A good house manual answers questions before guests think to ask them. A great one does it in a way they'll actually read. Most guests skim, so structure matters more than length.

Put it in this order

  1. Arrival: parking, door, Wi-Fi and the thermostat.
  2. The essentials: trash days, quiet hours and anything that breaks easily.
  3. How things work: the hot tub, fireplace, coffee machine and TV, one short paragraph each.
  4. Local favorites: five places you genuinely love, not a list of twenty.
  5. Checkout: three or four simple steps, with a thank-you.

Write for skimmers

  • Use headings and short sections, so guests can jump to what they need.
  • Lead with the answer: "The Wi-Fi password is on the fridge" beats a paragraph about the router.
  • Add a photo for anything fiddly, like the hot tub controls or the shower valve.

Make it available everywhere

Print a copy for the kitchen counter, and send a digital version a few days before arrival. Guests often plan their stay on the drive over, and a link they can open on their phone saves you a lot of messages.

Need help putting yours together? It's one of the things our AI tools and assistants help with most.