# QR codes for Airbnb and short-term rentals

> Short-term rentals need a WiFi code guests can scan without typing a 20-character password, a house-manual code for check-in and appliance instructions, and a local-guide code. Generate the WiFi code client-side — you are encoding your own home's password — and label every code plainly, because guests scan warily in a stranger's house.

Source: https://useqr.app/qr-codes-for/airbnb-and-short-term-rentals · Last reviewed 2026-08-21 · UseQR is free forever, MIT licensed, no signup.

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## The house-manual set

| Code | Where | Why |
|---|---|---|
| [WiFi](/wifi-qr-code) | Framed card near the router | Ends the first message every host receives |
| House manual | Entry hallway or kitchen | Bin days, heating, appliance quirks, checkout steps |
| [Local guide](/location-qr-code) | Kitchen or lounge | Opens the map pin for the beach car park, not a vague postcode |

## The WiFi code is a privacy decision

A WiFi QR code encodes the network name and password literally —
`WIFI:T:WPA;S:YourHome;P:yourpassword;;`. For a rental, that is **your home's
password**, so where it gets generated matters. A server-side generator receives the
password; a [client-side generator](/docs/security/client-side-vs-server-side-qr-generation)
never does. This is exactly the case covered in
[why not to upload a WiFi password to a website](/docs/security/why-not-to-upload-a-wifi-password-to-a-website).
UseQR builds WiFi codes entirely in the browser, and the [WiFi card tool](/wifi-card)
produces a printable card in one step.

## Label everything

A guest in a stranger's home is right to be suspicious of unlabelled codes. Every code
gets a plain-language caption — "Scan for WiFi", "Scan for the house manual" — ideally in
a [frame with a clear label](/docs/design/qr-code-frames-and-cta-labels). An anonymous
square on a wall in someone else's house gets ignored, and should.

## Placement numbers

- Framed card read at arm's length (**30–40 cm**) → **3–4 cm** code.
- Print matt and skip the glass in the frame, or angle it away from windows — glass over
  a code adds the same glare as gloss laminate.
- One WiFi card by the router, a duplicate in the house-manual folder. Guests look in
  both places.

## Multi-unit hosts

Ten flats means ten SSIDs and passwords. Put them in a spreadsheet and run the
[bulk generator](/bulk) once, rather than filling a form ten times. Re-run it whenever a
password rotates — and reprint, because the old card keeps "working" while connecting
guests to nothing.

## What goes wrong

- The router password changed at some point and the card was never reprinted — see
  [WiFi QR code not connecting](/docs/troubleshooting/wifi-qr-code-not-connecting).
- Passwords containing `;` or `:` encoded without escaping, producing a code that fails
  only on some phones.
- Unlabelled codes that guests, sensibly, refuse to scan.

## FAQ

### Should I put my WiFi password in a QR code for guests?

Yes — it is the single most useful code in a rental. But generate it with a client-side
tool so the password never leaves your browser, and remember the printed card contains
the password in plain text: anyone who photographs it has it.

### What QR codes should a short-term rental have?

Three: WiFi by the router, a house manual near the entrance covering check-in, appliances
and checkout, and a local guide with map-pin codes for places guests actually drive to.
Label each one clearly so guests know what they are scanning.

### How do hosts with many units manage QR codes?

With a spreadsheet and a bulk generator: one row per unit with its SSID and password, one
run, one printable set. The per-unit cost of doing it properly is close to zero, and
rotating a password is a re-run, not a project.

## Try it

- https://useqr.app/wifi
- https://useqr.app/wifi-card
- https://useqr.app/location
- https://useqr.app/url