Episode 128: Every House Rule Has a Story

House Rules can easily become a long list of DON'Ts.

Don't smoke. Don't make noise. Don't bring visitors back. Don't eat in your room.

But what are House Rules actually for?

This week, I've been writing a set of Extended House Rules for a potential long-stay guest — and realised that almost every rule I've included is there because something has happened in the past that made me think, “Right... I need a rule about that!”

From soy sauce spilt over a bedroom carpet and broken mugs hidden in the bin, to unexpected visitors, powerful cooking smells and guests spending rather too long in the shower, experience has shaped the way I run my home.

But I've also realised that my House Rules essentially serve just two purposes:

To protect the property — and to protect the experience of the people staying in it.

In this episode, I explore:

• Why House Rules should have a reason behind them
• The importance of remembering that a live-in Airbnb is someone's home
• Why my kitchen has just one overriding rule: “Leave no evidence”
• Food, cooking, smoking, pets and breakages
• Why I'd rather hear immediately that something has been broken than discover it hidden later
• Visitors, overnight guests and why I want to know who's in my home
• Protecting guests from unnecessary noise
• How my 10-Minute Shower Challenge solved a shared-bathroom problem without really being a rule at all
• Why the rules appropriate for my home may be completely inappropriate for yours

The answer isn't to copy somebody else's House Rules. It's to think about what could affect your property, your guests and the experience you're trying to create — and make your expectations clear before a problem arises.

This week's Superhost Secret

Good House Rules aren't about controlling behaviour. They're about protecting what matters.

Because good hosting isn't about creating more rules.

It's about understanding why you need them.

Register for my next FREE webinar on how to monetize your own home, here - https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/61WTjBMhTF2MPCh_WrcMbA

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