Airbnb Bars Hosts From Requiring Time-consuming Checkout Chores

New rules for bookings made from November 20 limit cleaning demands, drawing praise from guests and objections from some hosts.

Airbnb is changing its house rules so hosts can no longer require guests to complete time-consuming cleaning tasks before checkout. The restrictions apply to reservations made on or after November 20, according to TechCrunch and The Verge. The move addresses a long-running complaint from travelers who say they have been asked to do chores despite paying cleaning fees, while some hosts argue the limits make it harder to care for their properties.

Table of Contents

What guests can and cannot be asked to do
Rules must be visible before booking
Why hosts and guests are divided
Sources

What guests can and cannot be asked to do

Airbnb’s revised policy bars requests that take significant time or effort or would ordinarily be handled by a cleaner, Engadget reports. Hosts cannot require guests to strip beds, start laundry, or wash and put away dishes. The Verge says taking garbage off-site is also prohibited.

Smaller requests remain permissible. According to The Verge, hosts may ask guests to put used dishes in the sink, gather towels, sort trash and recycling into indoor bins, or turn off air conditioning when leaving. Airbnb also allows exceptions for particular circumstances: TechCrunch cites water conservation during droughts, while all four reports describe requests to use animal-proof trash containers in places where bears are a concern.

Rules must be visible before booking

The update also changes how hosts communicate expectations. Engadget says hosts can choose from seven standard property rules and add further notes as requests, but must place rules and requests in the designated part of the listing. They cannot introduce them after booking through messages, signs in the home, or in person. WIRED reports that Airbnb has told hosts they cannot evade the chore restrictions by putting cleaning tasks in the listing’s “Requests” section.

WIRED also reports that, from November 20, hosts generally cannot require guests to sign separate contracts. It says limited exceptions cover local legal requirements, longer stays, and access to optional amenities; applicable contracts must be disclosed in the listing. According to WIRED, violations of the policies could result in warnings or, in severe cases, removal of a listing or a ban from Airbnb.

Why hosts and guests are divided

Guests have complained for years about checkout chore lists on top of cleaning fees, according to TechCrunch and WIRED. TechCrunch places the new restrictions alongside Airbnb’s earlier efforts to address fee concerns: the company said in 2023 that more than 260,000 hosts had reduced or eliminated cleaning fees, and in May 2025 it began showing total prices, including fees but excluding taxes, by default in search results worldwide.

Some hosts object that cleaning expectations help maintain sanitary conditions and protect their homes, TechCrunch reports. WIRED describes hosts discussing price increases, reduced amenities, and even a possible protest, but does not report that those steps have occurred. The disagreement leaves Airbnb drawing a distinction between reasonable care by guests and cleaning work it says hosts should not require them to perform.

Sources

This story was compiled by AI from the reports below. Read the originals for the full details.