Policies, check-in times and house rules

Almost every guest dispute starts the same way. The guest says nobody told them, and you say it was written down somewhere. Clear policies, set once and shown at the right moments, end that argument before it happens.

Set your cancellation policy per property

Each property carries its own cancellation policy, so a city flat with steady demand can be stricter than a seasonal villa that needs every booking it can get. Pick terms you are genuinely willing to enforce. A strict policy you always waive teaches guests to push, and a flexible one you regret teaches you to resent your own rules.

Check-in and check-out times

These are set per property too. Be realistic rather than optimistic. If cleaning finishes at three, do not promise check-in at two, because the day everything runs late is the day the guest arrives early with luggage and children. Guests see the times while booking, so an honest window here saves an awkward doorstep conversation later.

House rules and policy pages

Policy pages are managed in Settings under Policies. This is where your house rules, cancellation terms and anything else guests should read before booking live. Guests see them on your website and again during booking, which is exactly when you want them read: before the payment, not after the complaint.

Keep them short

Nobody reads a policy that scrolls. Aim for rules a guest can absorb in under a minute. Quiet hours, smoking, pets, parties, extra guests. That covers the incidents that actually happen. A twenty-point list about coaster use tells guests you will be a difficult host, and the guests you most want will book somewhere that sounds more relaxed.

Write each rule for the problem you actually want to prevent. "No parties" is vague. "No visitors after 22:00" is checkable, and a rule you can check is a rule you can enforce.

Review after every incident

When something goes wrong, ask whether one sentence in your policies would have prevented it. If yes, add the sentence. If a rule has never once mattered, delete it. Policies that grow and shrink with real experience stay short, and short policies get read.