Letting a holiday home means placing your trust in people you never meet. The vast majority of guests come to rest, to walk or to eat together. Yet almost every owner knows the story of a group that promised a quiet weekend and threw a party.
Nuisance costs more than a clean. There is damage to furniture, there are angry neighbours, sometimes a complaint to the municipality. And you do not restore the neighbourhood's trust with a letter of apology. The good news: you can prevent most problems long before the guests arrive. In this article, we go through what you can do before the booking, on arrival, during the stay and afterwards.
Start with your listing text
Your listing attracts a certain audience. If you write about "the ideal place to celebrate together" or "plenty of room for a big party", you will get exactly those requests. So describe what the property is really intended for: peace and quiet, family, cooking together, a weekend away with friends who like walking.
Also say clearly what is not allowed. A sentence like "Parties and events are not permitted" does not put off the right guests. On the contrary: families and couples like reading that. Also mention that the property is in a quiet neighbourhood and that the neighbours appreciate silence after ten in the evening.
Pay attention to your photos. A garden full of string lights and a bar with bottles evokes a different image from a laid table and a reading corner. Guests choose on the basis of the image you give.
House rules that work
House rules only make sense if they are short, concrete and visible. Nobody reads a list of thirty points. Limit yourself to what really counts:
- no parties or events
- no extra visitors without permission
- quiet in the garden and on the terrace from a set time
- maximum number of people as in the booking
- no smoking indoors
Put those rules in your listing, in the booking confirmation and in the property itself. That way nobody can say afterwards that they did not know. On most platforms, guests can explicitly accept the house rules when they book. Make use of that.
Minimum age and group size
Many owners set a minimum age for the lead guest. That is a simple filter against groups of young people looking for a house to party in. Do check what the platform allows and how to word this correctly.
Also think about group size. A property with many beds naturally attracts large groups. That is not a problem, as long as the number of guests matches the booking. State that extra people are not allowed and that you have the right to end the stay if that rule is broken.
Screening booking requests
If you accept requests manually, you hold an important moment in your hands. Look at the guest's profile. Do they have previous reviews from other hosts? Is the profile complete? Do they write anything about the reason for the stay?
There are signals that should put you on alert. A booking for one night on a Saturday, last minute, from a new profile without reviews. A guest who asks whether "a few extra friends" may drop by. A group booking the property close to their own home address. None of these signals proves anything. But they are a reason to ask a question.
Feel free to send a short message: "Thank you for your interest. May I ask who you are coming with and what the occasion is?" Someone acting in good faith will answer kindly. Someone with other plans often drops out.
Platform policies
The major platforms have their own policies against parties and unauthorised events. They use technology to recognise risky bookings and sometimes impose restrictions, for example around certain holidays or for young guests without reviews. The details change regularly. So read the current rules of every platform you are active on and align your own house rules with them.
On arrival: clarity and a point of contact
The first impression sets the tone of the stay. A well-kept property and a personal welcome message show that there is someone who cares about the house. Guests treat a place more carefully when there is clearly an owner behind it.
Repeat the most important house rules in the welcome message on the day of arrival. Short and friendly. Have a house manual ready in which the rules appear again, together with practical information about rubbish, heating and parking.
Also give a fixed point of contact with a phone number that can be reached. Guests who know there is someone nearby who can drop by behave differently from guests who think nobody will notice.
A smart lock with a unique code per stay helps here. You know when the guests arrive and the code expires after departure. That way no keys circulate among friends of friends.
During the stay: noise monitoring, no cameras
For many owners, a noise monitor is a reassuring solution. The device only measures the sound level in decibels. It does not record conversations and does not listen in. When the sound stays above a set limit for a while, you get an alert. You can then contact the guests politely before things get out of hand.
Two arrangements are important here. Always state in your listing that there is a noise monitor and where it is located. And never place cameras inside the property. That is a violation of your guests' privacy and is not accepted by the platforms. Cameras outside, such as at the driveway, are subject to their own rules. Find out properly before you install anything there, and always mention it clearly.
Some owners also use a doorbell or sensor that registers the number of people at the entrance. Weigh up what is necessary and what still feels pleasant for guests.
Build a good relationship with the neighbours
Your neighbours are your best allies. They are the first to notice when something goes wrong. If they cannot reach you, they call the police or the municipality. If they do have a number, they call you.
Introduce yourself to the immediate neighbours. Explain that you let the property, to what kind of guests and which rules apply. Give a phone number on which they can reach you or your manager, including in the evening. Feel free to ask them to let you know if something is not right.
A small gesture around the holidays or a card after the summer works wonders. Neighbours who feel heard are much more forgiving of an occasional noisy moment.
What if things go wrong anyway
Even with every precaution, it can happen. What matters is that you act quickly and calmly.
Contact the guest. Send a message through the platform and call if necessary. Stay friendly but clear: the rules are being broken and it has to stop. Often that alone is enough.
Document everything. Keep messages, alerts from the noise monitor, complaints from neighbours and photos of any damage. Take those photos as soon as possible after departure, before the cleaning starts.
Use the platform's procedures. Most platforms have a resolution centre where you can report damage and request compensation. Deadlines apply, so do not wait too long. In serious cases, the platform can also help to end a stay early.
Only call the police if necessary. In case of violence, danger or if guests refuse to leave the property, that is the right step. With ordinary noise nuisance, you first try to resolve it yourself.
Afterwards, leave an honest and businesslike review. That way you help other hosts.
Would you like to hand this over?
At YourDomi, communication with guests is multilingual, seven days a week, and we work with smart locks that give each stay its own code. Our own cleaning team checks the property after every departure with a fixed checklist and photos. Curious what that could mean for your property? Request a personal proposal.
