House ‘rules’
We have house rules, which are very mild. It’s things like ‘don’t do anything criminal, be nice to the cat, and don’t smoke in the house’. Those are the most important ones, but there are more practical rules like: if you have a shower, please leave the window open a little. If you don’t say things upfront, people will upset you without meaning to, and you might be too polite to say why you’re upset.
All our hosts and their homes are unique. Some have pets, some do not permit meat to be prepared or eaten in their home, others may want the bathroom free every evening for a two-hour soak. Although there’s no right way to do things, the quirks, habits, and lifestyles of guests and hosts can sometimes cause a bit of tension.
It’s good to be upfront about any rules, boundaries, or customs you might have and many of our hosts find it’s helpful to have these written down for reference.
As it’s your home, it’s completely up to you what you want to include. Whatever your rules look like, please do be patient as your guest adjusts to them, and don’t be fearful of telling your guest if they aren’t following the rules. For anything which is absolutely vital for your guest to know prior to moving in; make sure your Placement Coordinator is made aware of this, so that they can make sure this red line is clear to the guest and any referrer who is involved.
As you create your house rules, make sure everyone in the household is on board and discuss it with them. Do you all feel comfortable with your guest having an overnight guest? What does the schedule for the bathroom look like in the mornings? The more consistent a house rule is, the easier it is to follow.
Things to include
- Dietary requirements/restrictions
- Curfews
- Mealtimes
- Pets
- Smoking areas
- Cleaning
- Having visitors over – including overnight stays
- Use of paid subscriptions (e.g. Amazon Prime, Apple TV purchases)
Sample house rules
Looking for inspiration? One of our host couples has kindly shared an anonymised version of their own house rules document to help other people opening their home to a guest.
Our rules are a little guide to the things that we found ourselves saying again and again every time somebody comes like ‘it’s OK to use the washing machine; it’s OK if you break a plate, don’t worry, just say; it’s OK to go into the garden, but please don’t smoke in the house, and this is what our wifi password is’. We eventually just put it all down on a little sheet that we can give to people.
