House manual template for Airbnb and short-term rental hosts
A complete, copy-paste house manual template: arrival & door code, wifi, parking, checkout, house rules and more — ready for Google Docs or straight into your Airbnb listing. Below it: the honest part most templates skip — guests mostly don't read house manuals at all, and what to do about that.
Why guests skip the house manual you already have
Hosts who manage several flats answer the same handful of questions on every single stay — wifi, check-in, parking, the door code, checkout — because the manual sitting in the listing or the welcome folder goes unread.
It arrives as one long document
A ten-page PDF sent days before check-in is easy to skim once and never open again once the guest is standing at the door.
Questions arrive at the worst time
Guests message about the door code or the wifi after an overnight flight, at midnight, exactly when the manual is least likely to be reopened.
Every guest speaks a different language
A manual written once, in one language, misses every guest who reads it in their second or third language — or doesn't finish reading it at all.
Unread instructions become the host's fault
When a guest misses the check-in instructions, the review often blames the host for "unclear" information — even when the manual covered it in full.
Put these three things first — everywhere
Whatever else the manual covers, these are the only three things a guest actually needs the moment they arrive. Lead with them in the manual, and lead with them again in your check-in message.
Door code
How to get in, spelled out in one line, no scrolling required.
Wifi
Network name and password, together, near the top of every message.
Parking
Where to leave the car before they've even switched the engine off.
The house manual template
Ten sections, in the order guests need them. Copy the whole thing into Google Docs, Notion, or your Airbnb House Manual field, then fill in the blanks for your property.
1 · Arrival & door code
Getting in
Put this first — it's the first thing a guest checks, often before they've left the airport.
- Check-in window: [e.g. 3:00 PM – 9:00 PM]
- Door code / lockbox code: [code]
- If not a code, key location: [where and how]
- Late arrival instructions: [who to contact after hours]
2 · Wifi
Getting online
- Network name: [SSID]
- Password: [password]
- Router location, if it needs a reset: [location]
3 · Parking
Where to park
- Parking spot / area: [location]
- Permit or code needed: [yes/no, details]
- Restrictions (street cleaning, resident-only hours): [details]
4 · Heating & air conditioning
Staying comfortable
- Thermostat location: [location]
- How to operate it: [steps]
- Known quirks: [e.g. takes 20 minutes to warm up]
5 · Appliances
Using the kitchen and laundry
- Washer / dryer instructions: [steps + detergent location]
- Dishwasher instructions: [steps]
- Kitchen quirks: [e.g. induction hob needs specific pans]
6 · Rubbish & recycling
Bins and collection
- Bin location: [location]
- Collection days: [days]
- Sorting rules: [general / recycling / glass]
7 · Checkout
Before you leave
- Checkout time: [time]
- Steps to follow: [dishes, trash, windows, lock up]
- Where to leave the key: [location]
8 · House rules
What's expected
- Quiet hours: [times]
- Smoking: [allowed / not, where]
- Pets: [allowed / not, conditions]
- Parties & max guests: [policy, number]
9 · Emergency & local contacts
Who to reach
- Host / manager phone: [number]
- Nearest hospital or pharmacy: [name, distance]
- Local emergency number: [number]
10 · Local recommendations
Nearby & useful
- Nearest grocery store: [name, distance]
- A restaurant or two you'd actually recommend: [names]
- Nearest bus/metro stop or taxi rank: [details]
Writing it is the easy part. Getting it read is the actual job.
A complete manual that nobody opens solves nothing. These are the four things that change whether guests actually use it.
Keep it short
Ten sections is already a lot. Trim each one to the lines a guest truly needs — not everything you could possibly say about the property.
Lead with arrival
Door code, wifi and parking go first, every time, whether it's a printed page, a PDF or a text message.
Send it at the moment it's needed
A pre-arrival message with just check-in details lands better than a full manual sent a week early and forgotten by the time the guest travels.
Write it in the guest's language
A manual in only your language is invisible to a guest who doesn't read it well. Translate it, or hand that part to something that does.
Where Beenido fits, honestly: a digital guest book serves the right section of the manual at the right moment — arrival details on arrival day, checkout steps the morning of checkout — automatically translated into each guest's own language. It doesn't make anyone read anything; it just puts the right answer in front of them at the right time instead of buried in a document sent once.
See how Beenido's guest book works →
Questions hosts ask about this template
Is there a free house manual template?
Yes — the template on this page is free, has no signup, and you can copy it straight into Google Docs, Notion or a plain email.
Does this house manual template work in Google Docs?
Yes. Select the template text above, copy it (or use the Copy template button), and paste into a blank Google Doc. The headings and bullet lists carry over; just fill in the blanks for your property.
Can I use this as my Airbnb house manual?
Yes. Airbnb's House Manual field accepts plain text, so paste the filled-in sections there, or keep it as a separate welcome document and link to it in your check-in message.
Why don't guests read the house manual I already have?
Most house manuals are long, arrive as one PDF sent days before check-in, and guests skim or forget them by arrival. Guests read short, well-timed messages far more reliably than a full document sent once.
Free. No signup. Ready to paste into Google Docs, Notion or Airbnb.