Hosting responsibly

Be accurate

Photographs must be of the actual property, taken recently. List the real number of rooms and beds. If there is building work next door, or water comes on for two hours a day, say so. Most disputes we see come from a listing that oversold the place, not from a bad guest.

Be ready

• Answer booking requests within 24 hours, or they expire.
• Keep your calendar honest, so you are not cancelling on people.
• Be reachable on arrival day, and check your guest in promptly.
• Clean between stays, properly.

Safety basics

• Working locks on the front door and every bedroom.
• A smoke alarm, and a fire extinguisher if you cook with gas.
• Electrical work done by an electrician, not improvised.
• No hidden cameras anywhere, ever. Disclose any camera outside the property.
• Emergency numbers written down somewhere obvious.

Your legal position

Check that short-term letting is allowed where you are: your society rules, your lease, your municipal rules, and state registration requirements. Some cities require you to register guests with the police. That obligation is yours, not ours.

What gets you removed

• Asking guests to pay outside the platform.
• Photographs of a property that is not yours.
• Repeatedly cancelling confirmed bookings.
• Discrimination on caste, religion, gender, marital status, disability or where someone is from.
• Entering an occupied property without permission.