Entertaining at home has had a revival in recent years and with a stream of holidays and social occasions in our calendars, it's important to create a good impression to ensure the invites keep coming. Certain behaviours that might be overlooked by your social group in a bar or restaurant will not be appreciated when they host you at home.
From leaving your shoes on inside to not helping with the dishes, click or scroll on for our guide to the things not to do as a house guest, ranked from most to least forgivable...
*This ranking is purely subjective according to the lovePROPERTY team
Drinks leave marks on sofas, floors and tables, so even if you can’t see a coaster, it’s always polite to check before placing your drink down. There’s a chance your host has been so busy they’ve forgotten to put them out. And of course, if there are coasters out, then it’s best to use them.
Featured coasters available from Loaf.
If you need to use the bathroom or another room in the house where the lights weren’t on before you entered, then use your common sense and turn them off after you leave. None of us want to pay for electricity we don’t need, so apply the same rules as you would in your own home.
Hosts like to see their guests relaxed and feeling at home, but certain social graces should be applied when you’re in someone else’s home. Putting your – possibly – dirty feet on the furniture is likely to cross the boundary, so take the lead from your host. If they offer you the footstool, you've probably got the green light!
Sometimes it’s unavoidable and few people would deny you that, but taking a leisurely bubble bath or scrolling on your phone for hours may rub your hosts – and other 'desperate' guests – up the wrong way. Especially if there is only one bathroom in the house!
Try to leave the toilet as you found it, which means checking for splashes (and cleaning them), putting the seat back down, and changing the toilet roll if you’ve used the last one. It’s just basic good manners.
Even if you wear outside shoes in your own home, you should never assume it’s OK to do so in someone else’s. Your hosts have probably spent hours cleaning floors and vacuuming, so why would they want your muddy shoes ruining it all?
One of the first questions you should ask when you are welcomed inside is a simple: "shall I take my shoes off?" or better still, just instinctively do so. Suffer from cold feet? Wear toastie socks or even bring a pair of slippers.
Featured slippers available from Loaf.
Whether you're visiting for the evening or staying for a few days, try not to spread your belongings around the house. Hang your coat up on arrival and place your shoes neatly by the door. If you're there for longer, avoid leaving clothes on the bathroom floor or personal items strewn across living areas. Ask your hosts where to store your belongings so they are out of the way and your visit will get off to a good start.
People can be very territorial about their remote controls, so when you’re a guest in someone's home, make sure you stay in your lane. Let a member of the household take the lead as there’s a good chance their TV schedule is not the same as yours.
There are few things as irksome as being forced to watch someone else’s favourite TV shows in your own home. Trust us, we’ve been there!
We recently heard the phrase “you should never arrive with both arms swinging” and the visualisation perfectly conveys this sentiment. Always ask your host in advance whether they'd like you to bring anything, whether it's a bottle for the table or some pre-dinner nibbles.
If they insist they don't need anything, then consider a bunch of flowers or a sweet treat to say thank you for providing the venue.
It’s great to appreciate the food and drink on offer and most hosts love to see guests enjoying their food, but there is a limit. If there are other people there, your host will only have a finite amount of food and drink to go around, so only have your fair share.
This is particularly important if you have only contributed the minimum yourself. For example, don't bring a bottle of lemonade then polish off another guest's Dom Pérignon!
At the end of the meal or even between courses, it’s polite to stand up and start to help clear dishes, even if your hosts insist they can manage. Even the small act of putting a few glasses in a dishwasher shows that you appreciate the effort they're going to. Plus, hopefully, they'll do the same at your house.
We are all slaves to our phones, but it is bad manners to look at them too often when you are in company. It might be necessary to check for calls or messages occasionally – especially if you've left the kids with a babysitter – but it’s best to keep it out of temptation's way in your bag or coat.
Mindlessly scrolling suggests boredom, or that you’ve checked out, which no host appreciates from their guests.
Accidents happen, but lots of them are avoidable if you take care. So maybe don’t pick up that priceless heirloom to have a closer look, just in case!
If you smash a glass or cup, you need to act quickly and clear up the shards before someone gets hurt, and if you do break anything, make sure you offer to replace it.
You may love your little fur baby and consider them part of the family, but not everyone feels the same. Perhaps your host has allergies, maybe someone in their house is nervous around dogs or other animals, or maybe they just don’t want the hassle.
The bottom line is, that if you want to bring your pet, you need to ask your host first and respect their decision. The same may also go for children, depending on the occasion!
It might be easier said than done, but try to leave any domestics at home. Even if you are having one of those days – we all have them! – park it for now and put on your game face to avoid other guests feeling awkward. Hopefully, you will have had such a nice time that you will have forgotten what you were bickering about in the first place.
Your host heats their home to their preference. Maybe they don’t feel the cold as much as you or perhaps they like their home to feel like a sauna. There may even be a cost reason.
Unless they specifically ask if the temperature is comfortable, don't touch the thermostat and instead, wear layers if you think you might have an issue.
Having a nice time? Brilliant! However, all good things must come to an end and it’s always best to end on a high.
Keep an eye out for social cues that tell you your time together is coming to an end. Perhaps coffee has been offered, you spy a subtle yawn or someone mentions an early start the next day. Just because someone offers you another drink, it doesn’t mean they really want you to have one.
Most of us go on a cleaning mission before guests arrive and although a certain amount of mess is created by simply having additional people in your house, it’s disrespectful to make a noticeable mess without cleaning it up.
This applies to spilt drinks, discarded wrapping or over-zealous children in your care who like to pull out every toy they can find before moving on to the next.
Don’t like the choice of vegetables? Think the curry is too spicy or not spicy enough? It's polite to keep your opinions to yourself. This is not a restaurant and you are not a critic, just eat up what you can, graciously thank your host and tactfully turn down seconds.
Your need to give honest feedback is nowhere near as important as protecting your host's feelings.
When you invite someone to your house, you cater for the number of guests accordingly. If someone turns up with an extra guest, then they run the risk of embarrassing the host who may not have enough food or drink for them, or even a place at the table.
Instead, give them a quick call or send a text message well in advance to ask – don't wait until you're already on the way!
Remember that when you are in someone else’s home, this is their sanctuary. The décor and atmosphere are their choice, so even if it’s not to your taste, you don’t need to say so.
Imagine how hurt you would be if anyone said anything negative about your home so think before you speak. Your host wants to have a nice time too, so they will likely thank you for anything you do to ease the pressure on them.
Loved this? Check out more home hacks and handy tips