Airbnb changes house rules for guests. Here’s what hosts can no longer ask you to do

If you’ve ever checked out of an Airbnb wondering whether you really need to wash the dishes, strip the bed or take out the rubbish before leaving, the rules are about to get clearer.

Airbnb is changing its house rules policy to limit what hosts can ask guests to do, including cleaning tasks. The updated guidelines say hosts can set seven standard house rules and add other “reasonable” requests, but guests should not be asked to take on jobs that would normally be done by a cleaner, BBC reported on Thursday.

The new rules will apply to all reservations booked on or after 20 November on the accommodation marketplace.

Guests paying a cleaning fee should not be asked to clean

Under the new requirements published on Airbnb’s website, hosts are generally not allowed to ask guests to complete tasks that “require significant effort or time, or would typically be performed by a cleaner, including stripping the bed, taking trash offsite, or washing and putting away dishes”.

This is particularly relevant for guests who are already paying a cleaning fee as part of their booking.

Airbnb told the BBC that it had heard concerns from its community about house rules being difficult to understand and manage.

“House rules help guests understand what hosts expect, but we've heard from our community that they can be confusing, onerous and hard to manage,” Airbnb told the BBC.

“So, we've redesigned them to make them easier to discover and clearer to set, alongside a new policy that keeps requests reasonable, with no surprises.”

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Some requests will still be allowed

The policy does not mean hosts will be unable to make any requests of guests.

Airbnb said it may grant exceptions in some circumstances. For example, guests can be asked to limit shower time if there are local drought-related water restrictions.

Property rules will also be made more prominent for guests. Moving forward, they will appear in guests' reservation reminders.

Contracts will only be allowed in limited circumstances, including when required by law or homeowners association rules.

While hosts will not be able to impose fines, they will remain in control of their house rules and requests, Airbnb said. If a host's request does not follow Airbnb policies, the issue will be flagged and the owner can appeal if they disagree.

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Why Airbnb is changing its rules

Guests have for years complained about unreasonable tasks they were required to complete before departure, particularly when they were also paying cleaning fees.

The debate has also gained attention on social media. TikTok videos from Airbnb hosts Cassie and Jon, who run a rental property in the US state of Georgia, have recently gone viral for showing them closely inspecting their property after guests leave.

In one video, the couple accused guests of “disrespecting the house rules” for leaving a television remote out of place.

They have been criticised for their strict rules and high standards, but said in response that their content had been misinterpreted.

Their videos have also inspired other content creators to parody stringent Airbnb hosts.