Airbnb Bans Hosts from Asking Guests to Wash Dishes or Strip Beds in New Rules

• Airbnb announced a major overhaul of its House Rules policy, setting strict new limits on what hosts can demand from guests before checkout
• The updated policy, effective November 20, 2026, bans hosts from requiring guests to strip beds, start laundry, wash dishes, or take out rubbish
• Airbnb also moved to strip hosts of the power to impose their own financial penalties on guests for rule violations

Airbnb has announced a sweeping update to its House Rules policy that significantly limits the chores hosts can require guests to complete before checking out.

The new rules apply to all reservations booked on or after 20 November 2026, and target tasks the company considers excessive, particularly those that would normally be handled by a professional cleaner.

Under the updated policy, hosts can no longer ask guests to strip beds, run laundry, wash and put away dishes, or remove rubbish from the property - demands that many guests had long complained about, especially when a cleaning fee was already included in the booking cost.

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What Guests Can Still Be Asked to Do

Airbnb clarified that some light, reasonable requests will remain acceptable. Hosts may still ask guests to leave used dishes in the sink, gather towels in one place, sort waste into designated indoor bins, and switch off appliances such as air conditioning before departure.

The platform also said it would consider limited exceptions for specific local conditions, such as restricting shower duration during drought periods or requiring the use of wildlife-proof containers in areas where animals are a concern.

Standardised Rules and Stronger Guest Protections

Beyond checkout tasks, Airbnb is rolling out a set of standardised house rules that hosts can apply across their listings.

These cover areas including check-in and check-out times, the maximum number of overnight guests, quiet hours, event permissions, pet policies, smoking restrictions that extend to vaping and e-cigarettes, commercial photography and filming, and locking up upon departure. Hosts retain the ability to add reasonable custom requests on top of these baseline standards.

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The policy also removes the ability of hosts to impose their own financial penalties on guests for breaking house rules.

The use of separate rental contracts will be restricted to narrow circumstances, such as when legally required or mandated by homeowners association regulations.

To give guests a clearer picture before they book, Airbnb said house rules will be displayed more prominently on listing pages, within the Trips tab, and in reservation reminders.

Where a host's request is found to breach the updated policy, Airbnb will flag it for review. If the issue remains unresolved after the host has had the opportunity to edit or appeal, a visible alert may be added to the listing so that prospective guests are aware.

The policy shift effectively transfers greater responsibility for thorough cleaning back to hosts, particularly those who charge a cleaning fee, while offering guests a more consistent and transparent experience across the platform.

Source: YEN.com.gh