Pair every house rule with an easy solution.

Quick tangent. Have you ever been in a lazy river? We’re talking about those water park loops where you grab an inner tube, hop in the middle, and just float as the gentle current propels you forward. Sure, you could actively swim or walk in the opposite direction (say when you’re searching for your sunken sunglasses). But you intuitively know which way you’re supposed to go. It’s most enjoyable when you literally go with the flow.

That’s how house rules should feel to your guests: easier to follow than to break. When folks are following intuitive house rules, they’re likely not even thinking about it. But when they’re breaking your house rules, it should feel like they’re swimming upstream.

The best advice we’ve ever heard about Airbnb house rules comes from Liora, a Superhost with an adorable Airbnb in West Palm Beach, Florida. Here’s her brilliant rule of thumb: “All house rules come with a solution.”

Her thinking goes like this: Don’t want guests to wear shoes in the house? Just inside the door, set out a shoe tray to catch dirty shoes alongside cozy slippers to wear inside the house. Don’t want guests to block the garage? Post a clear parking sign with a little Airbnb symbol where you want their car to go instead. Guests will notice the solution before they even realize that it supports a house rule.