Welcome book template for holiday rentals

The essentials. A welcome book for a holiday rental fits into seven sections: the welcome note, check-in, wifi and amenities, house rules, local recommendations, useful legal information and check-out. The template is written below, with fields to complete and an example for each stage of the stay. Allow an hour for a first version if you have your information to hand. The welcome book is not itself a registration formalit y: since 20 May 2026, article L. 324-1-1 of the Tourism Code requires a declaration with registration for furnished tourist accommodation, including main residences.

Nothing to download and nothing to give in return: the template is written here, you copy it or use it as inspiration. A fixed file can be enough if its information rarely changes; the format question matters most when a code, time or instruction changes.

What does a welcome book for a holiday rental contain?

A welcome book brings together everything a guest needs to know to enter the property, live there for a few days and leave without calling you. It is not a promotional brochure, it is a working document.

The difference becomes obvious in use. A book that starts with the property's history and the view from the terrace is of no use at 10pm when the guest is looking for the gate code in the rain. A book that starts with the exact address, the code and the location of the key box will save you a call.

That is why the order of sections is not decorative. It follows the stay: you arrive, you settle in, you live, you go out, you leave. Here are the seven sections, and the call each one saves you.

Section	What it contains	The call it prevents
1. Welcome	Your first name, how to contact you, who to call otherwise	“I can’t get hold of you”
2. Arriving	Address, parking, codes, key box, floor	“I’m outside, what’s the code?”
3. Wifi and amenities	Network, password, heating, hot water	“The wifi isn’t working”
4. Living here	Bins, recycling, noise, pets, capacity	“When do we put the bins out?”
5. Around you	Your addresses, with opening times and useful details	“What do you recommend for tonight?”
6. Legal information and emergencies	Declaration number, emergency services, power cuts, as relevant for the property	Searching for information at the wrong time
7. Leaving	Time, keys, what not to do	“Where do we leave the keys?”

The right-hand column is the right way to judge a welcome book. A section that saves no call is of no use, and a question you are asked twice flags a section to rewrite.

The template, section by section

Keep the headings as they are and replace the example details with your own. Remove the lines that don't apply to you: a short, accurate welcome book is better than a long one that’s half wrong. The first names, addresses and codes below are fictitious.

1. Welcome

Three lines are enough. This section gives a face and tells guests how to contact you; it does not describe the renovation.

You need your first name, how to contact you and the hours when you will answer, then the name and number of the person to contact if you are unavailable.

Camille welcomes you to the Maison des Glycines. We live ten minutes away: message us if something is wrong, we prefer to know during your stay rather than afterwards. In an emergency, and if we do not answer, call Marc on 06 12 34 56 78.

The third line is the one that is easily forgotten, and it is the one that matters on a Sunday evening.

2. Arriving

This section must allow entry without calling you, even at midnight. If the guest might have poor signal, send the access instructions before they set off or give them an offline copy.

• The exact address

• Where to park

• Where to collect the keys

• The codes: gate, door, key box

• The floor and door number

• Permitted arrival times

• What to do in case of a late arrival

The blue gate at 14 rue des Lilas. Code 4512A, then the door at the back on the left in the courtyard. The key box is fixed under the letterbox, code 3080. Arrival possible from 16:00 and until midnight without notifying us. Free street parking, easier after 19:00.

Write codes out in full, never “the usual code”. And check them before each season: a changed code not updated will trigger a call on arrival. If the welcome book is publicly accessible via its link, avoid leaving a sensitive code there permanently: the welcome book access settings let you restrict viewing.

3. Wifi and amenities

• The network name, exactly as it appears

• The password, including capitals

• Heating: where the thermostat is and how to set it

• Hot water

• Washing machine and dishwasher: where the products are and which programme to use

• Television

• What doesn’t work well or requires a trick

Network: Glycines_5G. Password: Bienvenue2026 (with a capital B). The thermostat is in the corridor, set to 19°. Hot water takes two minutes to reach the bathroom, this is normal. The small bedroom window closes by lifting the handle.

The last line can save you a call. An informed guest adapts; a surprised guest is likely to mention it in their review.

4. Living in the property

• Bins: where they are and which day to put them out

• Recycling

• Pets

• Smoking

• Noise, and from what time

• Maximum number of people

• What is not allowed here

Bins are put out on Tuesday evenings, the yellow bin every other Tuesday. The bin store is at the back of the courtyard, on the right. The neighbours above work early: avoid music after 22:00. Pets are welcome, except on the sofas.

Phrase these rules rather than using blunt prohibitions. “Bins are put out on Tuesday evening, the bin store is at the back of the courtyard” is easier to remember than “put bins out on Tuesday”.

5. Around you

Name the bakery, with its distance and what to buy, say where to do groceries, give a restaurant and a place for a drink, the walk you recommend, what to do if it rains, and what not to miss, with the time to go.

Fournier bakery, 200 metres to the right: their walnut bread sells out before 9:00. The market is Saturday morning at Place Carnot. For dinner, Chez Antoine, book the day before, it’s twelve covers. And if you must choose one walk, the coastal path at sunset.

Two or three places you frequent are better than fifteen copied from a guide. The guest already has the internet; what they lack is your opinion. These are also the kind of tips they may repeat in their review.

6. Mandatory information

The legal steps are covered in the following section. In the welcome book, indicate mainly where to find useful information on site, without presenting every line of this template as a legally mandatory notice.

7. Leaving

State the check-out time, where to leave the keys, what to switch off, lock and empty, what the guest does not need to do, and how to leave a review.

Check-out before 10:00. Return the keys to the box, code 3080. Close the windows and leave the heating at 15°. No need to wash the sheets or vacuum, we take care of that. If you enjoyed your stay, a comment on the platform helps us a lot.

The penultimate line reassures and, incidentally, prevents a well-intentioned guest from dismantling your bed.

What the law requires you to display

Updated 20 October 2026. Two things not to confuse: what the law imposes on you as a landlord, and what is useful to include in the welcome book. The declaration number must appear in the rental listing; copying it into the welcome book does not replace that obligation.

Declaration with registration now concerns all furnished tourist accommodation, including main residences. Since 20 May 2026, article L. 324-1-1, III, of the Tourism Code requires a prior declaration via a national online service and the issuance of a declaration number. Article L. 324-2 requires this number in the rental listing. Failure to declare may incur an administrative fine of up to 10 000 €, under article L. 324-1-1, V. Source: code du tourisme on Légifrance.

Form cerfa no. 14004, the exception for main residences and the former sanctions of 450 € or 5 000 € do not describe this new general rule. These indications still appear on some administrative fact sheets about procedures at the town hall. The service-public.gouv.fr fact sheet on furnished tourist accommodation still distinguishes simple declaration and registration depending on the municipality: it is not aligned with the version of the Tourism Code in force since 20 May 2026. Before taking any steps, ask your town hall which online service to use in your situation.

The welcome book, however, is where the guest finds what they need on site. You can include the declaration number there for transparency and indicate emergency numbers, the location of smoke detectors and the extinguisher if there is one, as well as where to cut off water, electricity and gas. If your furnished property is rated, check separately whether the decision to rate it must be displayed in the property: a line in the welcome book should not replace that.

One point should be written in black and white: 112, the free European emergency number, reachable from a fixed or mobile phone. A foreign guest may not know the French numbers. StyQR internal note: 40 % of consultations of our welcome books are in a language other than French.

The regulation of short-term rental changed with law no. 2024-1039 of 19 November 2024, known as the Le Meur law. Local rules, particularly those concerning change of use, still require verification with the town hall. Find the French regulation for short-term rental and the details of the furnished tourist accommodation declaration; check the date and sources of those pages before relying on an outdated procedure.

The most common mistakes

Four faults recur in the welcome books shown to us, and none are down to lack of care.

Starting with an introduction. The guest opening the welcome book is often looking for a specific detail, and often in a hurry. An intro page before the gate code is a page they will scroll past annoyed. Access first, introduction afterwards.

Writing headings instead of answers. “Practical information” says nothing. “Bins are put out on Tuesday evening, the bin store is at the back of the courtyard on the right” answers. A welcome book is judged by the number of questions it closes, not by the number of sections it opens.

Copying a tourist guide. Fifteen museums listed without comment are worth less than two places you actually use.

Failing to update it. A printed welcome book expires at the first change of code, price or time, and correcting it requires redoing it. Some hosts stop updating it, and the book becomes a source of errors rather than a service.

If you rent on Airbnb, these four points are accompanied by expectations specific to that platform, detailed in our Airbnb welcome book example.

How long does it take to fill in?

Allow an hour for the first version if you have the codes and information to hand. It is a work estimate, not a measured duration. What takes time is not layout but finding the bin collection day and the exact wifi password.

A method that works: complete sections 2, 3 and 4 first, in the property with your phone to hand. They answer the most immediate practical questions. The welcome note and local recommendations can be written more calmly afterwards.

Don’t aim for exhaustiveness on the first try. A welcome book is completed stay by stay as guests ask questions: every question asked twice is a line to add.

Word, PDF or digital: what the format changes

The template above works in any format. The choice depends on three practical questions.

Situation	Printed or PDF	Digital welcome book
The gate code changes	You must correct the document and resend the PDF or reprint copies	The correction is visible via the existing link, without reprinting the QR code
A guest does not read French	They photograph and translate, or you prepare a version in their language	The content can display in a language offered by the welcome book, provided translation is enabled and up to date
You want to know what’s missing	Received questions remain your best indicator	Consultation statistics complement received questions, without alone proving whether the text is clear

These differences relate to format, not to the quality of what you write. For an occasionally let property with stable information, a shared document suffices. A digital welcome book avoids resending a file after each correction and shows what is consulted: our comparison between digital welcome book and PDF Canva details this choice.

At StyQR, the welcome book is shared via a QR code that remains valid after content updates, displayed in the property or added to your check-in message. It offers 14 languages and can display in the guest’s language if available and enabled. The trial lasts 14 days, no payment card required.

The free template, ready to fill: the 14-day trial

If you searched “free welcome book template”, you have read it: it’s above, and it cost you nothing. But a template on a page still needs copying. The ready-to-fill version, with welcome sections, the address map and translation, is the StyQR welcome book itself. You can try it for 14 days, no payment card, with the features included in the trial.

Practically: create your account, enter the property address, then complete and proofread the information before sharing the link with your next guest. If you already have a listing or a PDF, check in your client area what the assistant can import: never publish a code or time imported without verifying it. No payment card, nothing is charged at the end of the trial. Plans are shown on the rental pricing page.

And if you prefer to read before doing, the white paper on guest welcome is emailed free: preparing arrival, supporting the stay, managing departure, maintaining contact. It complements this template on what a document cannot say: tone and timing.

Frequently asked questions

Is a welcome book mandatory? The welcome book itself is not imposed as a general formality on the owner of furnished tourist accommodation. It does not replace the property declaration nor the requirement to include the declaration number in the rental listing. Check separately which notices apply to your property, particularly if it is rated.

Should I print it or send it before arrival? Send at least the “Arriving” section before the journey: it is useful while the guest is still in their car. A version on site, printed or accessible by QR code, then helps to find instructions. If the connection is uncertain, provide an offline copy of the access instructions.

What changes for a gîte compared with an apartment? The structure does not change, only the emphasis of sections varies. For a gîte, access and outdoor amenities take more space; for an apartment, it is common areas, the lift and building rules. Keep the same questions, then adapt the answers to the property.

How many pages should a welcome book be? As many as needed to answer the questions, no more. Six to ten pages may suit a property, but this is neither a standard nor an objective. If an essential instruction becomes hard to find, shorten or reorganise before adding pages.

Can I make my welcome book on Canva? Yes, and the result is often attractive. If you then distribute a PDF, you will need to replace it with guests after each correction. For a property with rarely changing information, this method remains perfectly usable.

Should I translate my welcome book? As soon as you receive guests who do not read French, translate at least the Arriving section and safety instructions. Have codes, place names and sensitive instructions checked: an automatic translation does not verify that they are accurate. Prefer a short instruction to a long ambiguous sentence.