So you have this comfortable spare room to let, you're ready to make your guest feel at home and the extra money it will bring in will be appreciated too. 
But how will sharing your house, work on a daily basis? Or let's put it like this: should you implement house rules?

The short answer? Yes, you should!

Just A Little Bit Of Organisation

So first of all, having house rules, doesn't have to be a negative thing. Once implemented the right way, rules can actually help your guest to feel more welcome in your home. 
 
Let's break it down:

Yes, hosting a student who is coming to improve their English or a young professional, who is moving counties for an internship, is a fantastic experience.

Yes, most of the time you will get much more than the rental money; we've heard countless incredible stories of hosts keeping in touch with their guests years after they have left.  

And yes, your guest will still enjoy their stay with you even when you have implemented a set of rules!

When you are a stranger in someone's home, it is really comforting to know what is and isn't expected of you. Sharing your home needs some structure to make sure your guest and all the occupants of the house have a comfortable and stress-free experience.  By setting up the right house rules, you helping your guest to feel at home. In fact, they will most likely enjoy their stay with you, even more!

Clear Rules Agreed In Advance

To make this work, you need a full list of clear rules; and those rules need to be known in advance by your guest so that they can choose your home knowing exactly what to expect. 

Here are two examples of rules that we have implemented, based on years of experience in the rental industry:  

Cleaning

Let's start with the cliché of the rules: when things start to go wrong when sharing a house, it usually stems from a cleaning issue!
However, it doesn't need to become an issue in the first place. By implementing some really simple cleaning rules like "always clean the dishes right after eating" you can prevent any frustration from arising! 

Noise at night

This is an extremely important rule too, as we all need a good night's sleep! It's important to make a clear schedule when noise needs to be kept at a minimum. At Hosting Power, we have discovered that a period of calm scheduled between 10 pm and 7 am suits almost everybody; so this time frame is now set in stone in our house rules. Happy sleeping everyone!

The Rule Of 20 

We have found that to cover every important aspect of your and your guest's daily life while sharing your home, you will need approximately 20 rules.

It may seem like a bit of a daunting task, but it doesn't have to be! And don't forget the work that you put into this in advance, will prevent potential awkward situations in the future; so at the end of the day, you are saving yourself time and stress.
 
To do it just sit down with a piece of paper and a pen, and think about every common situation while living with your guest. Also, think about what is important to you - which might not necessarily be important to other hosts.

Here's an example; we have found that some of our hosts are happy to share their living room space with their guests, while other hosts prefer to keep in private. There is no right or wrong here, it's just a matter of choice and as long as the guest is made aware of your preference before choosing your home, it isn't an issue.

Hosting Power House Rules

If you decide to host with Hosting Power, you won't need to create that list - we do it for you! These rules have been carefully crafted based on the experience of thousands of hosts.
 
You and your guest will receive a copy of these rules with each booking. And like the rest of our Host's services: this is 100% free.  
If you'd like to get started on your host journey, click here for more information.
 

In Summary

Rules are good, and we all need them. By setting house rules you are both protecting yourself and making sure that your guest has the best possible experience. 

When you are setting house rules, take a minute to think through your day to day life and all the potential parts of your house and your routine that might need a rule. 

By taking the time to do this now, you are avoiding problems in the future.
As a Hosting Power Host, you don't need to worry about setting rules, we have already taken care of that for you.

Are you ready to become a Hosting Power Host?