Homestay House Rules and Check-in, Check-out Instructions (Our Real Rules You Can Adapt)

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, Happy Moon Homestay may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only list the kinds of items we use at our own homestay in Aldona, North Goa.

By Ulhas Polle, host at Happy Moon Homestay, Aldona, North Goa, since 2024 · Updated 3 October 2026

Our track record: Google 4.9★ (130 reviews) · Airbnb 4.88★ Guest Favourite (41 reviews) · Booking.com 9.8/10 Exceptional

Most bad guest experiences are not caused by bad guests. They are caused by guests who did not know what was expected. These are the actual rules we use at Happy Moon Homestay, a family-run homestay in Aldona, North Goa, with the reason behind each one. Copy what fits your home and change what does not.

Our house rules, and why each one exists

1. Check-in from 12 noon to 8 p.m., check-out by 10 a.m. A late check-out costs ₹500 an hour, if the room is free. The fixed checkout gives us time to clean before the next guest.
2. No shoes inside. Footwear stays on the shoe rack at the entrance. Goa’s monsoon mud and beach sand otherwise end up on the bedsheets.
3. Quiet hours from 3 p.m. to 9 a.m. We work remotely during these hours. Set your quiet hours around how your own family actually lives, not around a template.
4. Smoking only on the terrace. Alcohol in moderation indoors. If smoking is detected inside a room, a ₹299 refresh fee covers the odour removal. A small, specific fee is easier to enforce than a vague ban.
5. No parties or loud gatherings. This is a family home, not a party villa.
6. No littering, inside or outside the gate. We live in a residential village, not a tourist zone, and a group that litters attracts a clean-up penalty. Your neighbours’ goodwill is worth more than any one booking.
7. Zero cleaning fee, but leave it as you found it. We do not add a cleaning fee, which keeps our price lower. Guests tidy their room before leaving with the supplies we provide; otherwise a ₹500 restoration fee applies. Mid-stay cleaning is ₹200 a session.
8. Shared kitchen courtesy. Wash utensils straight after use and keep the platform clean for the next guest; dirty dishes left in the sink cost ₹200.
9. Do not pick fruit, flowers or vegetables without asking. We are happy to share; just ask.
10. Children are not allowed on the terrace unsupervised.
11. Cultural respect. We are a practising Hindu family, so no beef or pork anywhere on the premises.
12. We are not near the beach, and we say so. The beaches are about 35 minutes away. Guests who want to walk to the sea should book elsewhere, and we would rather they did than leave a disappointed review.
13. A refundable ₹5,000 deposit for the full house, returned after check-out once everything is in order.

Our paid extras sit alongside the rules so nothing is a surprise: home-cooked Goan meals (breakfast ₹150 with tea or ₹170 with coffee, lunch or dinner ₹300 veg or ₹400 non-veg, veg only on Monday, Thursday and Friday) and the washing machine at ₹150 a load, up to 6 kg, detergent included.

Write the rules so the wrong guests do not book

The most useful rules are the ones that filter. “If your priority is being close to the beach, please choose another stay” and “if you feel your group may not respect community spaces, please do not book” each cost us an occasional enquiry and save us a bad stay. Put these lines in your listing description as well as your rules, so guests read them before they pay. See our guest screening guide for the rest of the filter.

Our automatic message schedule

We do not rely on guests reading the listing. Airbnb’s scheduled quick replies send each message at the right moment:

When	What goes out
Immediately after booking	Thank you, the exact Google Maps pin, my number and a backup family number
5 minutes after booking	Our local guidebook, and a Google Form for every guest’s ID
15 minutes after booking	The full house rules, with a request to acknowledge them
1 day before check-in, 10 a.m.	Handy places nearby: grocery, pharmacies, doctors, fresh milk, vegetables, gym, street food, restaurants
Check-in day, 9 a.m.	Day-trip routes: near the homestay, North Goa, Central Goa and South Goa, with distances and map links

Asking guests to acknowledge the rules in writing matters: if a rule is broken later, the conversation is already on record. Collect ID before arrival, too. Foreign guests need a passport and visa, which we submit for Form C as required by law.

Check-in instructions

• Arrival window (ours is 12 noon to 8 p.m.) and the exact Google Maps pin; village addresses confuse cab drivers.
• How to enter: ring the gate bell; a family member checks you in and hands over the RFID card.
• Where to park.
• Your room number and the Wi-Fi details, sent privately in the booking chat, never in the public listing.
• WhatsApp numbers for anything at all.

Check-out instructions

• Check out by 10 a.m.; ask the day before about a late check-out.
• Gather used towels in the bathroom.
• Put rubbish in the right bin, wet and dry separately.
• Switch off the AC, lights, fans and geyser.
• Return the RFID card and keys.
• Settle any meals or laundry.

Print the rules and check-out steps in your guidebook and pin a short version in each room. The tickless wall clock in our rooms is there for the same reason: guests who can see the time leave on time.

• Acrylic sign holder for rulesoptionalone-time
  Keeps the rules visible and clean in every room.
  Recommended model: View on Amazon →

Frequently asked questions

What house rules should a homestay have?

Check-in and check-out times, quiet hours, where smoking is allowed, no parties, a cleaning rule, kitchen courtesy, child safety, any cultural rules, and an honest note on what you are not (for us, not near the beach). Attach a small, specific fee to the rules that matter most.

When should I send house rules and check-in instructions?

Send the rules within minutes of booking and ask the guest to acknowledge them. Send directions, nearby essentials and Wi-Fi details the day before arrival. Airbnb’s scheduled quick replies can do all of this automatically.

Should a homestay charge a cleaning fee?

We do not. Guests tidy their own room before check-out using supplies we provide, with a restoration fee only if they do not. It keeps the nightly price lower and most guests leave the room clean.

The full homestay setup series

Start with the complete checklist with real costs, or go area by area:

1. Security and outside the property
2. Power, water and internet
3. Kitchen
4. Bedroom
5. Common area and dining
6. Bathroom
7. Supplies and maintenance

Staying in North Goa? See our rooms at Happy Moon Homestay.