In brief
Airbnb now limits what hosts can request of guests, making it clear that duties usually performed by a cleaner—such as stripping beds or washing dishes—are off‑limits. The new rules allow a set of seven standard house‑rules plus a few reasonable requests, but impose restrictions on tasks that require significant effort or are normally handled by a cleaner, citing that guests already pay a cleaning fee. Hosts will still be able to issue low‑effort or legally required requests—for example, limiting shower times in drought‑affected areas—while any policy violations can be appealed. The update follows widespread criticism from guests who have raised concerns about the fairness of such requests and viral social‑media content from stringent hosts. The changes aim to clarify responsibilities and reduce conflicts inside the short‑term rental market.
Airbnb has overhauled its house‑rule guidelines, barring hosts from asking guests to perform tasks such as stripping beds or washing dishes.
The new rules, effective for bookings made from 20 November, limit hosts to seven standard house rules plus a handful of “reasonable” requests. Airbnb says that duties usually undertaken by a cleaner—including dishwashing, bed stripping and removing trash—can no longer be imposed on guests, who already pay a cleaning fee.
Airbnb explained that the change came after it heard from the community that current rules were often confusing, onerous and hard to manage. “House rules help guests understand what hosts expect, but we’ve heard that they can be confusing and hard to manage,” the company said.
The updated policy allows only exceptions for small, low‑effort requests or those required by law, such as limiting shower time in drought‑affected regions. Contracts are now only permitted when legally necessary or under homeowner association rules.
Guests have long complained about unreasonable departure chores, especially given the cleaning fee already paid. Recent viral TikTok videos from hosts Cassie and Jon—in the US state of Georgia—show inspectors demanding meticulous tidiness, sparking debate over the fairness of strict house rules.
Hosts still retain control over their house rules and can appeal if a request is flagged by Airbnb as policy‑violating. The company emphasises that no fines will be imposed for rule violations, only the possibility of a review and appeal.
Updated House‑Rules Take Effect on All New Bookings
The updated guidelines will apply to all reservations booked on or after 20 November on Airbnb’s marketplace. Property rules will now be displayed more prominently and appear in guests’ reservation reminders to ensure clarity and ease of compliance.
For hosts and guests navigating the new rules, Airbnb’s support pages and community forums offer further guidance on what constitutes a reasonable request and how to handle disputes.
