HEARTHSTONESTAYS

Host Standards

Last updated 9 November 2026

These standards apply to every Host on Hearthstone Stays, in addition to our Terms of Service and Community Standards.

1. Be allowed to host

  • You must own the place or have permission to host there (from a landlord, owners corporation, body corporate or co-owner), and comply with your local council’s planning rules.
  • New South Wales: your premises must be registered on the NSW short-term rental accommodation register, and you must enter the registration number (PID) on your listing. We won’t show NSW listings without one. If you or your premises are on the NSW exclusion register, you can’t list. You must follow the NSW Code of Conduct, including the 180-night cap where it applies to your area.
  • Victoria: Hearthstone collects and pays Victoria’s 7.5% Short Stay Levy on stays under 28 nights booked through us. It is shown to Guests in the price. You don’t need to collect it yourself for those bookings. Tell us if your place is excluded (for example, it’s your principal place of residence).
  • Queensland and elsewhere: check your local council’s rules — some councils, such as Noosa, require a permit for short-term letting — and your body corporate by-laws.
  • You’re responsible for your own tax, GST and insurance. Standard home insurance often doesn’t cover short-term letting; make sure your policy does, including public liability.

2. Be accurate

  • Photos must be of the actual place and current. Describe bedrooms, beds, bathrooms and amenities exactly.
  • Disclose anything a reasonable guest would want to know: shared spaces, stairs, pets on site, cameras outside, construction nearby, road noise, steep driveways, limited mobile reception.
  • Keep your calendar up to date so Guests never book dates you can’t honour.
  • All mandatory fees must be in your listing. You may not charge Guests anything extra on arrival that wasn’t shown at booking.

3. Be safe

  • Working smoke alarms that meet your state’s requirements, maintained and tested.
  • A fire extinguisher or fire blanket in the kitchen, and a first aid kit, are expected.
  • Pools and spas must be fenced and compliant with your state’s pool safety laws (in Queensland, a current pool safety certificate is needed for short-term letting).
  • Clear emergency information in the property: the address, the nearest hospital and how to reach you.
  • Fix reported hazards straight away.

4. Be clean and ready

  • Clean, fresh linen and towels for every booking, and a full clean between stays.
  • Essentials stocked: toilet paper, soap, basic kitchen items if there’s a kitchen.
  • Check-in instructions sent before arrival; check-in must work at the time promised.

5. Be responsive and reliable

  • Reply to booking requests within 24 hours, and to Guest messages promptly — within a few hours during a stay.
  • Don’t cancel confirmed bookings. Guests plan around them. If you must cancel for a genuine reason (such as damage making the place unsafe), tell us straight away. Cancelling without a valid reason may lead to: the Guest’s rebooking costs being recovered from your payouts, the dates being blocked, a note on your listing, and for repeated cancellations, removal from Hearthstone Stays.
  • Keep a rating of around 4.5 or higher. If your listing falls well below, we’ll work with you to fix the problems before taking any action.

6. Payouts and fees

  • Connect a Stripe payout account to get paid. Payouts are sent about 24 hours after the Guest checks in.
  • You choose your cleaning fee ($25, $55, $75, $99 or none; other amounts are approved by Hearthstone the first time), what guests are asked to do at checkout, and your cancellation policy. Checkout requests must be reasonable and must be shown on your listing — you can’t charge extra cleaning for tasks you didn’t list.
  • Our Host service fee (currently $6.00 per booking, plus GST) is deducted from each payout.
  • If a Guest cancels, you receive your share of whatever isn’t refunded under your cancellation policy.

7. Hearthstone Verified

Any Host can apply for a Hearthstone audit. If your place passes, it gets the Verified badge and a boost in search. The audit is separate from listing — you don’t need to be Verified to host.