The holiday let guest information book: what to include (UK guide)

Every good holiday let has one. The folder by the kettle that tells guests how the heating works, when the bins go out, and where to get a decent crab sandwich. Done well, a guest information book quietly answers nine out of ten questions before they reach your phone. Done badly, or not at all, it costs you evenings, reviews and repeat bookings.

This is a practical, UK-specific guide to what belongs in yours, in the order guests actually need it, whether you keep it printed, digital, or both.

The order matters: arrival first

Most information books are organised like a filing cabinet. Guests need a timeline. Put things in the order a stay unfolds and the book starts answering questions before they’re asked.

1. Getting in, directions for the last confusing half-mile, where to park, and how the key safe or smart lock works.
2. The first hour, Wi-Fi name and password, heating, hot water, where the light switches hide.
3. Living there, appliances, the telly, bins and recycling, quirks of the house.
4. Going out, your real recommendations, walks, beaches, rainy-day options.
5. Leaving, check-out time and the short list of things you’d like done.

Arrival and access

• Written directions that pick up where the sat-nav gives up, “ignore the first farm track” saves more phone calls than any postcode.
• Exactly where to park, and where not to.
• Key safe or door code instructions. If your book is digital, time-gate the code so it only appears close to arrival day rather than sitting in an inbox for months.
• A one-line welcome. It sets the tone better than a laminated rules sheet.

The big three: Wi-Fi, heating, hot water

Ask any host what gets asked most and the answers rarely change:

• Wi-Fi, network name and password, written exactly as they are, capitals included. Even better, a QR code guests scan to connect so nobody types anything.
• Heating, which dial does what, what the schedule is, and what to press when it seems “broken” (it’s almost always the schedule).
• Hot water, how long it takes, whether the shower runs off a different system, anything that surprises people.

If you only laminate one page, laminate this one. If your guide is digital, pin these to the top.

The house itself

• Appliance basics: oven, hob, dishwasher, washing machine. A 60-second phone video beats four paragraphs, one of the strongest arguments for a digital house manual.
• The TV and anything streaming-related.
• Log burner or fire instructions, with the safety lines your insurer would want.
• The quirks. Every cottage has one: the door that needs a shove, the immersion switch in the airing cupboard. Owning the quirk in writing turns a complaint into a charm.

Bins, very specifically

In a UK holiday let, bin confusion is close to universal: collections alternate, councils differ, and guests leave on changeover day. Spell out which bin, which colour, which kerb, and which morning. A digital guide can work out the next collection date for guests automatically, which is one of those small touches that shows up in reviews.

Local life: be a host, not a directory

Guests can find the nearest supermarket themselves. What they want from you is judgement:

• The pub that’s actually good, and the one that’s good with kids.
• The walk you’d do on a clear evening.
• The beach for a windy day, the one for rock pools.
• The takeaway worth the drive and the chippy worth the queue.

Six to ten genuinely loved recommendations beat fifty copied listings. Date-stamp nothing, keep it current instead, places close, chefs move on, and an out-of-date tip erodes trust in the whole book.

Safety and emergencies

• Emergency numbers: 999 context, the nearest A&E and minor injuries unit, an out-of-hours GP line and the local pharmacy.
• Your number, and a backup contact if you’re away.
• Fire extinguisher and stopcock locations, gas and electric meter positions.
• Anything insurers or local regulations expect you to display.

Checkout, kept kind

A short, friendly list: the time, where to leave keys, what to do with towels, and whether to strip beds. Five bullet points, not a chore sheet. If something went wrong during the stay, a digital guide can route an issue report straight to you privately, which is far better than discovering it in a review.

Printed, digital, or both?

A printed book still has a place, it works during a power cut and looks lovely on a side table. Its weaknesses are the ones you’d guess: it’s out of date the day after you print it, it can’t show a video, it can’t translate itself for overseas guests, and it can’t tell you what guests actually looked up.

The pattern that works for most UK hosts in 2026 is a one-page printed card, the Wi-Fi and a QR code, backed by a full digital guide on the guest’s own phone. If you want the longer version of that argument, we’ve written a complete guide to digital guidebooks for holiday lets.

Copy this structure

If you’re starting from scratch, these ten sections cover almost every stay:

1. Welcome and contact details
2. Getting here and getting in
3. Wi-Fi
4. Heating and hot water
5. The kitchen and appliances
6. Bins and recycling
7. The quirks
8. Our favourite places
9. Emergencies
10. Checkout

Write it once, keep it honest, and review it each season. Or build it as a StayBinder guide in an afternoon, from £9.99/mo (£9.99 for your first property, then £4.99 for each extra) with a 14-day free trial, no card, and never reprint a page again.