever option you choose, the page says guests must be able to check in by 4pm. For checkout, the page says you choose a specific time that is 10am or later.

On desktop, the page says to click Listings, select the listing, and under Listing editor click Arrival guide. Then open Check-in and Checkout, set the times, and click Save.

Guest ground rules say guests should respect the check-in window and should not check in before or after it without prior approval. Checkout, including key return, should be done by the checkout time on the reservation. The page says guests should not leave belongings past checkout for storage or later pickup without prior approval.

Getting started as a host says check-in instructions should include the house rules and requests that are on the listing, plus contact information, the Wi-Fi password when you offer Wi-Fi, and anything else the guest needs on arrival. The same page says you can set days guests cannot check in or out on the calendar. That calendar control is separate from the clock times. The welcome note is covered in What to put on your Airbnb Wi-Fi sign and guest welcome info.

The generator’s check-in and check-out fields are optional. Each holds at most 40 characters. A blank field is left off the sheet. Type the times that are already in the arrival guide. If the paper and the listing disagree, the guest has two clocks.

Locking up at checkout is its own house-rule area on the house-rules page. The generator does not have a separate lock-up switch. An optional example line, off until you turn it on, reads “Please lock the doors and windows when you leave.” Use it only when the listing already says that.

Keep each line short enough to point to

Use the house-rule field when Airbnb has one for the topic. Put one extra detail in a request. Airbnb’s own examples of that split are shoes indoors and daytime visitors.

Write the decision, not a paragraph. Quiet hours name a start and an end. The guest limit names a number. Pets, smoking, and events say what is allowed. Check-in and checkout name the window already saved in the arrival guide.

What rules are allowed says hosts are generally not allowed to:

• Ask guests to do work that takes significant effort or time, or that a cleaner would usually do. The page’s examples are stripping the bed, taking trash offsite, and washing and putting away dishes.
• Cut off a feature the listing advertises. Fees for an advertised part of the stay have to be in the price shown at booking. A fee for an optional add-on, such as breakfast, can be mentioned in requests.
• Impose fines or other penalties. The page says that if a community association or a local government might issue a fine, the host can give notice in the designated section.

Those chores belong on the Airbnb turnover cleaning checklist, which is for the host or the cleaner. Guest ground rules say a cleaning fee is meant to cover standard cleaning between reservations, such as laundry and vacuuming, and that hosts may not charge a guest fee for failing to do a specific cleaning or checkout task. The page says hosts may still leave a review about cleanliness.

The page says Airbnb looks at the listing when it decides whether a request is reasonable, and that it may allow an exception. Its examples are a limit on shower time during a local drought restriction, and trash in an animal-proof container in bear country.

Write a rule you are willing to point to. A rule you do not mean gives the guest no reason to treat the next line as real. Leave it off the listing and off the sheet.

Print a sheet that matches the listing

The neighbor-reports page says to print the house rules and any building rules and display them, and to make sure they match the house rules and requests on the listing when the guest booked. The generator does not check that match. You do.

The house rules generator builds the preview in the browser. It does not call an AI model, and it does not store the form in a database, in the browser, or in the page address. Nothing you type is sent to bnbutils or to Airbnb.

You type:

• A property name, required, at most 64 characters after trimming.
• Check-in and check-out, each optional, at most 40 characters.
• Quiet-hours start and end, optional, and both required if either one is filled.
• Maximum overnight guests, optional, a whole number from 1 to 30, or blank.
• Smoking: leave off, Not allowed, Outside only, or Allowed.
• Parties: leave off, Not allowed, or Allowed.
• Pets: leave off, Not allowed, Ask first, or Allowed.
• A parking note and a trash note, each optional, at most 120 characters.
• Up to 6 extra lines, each at most 100 characters. Blank lines are omitted.

Six example lines start turned off. The sheet includes one only after you turn it on, and you can edit the words, up to 100 characters:

• Please remove shoes indoors.
• Please lock the doors and windows when you leave.
• Daytime visitors should stay within the overnight guest limit.
• No commercial photography or filming.
• Please turn off lights and heating or cooling when you leave.
• Quiet hours apply outdoors as well as indoors.

These are examples to edit. They are not advice, and they are not Airbnb’s rules. Commercial photography and locking up are also areas on Airbnb’s house-rules page. Saving the example line on a sheet does not save the listing field. A property name alone is not enough to print. At least one rule, note, or included example line is required. The error is plain language.

Sizes are US Letter, 8.5 by 11 inches, and A4, 210 by 297 millimeters. The sheet is one page. For a PDF, open Print and choose Save as PDF. Set margins to none, scale to 100 percent, and turn headers and footers off. Download PNG draws the same words in the browser at 300 pixels per inch.

The sheet says the words are the host’s, that it is not legal advice, and that you should check local rules and Airbnb’s policies before you post it. Printing the sheet does not update the listing, and the sheet does not itself satisfy a local rule or Airbnb’s house rules.

What Airbnb requires even when your sheet is blank

Your house rules are the lines you save. Airbnb also publishes rules that apply to a stay whether or not you repeat them.

Guest ground rules require guests to treat the home with care and to follow the host’s house rules, including the topics above. On care of the home, the page covers cleanliness, trash in the receptacles the host designates, and damage beyond normal wear and tear. It says guests should tell the host about damage and work toward a reasonable solution, and that guests are expected to pay reasonable requests for reimbursement when they are responsible for damage, missing items, or unexpected cleaning costs.

When a ground-rule violation is reported, the page says Airbnb will try to contact the guest to understand what happened. Actions it describes include educating the guest and issuing warnings. It says repeated or severe violations may lead to suspension or removal from the community. For a host dealing with a suspected or confirmed violation, the page asks the host to communicate with the guest, document the issue, contact Airbnb or request payment for damages through the Resolution Center, and leave an honest review. Guests can appeal. This guide does not say Airbnb will remove a guest, pay a claim, or agree with the host. Read that page for the current steps.

What rules are allowed says guests must follow house rules, and that guests are encouraged to comply with requests. If a guest does not follow a house rule or a request, the page says the host can contact Airbnb for the next steps. If a host’s rule or request does not meet the policy, the page says Airbnb may educate the host, ask for an update, or issue a warning. If a violation persists, it says the result may include a notice on the listing, reduced visibility in search, or other action under the Terms of Service.

The community disturbance policy is the party and disturbance rule described above. Lesser disturbances may result in warnings. Repeated or more severe disturbances may result in account or listing suspension or removal. The page says an emergency in progress goes to local emergency services.

Those are Airbnb’s rules. The sheet from the generator is yours. Save the listing first, then print the same words.

Help center pages checked on 27 October 2026

• https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/472 for house-rule topics, requests, where the rules appear, and when a change applies.
• https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/4168 for the house-rules policy on reservations booked on or after November 20, 2026.
• https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2894 for guest ground rules on guests, noise, smoking, pets, gatherings, and check-in and checkout.
• https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/3345 for the community disturbance policy, including open-invite parties.
• https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/1869 for service animals and emotional support animals.
• https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/1296 for the check-in window and the checkout time a host can set.
• https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/3179 for the neighbor-report suggestions, including a printed copy that matches the listing.
• https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/1189 for house rules in the check-in instructions, and for days guests cannot check in or out.
• https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2904 for following local laws, including fire code and occupancy limits.
• https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2385 for a pet fee, an extra guest fee, and service animals staying for free.