Short answer: A good homestay house rules template is short, checkable, and matches your condo's by-laws. Airbnb enforces its standard rules (pets, events, smoking, quiet hours, guest count); your own additional rules rely on messages and evidence. The building can fine up to RM200 per breach, and that fine lands on the owner.
Most owners copy a long list of "no this, no that" from the internet. They find out what it is worth on the first bad night: some lines the platform ignores, some nobody can check, and some contradict the building's own rules. This guide looks at house rules from the owner's side. The rules exist to protect your unit and your standing in the building, not to scare guests.
Who do house rules actually protect?
The owner. A guest stays two nights and leaves. You stay in that building for years.
In Peninsular Malaysia, strata buildings run on the Strata Management Act 2013. The 30 by-laws in the Third Schedule of the Strata Management (Maintenance and Management) Regulations 2015 are the baseline, and the management body can pass additional by-laws by special resolution, with fines of up to RM200 for a proprietor, occupant or invitee who breaches them (Malay Mail summary, 29 September 2026). The baseline by-laws also say electrical equipment and instruments must be kept at low volume after 11pm unless written approval is given.
When a guest is loud at 1am, the letter goes to the unit and the owner. Worse, a run of complaints becomes the evidence residents bring to an AGM vote on banning short stays. If that happens, read what owners can do after the AGM vote.
Which house rules does Airbnb let you set?
Airbnb splits rules into layers (Help Centre article 472 and resource 554):
| Layer | What goes in it | Will Airbnb back you up? |
|---|---|---|
| Standard rules | Pets, events, smoking/vaping/e-cigarettes, quiet hours, maximum overnight guests, commercial photography and filming, lock up at checkout | Yes. If you cannot resolve it with the guest, contact support; repeat offenders can be suspended or removed |
| Additional rules | Your own text, for example "no durians" | Airbnb says it will support next steps, but this is softer than the standard rules |
| Local rules | Building or local government rules, and any fines guests should know about | A separate section of the listing, so guests see it before booking |
Four details that trip owners up:
- Additional rules cannot contradict standard rules. You cannot set one check-in time in the standard field and another in the text.
- Additional rules must follow Airbnb's terms and nondiscrimination policy. Text that may break policy gets flagged.
- A change only applies to future reservations. Guests who already booked keep the old rules.
- On 28 June 2022 Airbnb made its party ban permanent. Disruptive parties and open-invite gatherings are prohibited (the temporary 16-person cap was dropped at the same time).
Booking.com and Agoda listings also have a house rules section, but enforcement works differently on each, so read their own help pages. On direct bookings you rely entirely on your own terms and deposit.
Which rules work and which are wasted words?
A rule works when the guest sees it before booking, you can prove it afterwards, and it matches the building.
| Rule | Works? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum overnight guests = what the beds sleep | Yes | Standard rule; gate registration and common-area CCTV can show it |
| Quiet after 11pm | Yes | Matches the building by-law; neighbour complaints have a timestamp |
| No smoking or vaping inside or on the balcony | Yes | Standard rule; smell and cigarette ends can be photographed |
| No durians | Yes, if precise | Additional rule; say whether you mean whole fruit or sealed durian snacks |
| Pets only with prior approval | Yes | Standard rule; hair and smell leave evidence |
| "Please take care of the furniture" | Barely | Too vague; at deposit time nobody can say which rule was broken |
| "No guests from group X" | Not allowed | Breaks the platform's nondiscrimination policy |
| Wash dishes, mop, strip beds before checkout | Careful | Cleaning is the owner's cost; long chore lists buy you bad reviews |
A 10-rule template you can adapt (example only)
Times and numbers in brackets are examples, not our standard terms. Change them to fit your building:
- Maximum [4] overnight guests (example), children included. Day visitors leave by [10pm] (example).
- Quiet hours from 11pm to [7am] (example). This is a building rule.
- No parties or events.
- No smoking or vaping inside the unit or on the balcony.
- No durians in the unit or the lifts.
- Pets only with written approval before arrival.
- Only registered car plates may enter; use the bay assigned to the unit.
- Pool and gym follow building hours; bring the access card.
- At checkout: rubbish in the bin, air-cond off, door locked. That is all.
- Tell the host straight away if something breaks. Accidents reported early are handled separately from deliberate damage.
Rule 10 matters more than it looks. A guest who reports a cracked glass is far easier to deal with than one you confront a week later.
Can an Airbnb host fine guests for breaking house rules?
What you can recover is the actual loss, not a "violation fee".
Airbnb's article 472 gives hosts no tool to charge penalties for broken rules; it only lets you note fines a local government or building might impose. PropCashflow's Malaysian template (6 October 2026) also advises against a fixed penalty for each rule. Record what happened, which rule it broke, the real loss and the evidence, then propose a charge.
In practice:
- Airbnb bookings: damage goes through the platform's claim process, with photos, receipts and times. What platform protection does not cover is in what insurance a homestay owner needs.
- Direct bookings: our direct-booking deposit defaults to RM200 and every deduction needs a photo (see first-time check-in). RM200 does not cover a big loss. Know that going in.
- Building fines: if the notice clearly states the night and the incident, you can take it to the platform or the guest. Getting it back is not guaranteed.
Where the deposit line sits is covered in homestay deposit deductions for damage.
Are stricter rules always better?
No, and this part is not what most owners want to hear: stricter rules can mean fewer bookings.
No visitors, no pets, no children: each of these makes families and groups skip your listing. Airbnb itself advises against piling on additional rules. Before adding one, ask whether it protects the unit, protects your standing in the building, or only makes you feel safer. If nobody can check it or enforce it, leave it out.
What should you agree with a management company about house rules?
The rules sit on the listing, but the management company enforces them. Before you sign (see 12 clauses to check), ask every company, including us:
- Who writes and changes the rules? Is the owner told first?
- When guests are loud, over the headcount or smoking, how fast does someone act, and who goes on site? (How we handle it: over-headcount and parties, neighbour noise complaints.)
- If the building issues an RM200 fine because of a guest, who pays in the end?
- How long is evidence (photos, gate logs, messages) kept, and can the owner see it?
We manage more than 100 units across Johor Bahru and Desaru, and the answers can differ from one owner's contract to another. Get them in writing.
The order to do it in
- Ask the JMB or MC for the by-laws and any additional by-laws.
- Align quiet hours, visitors, parking and pool rules with the building.
- Set Airbnb's standard rules first, then write no more than 10 additional rules.
- Use the same text on Booking.com, Agoda and your direct-booking page.
- Put a short version in the unit and send a reminder message before arrival.
- When something happens, photograph it and note the time before talking about money.
This is general information, not legal advice. Your building's by-laws and each platform's current terms are the final word.
If you want us to manage your unit, or just want answers to the four questions above, leave your details at /ownerenquiry.