Airbnb cleaning rules are changing, and guests can no longer be required to strip beds, take trash offsite, or wash and put away dishes for bookings made on or after November 20. Airbnb announced the policy in an email to hosts on Wednesday.
Simon Letouze, an Airbnb spokesperson, said hosts can still make reasonable
requests, including asking guests to put dirty dishes in the sink. Airbnb said it will treat required cleaning work as a policy violation and can warn hosts, remove listings, or ban them from the platform.
November 20 Airbnb policy
The ban covers tasks that Airbnb said would typically be performed by a cleaner
. That means hosts cannot require guests to do the kind of cleanup that usually belongs to paid cleaning work before checkout, at least for bookings made on or after November 20.
Airbnb also said hosts cannot get around the rule by placing the chores in the Requests section of a listing. When a host tried to save prohibited requests, the interface displayed: Guests shouldn't be asked to do this task.
Simon Letouze on reasonable requests
Letouze drew a line between chores and narrower requests tied to property care. He cited asking guests to take short showers in areas with drought-related water restrictions and to place trash in bear-proof containers as examples of requests Airbnb still considers acceptable.
The company also said hosts can no longer be required to sign separate contracts, with limited exceptions for local legal requirements, longer stays, or access to an optional amenity like a golf cart rental. That keeps the policy focused on required terms that Airbnb wants removed from the booking flow.
Airbnb hosts and guest chores
The change lands in the middle of a long-running dispute over checkout demands. Guests have long complained about paying cleaning fees and still being asked to do chores before leaving, while hosts argue they need to protect their investments, homes, and personal living spaces.
For guests, the practical shift is straightforward: after November 20, they should not be asked to perform cleaning tasks that function like a cleaner's job. For hosts, the choice is narrower too; keep requests limited to reasonable property-care instructions, or risk warnings, listing removal, or a ban.
