AIBU to be a bit taken aback by some of these ‘House Rules’?

[Speckly]

So I’ve booked an Air bnb for a long weekend. Going on this break will be myself (F54) DH (58) and our two DS (29 and 27). Neither of them live with us any longer but will each be meeting us there. In case it’s relevant the price for 3 nights was £346, which I think is a good price. There was no mention of particular rules in their listing (the first image is the list of rules on the actual Air bnb listing) but today (the day before we leave), we were emailed another list of very specific house rules (the second image is the list received from the owner today).
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. 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. Personally, I also don’t think it’s acceptable to tell me where in the property I can and can’t eat. Surely as long as I look after the property and it’s left in a good clean condition, I’ve fulfilled my part of the hire contract? 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. So AIBU or are these very specific rules a step too far, especially as they weren’t stated upfront?

These rules are extreme and beyond what would be reasonable for any host even if they were present and not charging.

Come and stay for the weekend but you're not allowed a cuppa in bed. Come round for tea and biscuits, nut beware you'll be having it at the kitchen table. Drinks anyone? But not on the sofa .

When you let your home, it's.not just your home but a business and as such occasional damage/stains need to be expected and factored into the costs and workload.

Of course you'd expect people to be considerate but those who arent, aren't going to change because of a list of rules.

I can see both sides, so fence-sitting!

A list of draconian rules is rather off-putting, and I have encountered some stingy and intrusive owners in my time.

However, clearly some guests completely take the piss. We stayed in a lovely house recently but there was a plea not to eat meals on the beds - clearly someone had made a mess/ruined stuff.

And fishy stuff does need to be washed up quickly or it permeates everything. I’d be less than pleased to check in somewhere that smelled of the previous occupants’ cooking.

So please tell us how to get tomato sauce stains out of the sofa in the 6 hour turnaround?

Even more points if you can do so in the 3 hours most people think is more than enough what with wanting late checkouts and early check ins.

You are clearly best suited to a Travelodge where they have plenty of spare rooms. Of course if they are fully booked you'll have to live with the untreated stain.

@AliciaLeeming , how do you get stinky curry or fish smells out of furnishings in a 3 or 6 hour window?

Having read this thread, I don't think I'd want to ever stay in an 'airbnb'.

I have young children. I have bought attractive sofa covers which I can remove and wash if need be, and if I were running a holiday let I'd buy a spare set. That's what I'd be doing with tomato sauce stains.

Don’t work on a few hours turnaround if you don’t have the resources to clean or substitute furniture. Or otherwise to prepare a property.

If you want to rake in cash for your property, treat it like a business, with overheads and liabilities, not like a very profitable hobby where you whinge about paying customers inconveniencing your cash flow.

I always think places with a list of rule have had issues with guests in the past so trying to cove themselves. 90% of the rules are common sense. The shoe one upstairs is personal preference. I know people who would take shoes off, other that wouldn't to go upstairs (obviously if dirty they would). Not eating on the sofa or beds I would take to mean a full meal not a snack. 5 and 6 seem really nit picky.

Having them sent to you and reading them I think it what makes it feel unreasonable - as if they are implying you are not a functioning sensible member of society. They should have sent well before the free cancellation window finished though so you could opt not to stay there if you didn't agree.
I actively avoid places that have lists of rules on their Airbnb listings.

I agree the tone of this list is off. "No illegal activities" is quite funny to me for some reason, a bit like how the box you have to tick to get into the US saying you are not a terrorist is not likely to catch out any actual terrorists.

Here's the thing though, If you can do 5 and 6 and never be found out, do that.
If you can't, that's the reason for the rules.

Washing dishes in a timely manner - so I can't wait till the day before I leave and do them all then? 😃
I found the bit about the recycled plaster particularly amusing. They clearly don't want anyone to actually stay in their house.

Most of these are reasonable wishes/requests, but as hard and fast rules it seems more like a wishlist than something it's reasonable to expect within an AirBnB context.

But:

No pets upstairs or on the beds needs to be stated BEFORE you book. It's a (mostly) enforceable rule in one's own household because the pets would be trained not to do these things, but random pets coming in won't be. Iff the beds, you could try your best but not going upstairs? Is there some kind of high gate on the stairs? What if the pet howls all night missing their owner?

No food in the bedrooms is fair; I don't know how they're going to know if you eat on the couch unless they have hidden cameras.

No fresh towels unless you're there for 7 days isn't reasonable environmentalism (and isn't workable unless there's an on-site washing machine).

I'd ignore the cooking rule as "strong-smelling" is subjective.

I understand the anxiety (and probably the experience) that leads to the "washing dishes timely" rule but it's also unenforceable. Guests who would damage the host's dishes or cookware aren't going to have enough common sense to judge what "timely" preventative cleaning would mean.

You make it sound like people demand late checkouts and early check-ins, but IME some places make a feature of offering them. In these cases I'd assume that the business had worked out how to accommodate them while also keeping up high cleaning standards. If a business owner/landlord doesn't want to have to do super-fast turnarounds then they can just not offer flexibility on checking in and out.

Yes, that's insane! As long as it's done and the place left pristine when you leave, how on earth does it matter how promptly it's done?

Honestly, I'd be concerned that they have cameras in the place

Substitute furniture???? Where do you suggest I keep a spare sofa?

Rake in cash??? If only. It's hard work with very little profit. Lots of people selling up at the moment due to over supply.

People generally don’t throw tomato sauce / red wine on furniture on purpose so it doesn’t happen that often. My husband has a holiday let, with no crazy list of rules like that and so far it hasn’t happened to us..
the whole point is the list is a fruitless exercise, people who are careless won’t heed it anyway, and if someone has an accident the accident was going to happen whether you have a list or not.

I don’t know. Run a business more professionally and carefully? Use a cover? Buy a sofa that cleans easily?

Or maybe stop believing that you have the right to take money from people to stay in your property and the right to dictate in absurd detail how they can cook in it, eat in it, relax in it and otherwise use it?

Sorry., I'm unreasonable for providing a luxury experience for my guests, for providing the best I can afford to make them ( hopefully) happy? How does that work? And unreasonable for hoping that people would respect my property? I should just expect it to be trashed?

I think that's way over the top

No curries is ok - the smell is vile. If they allow dogs, then it’s no good specifying a lot of rules.

No curries automatically discriminates against people for whom they are a staple diet.

I would assume that wasn't the intention but it's a poorly thought out (as well as unreasonable) rule.

I agree with them all

How hilarious! Obviously not hilarious for you...

"no strong smelling curries or fish" 😂

Yes these people are uptight and in the wrong business.

I like the smell of curries.
But also the ban it is very selective . Some people may hate the smell of a roast meat which I think is equally strong, or garlic, some Mediterranean type dishes also have strong smells that linger.
Guests should be allowed to cook what they want. And if the owner is worried about lingering cooking smells then they should get better ventilation.
I think dogs can smell but the Airbnb allows them so the blanket ban on curry and fish while allowing dogs and garlic based food is very odd.

OH THE IRONY!!

We’ve just arrived and the place is less than spotless and luxurious 🤣 Dog hairs all over the couch and cushions, place is dusty and the rugs are filthy. I’ve just gone round with the bloody hoover! 🤦🏻‍♀️

The walls are all marked and things that it says are provided or not here! I’d post pictures (of which I’ve taken plenty) but that really would be outing. I’ll save those for the review!

I will not be following any of those rules that don’t suit me because they can’t even clean properly before I arrive. Expectation after receiving the rules 10/10. Actual experience 4/10. #Disappointed 😔😔😔

Take pics so you can show, if needed, what it was like when you arrived (pity you'e already hoovered...)