Airbnb hosts will no longer be able to make guests strip beds, wash dishes or take rubbish off site on bookings made from Friday 20 November.
The change applies to every reservation booked on or after that date, the BBC reported. Stays already booked keep the rules that were on the listing at the time, according to the industry site Rental Scale-Up.
Airbnb said the old system had become a problem. It told the BBC that house rules could be “confusing, onerous and hard to manage”.
What hosts can no longer demand
Hosts may now pick from seven standard house rules and add other requests, provided they are “reasonable”. Airbnb’s policy says they are generally barred from asking for tasks that need significant effort or time, or that a cleaner would usually do.
Guests already pay a cleaning fee, which is the root of years of complaints about lengthy checkout lists. The tasks now ruled out include:
- stripping the bed
- taking rubbish off the property
- washing and putting away dishes
ABC News reported that hosts can still ask for simpler tasks, such as putting used dishes in the sink. Other acceptable requests include gathering used towels and putting rubbish in designated bins, according to the site Law Commentary.
There are exceptions. The BBC said Airbnb may allow tighter requests in some circumstances, such as asking guests to limit shower time where drought restrictions apply locally.
Fines, contracts and visibility
Hosts cannot impose fines, though the BBC said they stay in charge of their own house rules and requests. They also cannot charge for anything included in the listing, or keep copies of guest ID, apart from narrow exceptions, Skift reported.
Separate rental agreements will be allowed only in limited cases. The BBC cited legal requirements and homeowners association rules. Skift added monthly stays, Airbnb Luxe and optional extras such as golf cart use.
For guests, the rules should be easier to find. The BBC said a property’s rules will be shown more prominently and will appear in reservation reminders. LADbible reported that all house rules and requests must now be disclosed in the listing at the time of booking, so guests can decide before they pay.
A distinction also applies between rules and requests. According to the travel site Breezy Scroll, guests “must follow” house rules such as quiet hours, but requests are something they should simply try to honour.
How it will be enforced
If a host’s request breaks Airbnb policy, the BBC said it will be flagged and the host can appeal. Skift said enforcement ranges from a notice on the listing and lower search visibility to cancelled bookings, loss of Superhost status or account suspension.
Some hosts are unhappy. Skift said about a dozen pushed back on Airbnb’s forum, mostly over the dishes ban, and some said they would leave the platform.
Airbnb emailed hosts about the changes on Tuesday 20 October, Skift reported. The policy takes effect for new bookings on 20 November.
Sources: Skift, ABC News, LADbible, BBC News
This story was compiled by the MDW Newsdesk with AI-assisted tools, using the reporting credited above.
