Airbnb's house rules policy affects how you set house rules, checkout instructions, guest messages, and the guest information you collect. Learn which Guesty settings sync to Airbnb, which rules you set directly on Airbnb, and how to keep your listings in line with Airbnb's house rules policy.
What Airbnb's policy covers
Airbnb's house rules policy includes the following:
- Standard rules: Hosts choose from 7 standard rules: maximum overnight guests, quiet hours, events, pets (including the number of pets), smoking (including vaping and e-cigarettes), commercial photography and filming, and lock up at checkout.
- Requests: Anything beyond the standard rules is added as a free-text request, either during the stay or before checkout. All requests must be reasonable. For example, you can ask guests to put used dishes in the sink, but not to wash them, or to gather used towels, but not to strip the beds or start laundry.
- Checkout: Checkout instructions are covered by the "Lock up at checkout" rule and before-checkout requests.
- One place for rules: All rules and requests must appear in the "House rules and requests" section, not in messages, signs, or elsewhere on the listing. Contracts are allowed only in limited cases, such as legal or HOA requirements or monthly stays.
How house rules sync to Airbnb
The table below shows which Guesty fields sync to Airbnb's standard rules and requests.
| Airbnb rule | Guesty field | Sent to Airbnb if empty in Guesty |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum overnight guests | Accommodates | 1 guest |
| Pets | Allow pets | Not allowed |
| Smoking | Allow smoking | Not allowed |
| Events | Allow parties or events | Not allowed |
| Lock up at checkout | Checkout instructions | — |
| Requests during the stay | Additional house rules | — |
Quiet hours and commercial photography don't sync from Guesty. Set them directly in Airbnb's Listing editor. The child policy doesn't sync to Airbnb.
Sync types
How these rules sync depends on the listing's sync type:
- Full sync: Values from Guesty overwrite the rules set on Airbnb. Empty fields are sent with the values in the table above.
- Limited sync: Rules set on Airbnb are kept.
Change your sync settings to choose where you manage house rules. If you change the free text for house rules in Airbnb, it becomes a locked attribute and can't be updated from Guesty.
Limitations
Note the following limitations for additional house rules:
- Additional house rules sync up to 600 characters. Longer text isn't sent to Airbnb, and Airbnb may require shorter text.
- Additional house rules are shared across all channels. Edits you make to meet Airbnb's policy apply to every channel.
Flagged requests
Airbnb flags requests it considers unreasonable, such as asking guests to wash dishes, strip beds, or take trash off-site. Flags appear in Airbnb's Listing editor and in emails from Airbnb, not in Guesty. Airbnb's emails include tips and an option to appeal. If a flagged request isn't fixed, guests may see an alert on the listing, such as "includes cleaning requests".
Fix flagged requests in Guesty's additional house rules. Otherwise, the next sync sends them to Airbnb again. Sync errors appear in the Troubleshooting dashboard.
Customize the Guest App for Airbnb reservations
Airbnb doesn't allow hosts to require guests to provide personal details outside Airbnb, such as external registration, mandatory contact forms, or identity verification, unless a local law requires it. Examples include municipal short-term rental laws, local tax reporting, and HOA or building security rules. However, Airbnb doesn't block guests from opening the Guest App through the shared link.
If you don't have a legal requirement to collect guest details, create a separate Guest App for Airbnb guests without guest detail collection, and send its link only to Airbnb reservations.
Create a Guest App for Airbnb guests
Follow the instructions below to create a Guest App for Airbnb reservations.
Step by step:
- Sign in to your Guesty account.
- In the side navigation menu, click
Operations to open the dropdown menu. - Under Front desk, select Guest app.
- In the top-right corner, click Add Guest App.
- Enter a descriptive name, such as "Airbnb Guest App".
- Add the modules you want Airbnb guests to see, such as house manuals, Wi-Fi details, and guidebooks. Don't add the Check-in form or the Payment info form modules.
- Click Save.
On the Guest App dashboard, copy the new Airbnb-specific Guest App link variable.
Send the Airbnb Guest App link automatically
Set up your automated messages so each channel gets the right Guest App link.
Step by step:
- Sign in to your Guesty account.
- In the side navigation menu, click Operations to open the dropdown menu.
- Under Front desk, select Message automation.
- Next to the automation that sends your Guest App link, click
and select Duplicate. - In the "Reservation conditions" section, under "Channels and sources", select Specific and select Airbnb from the dropdown.
- In each message that includes the Guest App link, replace the variable with your Airbnb Guest App's link variable.
- In the bottom-right corner, click Save or Save & activate.
- On the Message automation page, click next to the original automation and select Edit.
-
In the "Reservation conditions" section, under "Channels and sources", select Specific and ensure Airbnb is not selected.
Make sure to also check sources such as Manual and Website, so manual and direct reservations still get the Guest App link.
- Check that the messages in this automation still use your original Guest App's link variable.
- In the bottom-right corner, click Save or Save & activate.
Important:
Update the original automation right after you create the Airbnb one. If both automations include Airbnb, Airbnb guests get both messages.
Keep your listings aligned with Airbnb's policy
Follow these guidelines to make sure your listings meet Airbnb's policy:
- Set every synced rule in Guesty: On full sync, fill in Accommodates, Allow pets, Allow smoking, and Allow parties or events. Empty fields replace your Airbnb settings.
- Set quiet hours and commercial photography on Airbnb: Guesty doesn't sync these rules, so manage them in Airbnb's Listing editor.
- Review your additional house rules: Remove chore-type requests, such as washing dishes, stripping beds, or taking trash off-site. Keep the text under 600 characters.
- Check your checkout instructions: Make sure the lock-up and key-return details in Guesty are what you want guests to see on Airbnb.
- Keep rules in one place: Remove rules from guest messages, automated messages, and the listing description, and add them to your house rules instead.
- Review your Guest App: Use a separate Guest App for Airbnb reservations without the guest information fields that Airbnb restricts.