Woman Is Shocked After Receiving List of Rules for Stay at an Airbnb

A woman who booked a 3-night stay at a rental property is feeling anxious after receiving the owner’s lengthy list of rules for her and her family to follow.

In a post on the UK-based forum Mumsnet, the woman explained that she spent around $400 on an Airbnb that she will be staying at with her 58-year-old husband and their two sons, who are both in their late 20s.

She said there weren’t any “particular rules” on the listing when she booked, except for no parties, no smoking and four guests maximum. However, the owner of the rental property emailed an additional lengthy list of instructions for them to follow the day before they were set to check in.

“Now obviously we’re going to respect their property and be careful (we always do when we go away), but I do feel like some of these rules are a little bit over the top: Rules 5 and 6 particularly,” the woman wrote, referring to “no eating on the sofa and no food in the bedrooms” as well as “no cooking of strong-smelling curries or fish.”

“Out of interest, do you think it’s OK to tell people what they can and can’t cook in the property when they’ve paid to stay there? To not let people cook fish seems unacceptable to me,” she continued.

The woman attached a photo of the 20 rules outlined in the email to her Mumsnet post. Number one was treating the property “as if it was your own home,” while the second rule was “remove your shoes” when going upstairs and ensuring pets’ feet are also kept clean when inside.

The property owner’s email also said guests shouldn’t allow pets upstairs or on furniture. They instructed that place mats be used on the table and that food not be left out, which could attract insects.

Other rules included cleaning the kitchen in a “timely manner,” “no shoes on the sofa or beds,” reporting any breakages straight away and only having lights on when they’re being used. 

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Common sense instructions were also listed, such as “no illegal activities of any kind” and not putting sanitary towels down the toilet.

The woman argued that the long list of rules was unnecessary, as the only expectation the owner should have of renters is that the property is “left in a good, clean condition.”

“I understand the owners want to keep their property in the best condition possible and I will respect their space, but I just feel like I’m not going to relax now and will be overthinking everything we do while we’re there,” she said. 

“So AIBU [am I being unreasonable] or are these very specific rules a step too far, especially as they weren’t stated upfront?” the woman asked.

Responses to the post agreed that the rental owner’s list of rules seemed excessive and argued it wasn’t fair to dictate what guests could eat.

“You’d think that someone who is that fastidious about the cleanliness of their property wouldn’t allow pets in,” one person commented. “The ‘treat it as your own home’ contradicts the rules if you like cooking, having curries and dogs upstairs.”

“I once stayed at an Airbnb a bit like this,” another wrote. “The owner was lovely, but I only stayed one night in the end as I was just so tense (had originally booked for four.)”

“Those rules are absolutely a p— take, especially sending them after you booked,” a third said. “The owners sound as if they don’t really want anyone in their home at all.”

“I think the rules are OK apart from telling you what and where to eat- those are unreasonable and I would just ignore them,” another person added. “The rest are a mixture of fine and annoying but fine, eg, no shoes on the sofa – surely this is just normal behavior and doesn’t need a patronizing instruction (anyway, you’ve already removed your shoes if they are dirty!) I do hate this aspect of Airbnb, though – people who fail to grasp that you’re a paying customer and ask you not to do anything they wouldn’t do. Very annoying.”