Travelers staying at short-term rentals will soon see relief from the burden of stripping beds, washing dishes, and taking out the trash upon checkout, thanks to a major policy update by Airbnb checkout rules.
According to reports from NBC News, the popular home-sharing platform announced a revised ‘House Rules and Expectations’ policy that prohibits hosts from making unreasonable cleaning demands of their guests.
The new regulations will apply to all bookings made on or after November 20.
The core of the revision is to prevent hosts from requiring guests to perform chores that demand the excessive time and effort typically expected of professional cleaning staff.
Consequently, hosts will no longer be permitted to officially require guests to strip bed linens, wash and put away dishes, or carry trash outside of the rental property. However, simple tidy-up tasks, such as placing used tableware into the sink, will still be allowed.
The updated guidelines also strictly ban hosts from restricting the use of amenities or features explicitly stated in the listing, as well as imposing arbitrary penalties like fines on guests.
In an official statement, Airbnb explained that complaints had accumulated over house rules being overly complex and burdensome. The company emphasized that it has clarified the standards to ensure users are not subjected to unexpected and excessive demands.
Measures to enhance guests’ right to know and overall convenience are also being implemented. Once hosts select necessary items from seven basic rules, they will be prominently displayed on booking pages, the app’s ‘Travel’ tab, and reservation notifications so guests can easily review them.
Standard basic rules—such as maximum occupancy limits, quiet hours, pet policies, key return procedures, and event permissions—will remain in place as they currently are.
