Which rules should a holiday rental have?
The essential rules are: check-in and check-out times, maximum number of guests, quiet hours, smoking, pets, parties and visitors, use of the appliances, waste sorting, parking and what to do on departure. Explain each rule’s reason in one line: a rule with its why feels less like a ban.
How do you share house rules with foreign guests?
Put them in the listing, repeat them in the pre-arrival message and make them available in the house in more than one language. A digital guide with automatic translation, opened from a QR code, lets each guest read the rules in their language, among those you turn on, without you writing them several times.
House rules template to print, in Italian and English
The template is below, free and with no email to leave. There is no file to download: you copy the text. The Italian and English versions have the same rules in the same order, so you can print them side by side. Replace the parts in square brackets and remove the rules you do not need.
The rules should say the same as your listing and your contract: the same maximum number of guests, the same times, the same rule on smoking and pets. If you change a rule, update it everywhere. The key-box code does not belong on the sheet: send it privately.
REGOLE DELLA CASA · [Nome della struttura] CIN: [codice identificativo nazionale] Benvenuti! Queste poche regole servono a farvi stare bene e a rispettare la casa e i vicini. Grazie per la collaborazione. CHECK-IN E CHECK-OUT Check-in dalle [ora] alle [ora]. Check-out entro le [ora]. Se arrivate dopo le [ora], avvisateci prima: [contatto]. OSPITI La casa accoglie al massimo [numero] persone, bambini compresi. Visitatori: [regola, per esempio benvenuti fino alle 22]. SILENZIO Vi chiediamo silenzio dalle [ora] alle [ora]: intorno a voi vivono altre persone. FUMO [Per esempio: in casa non si fuma; potete fumare in balcone, il posacenere è sul tavolino.] ANIMALI [Per esempio: gli animali sono benvenuti, ma non sul divano e non sui letti.] FESTE ED EVENTI [Per esempio: niente feste né eventi, per rispetto dei vicini.] RACCOLTA DIFFERENZIATA Vi chiediamo di dividere i rifiuti: Organico: [contenitore e colore] Plastica e metalli: [contenitore e colore] Carta e cartone: [contenitore e colore] Vetro: [contenitore e colore] Indifferenziato: [contenitore e colore] Quando e dove portare i sacchi: [giorni e orari indicati dal Comune] PARCHEGGIO [Dove lasciare l’auto. Se la via è in una ZTL: come evitarla.] ELETTRODOMESTICI E CONSUMI [Per esempio: spegnete l’aria condizionata quando uscite o aprite le finestre.] EMERGENZE Emergenze: 112. Host: [numero]. PARTENZA Prima di partire: [chiavi, finestre, luci, rifiuti, stoviglie]. Grazie e buon viaggio!
HOUSE RULES · [Property name] CIN: [national identification code] Welcome! These few rules help you enjoy your stay and respect the house and the neighbours. Thank you for your help. CHECK-IN AND CHECK-OUT Check-in from [time] to [time]. Check-out by [time]. If you arrive after [time], please let us know in advance: [contact]. GUESTS The house sleeps up to [number] people, children included. Visitors: [rule, for example welcome until 10pm]. QUIET HOURS Please keep quiet from [time] to [time]: other people live around you. SMOKING [For example: no smoking indoors; you can smoke on the balcony, the ashtray is on the side table.] PETS [For example: pets are welcome, but not on the sofa or the beds.] PARTIES AND EVENTS [For example: no parties or events, out of respect for the neighbours.] WASTE SORTING Please sort your waste: Food waste: [bin and colour] Plastic and metal: [bin and colour] Paper and cardboard: [bin and colour] Glass: [bin and colour] General waste: [bin and colour] When and where bags go out: [days and times from the town’s rules] PARKING [Where to leave the car. If the street is in a ZTL (limited traffic zone): how to avoid it.] APPLIANCES AND ENERGY [For example: please switch off the air conditioning when you go out or open the windows.] EMERGENCIES Emergencies: 112. Host: [number]. DEPARTURE Before you leave: [keys, windows, lights, rubbish, dishes]. Thank you, and safe travels!
Which rules to include, and why
Every rule in the template has a reason. Writing it in half a line helps guests see it is not a whim.
Check-in and check-out
Exact times, and what to do if arriving late. Why: without a time guests arrive when they can and you wait, or they find the house not ready yet.
Maximum number of guests
The same number as the listing, children included. Why: beds, towels and dishes are planned for that number, and a number that differs from the listing causes misunderstandings.
Quiet hours
A time window, for example from 10pm to 8am. Why: in a block of flats, or with houses nearby, noise at night disturbs people who live there all year.
Smoking
Whether guests can smoke, and where: balcony, garden, never indoors. Why: the smell stays in curtains and sofas, and the next guest notices it.
Pets
Whether they are allowed and on what terms: size, sofa, beds, any extra fee. Why: people travelling with a pet need to know before booking, and so do people with allergies.
Parties and visitors
Whether friends can drop by and until when, and whether parties are ruled out. Why: people who do not sleep there are not among the guests you accepted, and a party disturbs the neighbours.
Appliances and energy
How to use the washing machine, dishwasher and air conditioning, and what to switch off when going out. Why: a misused appliance breaks, and air conditioning with the windows open wastes energy.
Waste sorting
Which bin for what, and when bags go out. Why: bins and days change from one town to the next, and guests cannot know them.
Parking
Where to leave the car and, if there is one, how to avoid the ZTL (limited traffic zone). Why: driving into a ZTL by mistake can mean a fine, and it spoils the stay.
Departure
A few things before leaving: keys, windows, lights, rubbish. Why: guests know what to leave tidy and you find the house as you expect, without asking for cleaning that is your job.
How to write them without sounding rude
The same rule can sound like a welcome or like a no-entry sign. Three habits are enough: say what guests can do, not only what they cannot; give the reason in half a line; say thank you.
| Instead of | Write |
|---|---|
| “No smoking!” | Write: “Please do not smoke indoors: you can smoke on the balcony, the ashtray is on the side table.” |
| “Silence after 10pm.” | Write: “From 10pm to 8am please keep quiet: the neighbours get up early.” |
| “No friends allowed.” | Write: “Friends are welcome until 10pm. At night the house is only for the guests on the booking.” |
| “No pets.” | Write: “Sorry, the house is not suitable for pets.” |
| “SORT YOUR WASTE!!!” | Write: “We sort our waste here: the bins are under the sink. Thank you!” |
| “Do not leave dirty dishes.” | Write: “Before you leave, please put the dishes in the dishwasher and start it. Thank you!” |
- In Italian, pick the formal or informal “you” and keep it throughout.
- No capitals and strings of exclamation marks: they read as shouting.
- Put the rules that matter most first, not in alphabetical order.
- End with a thank you and a contact for problems.
How to share them with guests
Rules work when guests read them before they are in the situation. It helps to repeat them in four places.
- In the listing, on Airbnb or Booking: guests see them before booking.
- In the pre-arrival message: repeat the three or four rules that matter most and paste the guide link.
- In the house: a sheet at the entrance, or the first page of the welcome book, next to the guide’s QR code.
- In the digital guest guide, where guests find them again when they need them, even away from the house.
In LOQY the rules have their own section, House rules, included in the Free plan. On the Pro plan you turn languages on and the rules are translated with the rest of the guide: the guest picks the language on the page. When you change a rule the page updates straight away, and the printed QR code stays the same.
Pro costs €10 a month or €90 a year, excl. VAT, with a 7-day trial and no card: if you do not add a card, you return to Free. If you run several units or a hotel and need dedicated onboarding, write to support@loqy.info and ask for a custom quote.
Notes for Italy
These notes are not legal advice and do not say what your property is required to do: they point to the official sources at the end of the page, checked on the date shown. LOQY is not a compliance tool.
- CIN: the national identification code that the Italian Ministry of Tourism assigns through its accommodation database. The template has a line for it. Where and how to display it is governed by article 13-ter of decree-law 145/2023: read the text in the sources and ask your town hall.
- Maximum number of guests: write the same number as your listing and as what you declared for the property. If you are unsure what it is, ask your town hall.
- Waste sorting: bins, colours and days change from one town to the next. Copy the official instructions of your town or waste operator rather than writing them from memory.
- Regional rules: this page does not cover them. For those, refer to your region’s website.
Frequently asked questions
- Is there a Word version of the house rules template?
- There is no Word file to download: the template is on this page, in Italian and English. Copy it into Word, Google Docs or Pages, replace the parts in square brackets and print it. The same text can be pasted into the House rules section in LOQY.
- Do house rules have to be in English?
- To be understood, if you host guests who do not speak Italian, it helps to have them at least in English: the template above already comes in both languages. On paper every language is one more sheet to keep up to date. On LOQY’s Pro plan the rules are translated into the languages you turn on and guests pick theirs.
- Where should house rules be displayed in the house?
- Where guests see them without looking: at the entrance, next to the guide’s QR code, or on the first page of the welcome book. A short sheet in plain sight gets read more than a long rulebook in a drawer. The full rules live in the digital guide, where you update them without reprinting.
- Do the rules change from region to region?
- You write the house rules yourself: quiet hours, smoking, pets and parties depend on you and your house. Some formalities and waste sorting do change with the region or the town. This page does not cover regional rules: check your region’s and your town’s websites.
Sources
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One property, house rules and the QR code, with no credit card. For several units or a hotel with dedicated onboarding, write to support@loqy.info.
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