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?

The only one I really have an issue with is cleaning pans, etc, "within a timely manner"! I would expect not to be bothered when in a self contained AirBnB, so if I want to leave the pots in the sink for 3 days, I should be allowed to and no one should know that I have. As long as it's cleaned before you leave.

I'm on the fence about smelly foods.

I often think of rules/signs like this as having been written for a reason. Sometime, at some point, the following has happened at this property:

• someone had muddy shoes and traipsed it all around the house and the carpets required a deep clean on changeover day
• someone's dog left muddy footprints over the sofa
• someone spilled their dinner on the sofa and bed
• someone didn't use the place mats and left a ring mark on the table
• someone left a tray of doughnuts out and the ants descended!
• the counter tops are (foolishly for a holiday let) made of a porous material that needed sanding or treating when someone left oil/staining food or drink on it
• someone didn't shut the freezer door properly and the contents went off and left puddles on the floor

etc, etc.

They're all reasonable?

No tampons in the toilet? WTF!

The only one is the 'not cooking strong smelling foods', that's a bit odd. I do think it would be best if they simply said 'No Pets', rather than giving a list of rules for allowing pets. A lot of the rules are common sense, and most people would abide by them, just because it's sensible. Those who need these rules are those who have no common sense, but you have to ask, would they be the type of person to even read the list?!!

Same! If it was just me and hubby staying with our small children, we’d be snuggled up on sofa with wine and snacks watching a film once the kids are in bed!

I’d have expected those rules a lot sooner than just before you leave. What if you’ve already bought your ingredients for a smelly fishy curry?!

The majority are what should be common sense, but it’s annoying to read through them! But you should be able to eat what you like and where you like. Surprised dogs are allowed at all if they’re this particular!

They sound like you will definitely struggle to get your cleaning deposit back if you’ve paid one. Far too much hassle for a space they are hiring out for money ! It’s like they’re doing you a favour by letting you stay there . I appreciate you probably won’t get your deposit back now but if it were me I would’ve cancelled on principle as I hate being told what I can eat and where

I mean it’s a bit OTT but a lot of them are fiddly courteous and the sort of things that are unwritten rules in many ways. The no fish or strong curries…I can sort of see their point, it can take a couple of days for those smells to truly go and if there’s a new guest they don’t want that.

In our office we have a bit of an unwritten rule that you can’t put fish in the microwave 😂

It could have done with proofreading.
The rules are OK otherwise.

Rules about what and where you may eat are ridiculous.

For the detail of those rules, I would leave only a 3 or 4 star review. And I would warn other likely hirers about the detailed rules which are not in the lusting

And I’d eat fish finger sandwiches in bed.

@Speckly im not saying I’d want to lose £35 let alone ten times that ! all I’m saying is the comments about cooking kippers etc is just silly. In reality you will probably all have a pub meal or a takeaway, nobody realistically is going to prepare a full scale Indian meal for one night are they ? I hope you have a nice stay and enjoy the accommodation and appreciate that it’s nice because previous guests have respected it.

No eating upstairs or on the sofa??

I think this is a perfectly reasonable request. We don't do these at home.

I love a curry, but if I am away on a break I am more likely to eat out rather than make one.

I don't know why you're justifying the rules to me - I said they weren't unreasonable.

It's possible to think a rule is reasonable yet not personally want to live by it. E.g. I wouldn't think it unreasonable if they'd said 'no smoking in the garden' but I'd personally want a garden I could smoke in, so I wouldn't choose it.

Apart from the cooking of curries and fish (which is what we eat a lot of) none of those things are any different from how I run my own home

In any case we normally eat out while on holiday and eat cheese olives and nuts while in the accomodation. Along with crisps and cake. OH has been known to buy a ready meal curry and when we ate takeaways, would order the odd curry.

I suppose the smell gets in the furnishings.

We’re not there for ONE night. We’re there for THREE nights and as a pescatarian I’d obviously like to have seen these rules before I booked!

Well, of course you shouldn't put them down the toilet!

@brunettemic do you know I was going to mention the shared work kitchen fish rule, if a poster had come on saying they wanted to cook fish in the shared work kitchen it would be a unanimous no no

@Mumptynumpty ,please tell me you don't flush tampons down the pan.

@RampantIvy I know right ? Do people still think that is acceptable 🤯

People like that shouldn’t rent their homes out.

Who the hell would flush a tampon?? They aren't flushable. They should never ever be put down a toilet.

@Speckly well perhaps a compromise would be a fish and chip takeaway as it’s the cooking of fish that smells, as we all know

They're pretty reasonable apart from the cooking and eating, but they're laid out in a way that looks stressful. I agree with PP that they'd be better off saying no pets, then condensing the rest into polite requests.

I once looked at an Airbnb until I saw the "additional rules". One was that you weren't allowed to return there after 8pm because the owner lived beneath and the stairs were creaky! And once home, after 8pm there was to be no cooking and movement should be kept to a minimum 😂. I am amazed they ever got any bookings.

I disagree. It keeps the place nice for all the guests.

@CeciliaDuckiePond I know, sorry if it came across that way

Sadly some guests treat holiday rentals so badly that I can understand the owner's list.

I took me 48 hours to remove the smell of cannabis from one group this year. We actually have very few rules though.

Both are being unreasonable for using air b and b , it should be banned.