Airbnb revises house-rule policy to ban demanding checkout chores
The short-term rental platform will no longer allow hosts to require guests to perform tasks that normally need a cleaner, such as stripping beds or taking out bins.
Airbnb has updated its community policy to prohibit hosts from asking guests to carry out checkout duties that involve "significant effort or time, or would typically be performed by a cleaner." Under the new rules, guests may be asked to place used tableware in the sink, but not to wash and put away dishes.
"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. 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," Airbnb said in a statement to Euronews Travel.
The revised policy places the house rules on the listing page, the trips tab, and reservation reminders. Hosts can choose from seven standard rules covering check-in and check-out times, guest limits, smoking, pets, quiet hours, and commercial filming. They may also add "reasonable" requests, which can be modified at any time. Requests that violate the new policy will be flagged, requiring hosts to either remove them or appeal. The cleaning fee is now limited to a standard tidy-up between guests, and hosts cannot charge guests for failing to complete checkout tasks.