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?

Do you think?

I could go for an Airbnb, but I’m worried that I might get an expensive and uncomfortably restricted stay in a place owned by a greedy chancer.

What to do?

I think if I stayed in a place like that I'd take a positive pleasure in having breakfast in bed and enjoying a nice cup of tea whilst curled up on the sofa.

Haven’t rtft - I had similar years ago and a list of how much we would need to replace items… £2000 for a mark on the £200 ikea table etc - I will look after your house but I have also paid your months mortgage in 1 week so either don’t rent it out or accept that people are using it 🤷‍♀️

Those rules seem fair enough to me.

The 'strong smelling food' might seem a little OTT but curries and fish could indeed stink the property out/linger on soft furnishings, so I do think it's a reasonable request.

At the end of the day, it's their property, they can impose any rules they like. If you don't like the rules, don't stay there.

That is the whole problem in a nutshell. I’ll do what I like because I’ve paid for it and anyway the insurance will cover it. Why not just be respectful of other people’s property.

Ah, yes, those famous buffets / breakfasts people always eat on sofas and in bed... Right

It’s not a luxury experience if you’re bitching about it though or providing a list of fussy rules.
you can either afford to take the hit or have good insurance or adjust your prices accordingly so that you don’t need to moan when a natural spillage happens.
or you cut your literal cloth according to your means and stop trying to score points with things you can’t easily replace.
you can’t have it all ways and remain a welcoming host providing a relaxing environment.

If your adult sons are actually mature / not entitled, I'm they sure won't mind eating popcorn at the table, or going without it for one night

Why wouldn't they mind? They might do it (I wouldn't, but I am entitled at times), but they don't have to be entitled to find it annoying and petty.

I'm actually on their side with the smelly food.

My dad can't stand curry, it really does make him feel unwell.

When I was a baby my dad would sometimes work away for a week. My mum would get a vesta curry for the Monday night. My dad would come home on the Friday and complain about the smell.

I once stayed in a place that had different laminated rules stuck on virtually every surface. They included things like a request not to move some dried flowers from the table and an instruction on how much soap to use. I think every time a guest did something that mildly irritated the owner, she headed to the laminating machine. It felt rather uncomfortable staying there but we have joked about it ever since.

Once booked a place, via a major cottage letting site, in a coastal location. It was dog friendly
( frequently more relaxed rules/ owners)
Once there there were hand written or BOLD typed rules stuck up everywhere.
One was next to the cooker regarding the use of foil and the owner’s arthritic wrists. The worst one was “ Please report any stains on the sheets” followed by “ We WILL KNOW”
There were also religious texts and quotes on the walls and a few paintings you wouldn’t expect in a holiday let!

@Neemie dried flowers are horrible, I expect every guest hid them away.

Tbh I agree with these 🙈🤣 but I have let out properties before and seen what ‘ordinarily normal’ people do on holiday and the damage done

There was some very smelly potpourri in the bedroom that DH stuck outside on the windowsill overnight. We nearly forgot to put it back when we left! That would have definitely warranted another laminated sign.

@Neemie pot pourri as well ! Were there lacy/damask tablecloths too

I’m currently staying in an Airbnb in a French seaside town. The only rules are don’t leave the place a mess and put the rubbish out when you leave. The no fish rule certainly wouldn’t wash- I can see the marina from the balcony 😁

I'm surprised by the responses here. We don't break any of these rules at home anyway so i wouldn't have given them a second thought.

At the end of the day, it's their property, they can impose any rules they like. If you don't like the rules, don't stay there.

That would be fair enough if the rules were clear before booking, but OP says they weren’t. I don’t know if she could have cancelled without losing her money once the rules became clear, but it’s extremely shitty of the owner if not.

I am surprised how many people seem to support the food rules, though. A lot of people must like very bland food.

This person shouldn’t be an airb&b host.

Sensible guests don't need to be told not to spread mud around the house

And I wouldn't take kindly to someone telling me I can't eat fish on holiday. That's weird

A similar situation at a workplace was proven to be discriminatory when a sign banning “smelly curries” was used.

it’s dumb. If you’re so precious, don’t rent your house 🏠.. leave it alone and let someone else buy to actually live in.

😆 I can imagine the hosts inspecting the sheets with a magnifying glass and sending you some quote from the bible (' Thou shall not...') if they found any evidence of unsaintly activity.

This is only fair enough if the rules are presented BEFORE booking, you cannot be expected to stick to a contract which is laid down only once you have paid, even then I fell it flies close to the wind in terms of reasonableness.