What is the vacation rental house manual form template?
Most guest messages are the same handful of questions: how do I get in, what's the wifi, how does the oven work, which bin is recycling, where's the nearest pharmacy, and what do I do before I leave. A good house manual answers them before they're asked, which means fewer late-night calls for the host and a smoother stay for guests.
This vacation rental house manual template walks a host through everything a guest needs, in the order they need it. Arrival comes first, with directions, check-in and check-out times, entry method and parking. Then wifi, appliance instructions with manual uploads, and rubbish collection. House rules open follow-ups for quiet hours and pets, then local tips and family ideas. The last page holds the emergency number, nearest hospital and pharmacy, a backup contact, where the safety equipment is, and the checkout steps.
When submitted, the answers are saved as a tidy PDF in your FileIt vault: the manual itself, ready to print for the kitchen counter or attach to a pre-arrival message.
- Best for
- Holiday let owners, short-term rental hosts, co-hosts and property management companies
- Filled in by
- The host or manager, once per property
- Time to complete
- About 30 minutes for a full manual
- Includes
- Arrival and entry, wifi, appliance instructions and manuals, rubbish, house rules, quiet hours, pets, local tips, emergency contacts, safety equipment, checkout steps
Who uses a vacation rental house manual form?
- A first-time host creating a welcome book for a beach cottage
- A management company producing consistent manuals for each listing
- A co-host documenting a cabin's wood stove and hot tub
- An owner updating the manual after replacing appliances
- A city apartment host explaining recycling rules and quiet hours
- A family lending a holiday home to friends
Questions on this vacation rental house manual form
36 questions over 4 pages · includes file upload, conditional questions, multiple pages.
1 Property & arrival
- Property name*
- Host or manager name*
- Host phone for guests*
- Host email
- Property address*
- Directions and finding the entrance
- Check-in from*
- Check-out by*
- How guests get in* Smart lock or keypad · Key lockbox · Meet and greet · Concierge or reception
- Entry instructions*
- Parking
2 Wifi, appliances & rubbish
- Wifi network name*
- Wifi password
- Where the router is
- Appliances with instructions Heating and thermostat · Air conditioning · Hot water · Oven and hob · Dishwasher · Washing machine · Dryer · Coffee machine · TV and streaming · Hot tub · Fireplace or wood stove · Barbecue
- How to use them asked only when it applies
- Appliance manuals or photos
- Collection days
- Where the bins are
- Recycling and rubbish rules
3 House rules & local tips
- House rules* No smoking indoors · No parties or events · Quiet hours · No pets · Pets allowed with conditions · Maximum guests as booked · No shoes indoors · Respect the neighbours
- Quiet hours from asked only when it applies
- Until asked only when it applies
- Pet conditions asked only when it applies
- Anything else guests should know
- Local tips
- Ideas for families or rainy days
4 Emergencies & checkout
- Local emergency number*
- Nearest hospital or urgent care*
- Nearest pharmacy
- Backup contact if the host can't be reached
- Safety equipment and where it is First aid kit · Fire extinguisher · Fire blanket · Smoke alarms · Carbon monoxide alarm · Torch or flashlight
- Locations of the safety equipment, water stopcock and fuse box*
- Checkout steps* Load and start the dishwasher · Take rubbish to the bins · Strip the beds · Close windows and lock doors · Turn off heating, AC and lights · Return keys to the lockbox
- Checkout notes
- Message to guests at the end
The vacation rental house manual form, page by page
1 Property & arrival
The host gives the property name, their name, phone and email, the address and directions to the entrance, check-in and check-out times and how guests get in, from a smart lock or lockbox to a meet and greet. Entry instructions are required, with a reminder not to put codes in a manual shared publicly, and parking details follow.
2 Wifi, appliances & rubbish
The wifi name, password and router location come first. The host ticks the appliances that need instructions, from heating and AC to the hot tub, fireplace and barbecue, and writes how to use them, with manuals or photos uploaded. Collection days, where the bins are and the recycling rules finish the page.
3 House rules & local tips
House rules are ticked from a list such as no smoking, no parties, quiet hours, pets and maximum guests; quiet hours asks for the times and pets allowed with conditions asks for the conditions. Space for anything else, local tips and ideas for families or rainy days follow.
4 Emergencies & checkout
The host records the local emergency number, nearest hospital or urgent care, pharmacy and a backup contact, ticks the safety equipment provided and describes where it is along with the water stopcock and fuse box. Checkout steps are ticked, with notes and a closing message to guests.
Make the template yours
- Add a section in another language if many of your guests don't read English
- Remove appliances that the property doesn't have
- Add a dropdown of your properties if you manage several
- Add your cancellation or damage policy to the house rules
- Change the accent colour to match your brand
Tips for a better vacation rental house manual form
- Send entry codes separately, close to arrival, rather than in the manual
- Photograph tricky controls like the thermostat or hot tub panel and upload them
- Keep checkout steps short; long lists get skipped
- Update the manual whenever an appliance or rule changes and resubmit
- Print a copy for the property and keep the PDF in the vault for co-hosts and cleaners
Every response becomes a PDF in your vault
The completed manual is saved as a PDF in the vault folder you choose, with appliance manuals and photos attached, and you get a copy by email if you leave that on.
Share the PDF with guests in your booking messages or print it for the property. To update it, fill in the form again and replace the old PDF.
- Start from this template. It opens in the FileIt Forms designer — change any question, add pages, set the rules for when questions appear.
- Share it. Turn on a public link, or send it to people by email, each with their own link. They don’t need a FileIt account.
- Get the answers as PDFs. Each response is saved as a PDF in the vault folder you choose, with uploaded files attached — and listed in a Responses table you can export to CSV.
Vacation rental house manual form: frequently asked questions
Is this vacation rental house manual template free?
Yes. It's one of the FileIt Forms starter templates on every account.
Do guests fill in this form?
No. The host fills it in, and the resulting PDF is the manual guests read.
Should I put the door code and wifi password in it?
Wifi is usually fine. For door codes, send them separately close to arrival, especially if the manual is shared before booking.
Can I make one manual per property?
Yes. Submit the form once for each property, and each becomes its own PDF.
Does it work for platforms like booking sites?
FileIt doesn't connect to booking platforms. Attach or link the PDF in your messages to guests.
Can I include house rules required by my local authority?
Yes. Add them to the rules list or the extra notes box.