Airbnb prohibits hosts from assigning checkout chores like washing dishes and stripping beds

Airbnb is barring hosts from requiring travelers to perform heavy checkout chores, tackling a perennial source of customer frustration. Under a policy update taking effect for bookings made on or after November 20, hosts cannot mandate that guests strip bedsheets, do laundry, wash and put away dishes, or take out the trash. The platform stated that guests should not be tasked with chores requiring significant effort or work normally handled by professional cleaners. [1][2][4]

The overhaul also restricts how property rules are communicated. Hosts must select from seven standard rules on their listing page, and they are forbidden from adding demands after booking via messages, in-person instructions, or signs posted inside the rental. Minor requests such as placing used towels in a pile or leaving dishes in the sink remain acceptable. Airbnb is also permitting narrow exemptions for local safety requirements, including instructions to use bear-proof garbage cans or observe drought water-saving measures. [1][2][4]

The ban addresses years of complaints from guests who felt shortchanged by long lists of cleaning duties paired with hefty checkout fees. The changes have provoked a backlash among property owners, however, with some hosts warning on community forums that the rules strip away the character of home rentals in favor of a hotel-like experience. According to Wired, while guests are celebrating the reprieve, some frustrated hosts are considering platform strikes or plotting workarounds. [1][3]