Airbnb bans checkout chores as furious guests threaten to stay elsewhere
Chores killed the vacation vibe.
The Airbnb logo next to dirty dishes. Image by Cybernews.
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- Airbnb will ban hosts from requiring time-consuming checkout chores for stays booked from November 20.
- Guests will no longer need to wash dishes, strip beds, wash linens, or take out trash.
- Hosts can still ask guests to leave homes reasonable, gather towels, sort trash, and switch off appliances.
- Airbnb may warn hosts, flag listings, or reduce search visibility for repeated policy violations.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
Accommodation firm Airbnb is putting a stop to excessive checkout chores for guests. The new rules will not require occupants to carry out time-consuming chores such as washing the dishes, stripping and washing the beds, or taking out the trash.
The new policy stipulates that any task that takes a significant amount of time or can be carried out by a professional cleaner will no longer be required of guests.
The updated policy takes effect on November 20th and applies to all stays booked on or after that date.
Hosts can still ask that the accommodation be left in a reasonable condition, such as dirty dishes left in the sink, used towels gathered together, and trash sorted into designated categories.
They can also ask guests to switch off appliances such as air conditioning, and cannot restrict access to the lodgings' amenities. For example, they cannot block access to the trash cans at the property.
Additionally, the rules must be stipulated ahead of the visit, meaning hosts cannot add requirements via signs at the property or by messaging the host through the app.
If a host repeatedly violates the policy, they could receive warnings, have their listings flagged, or see their search visibility reduced.
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The shift back to hotels
There were many comments posted online in response to the changes, both on official channels and on forums like Reddit.
On the Airbnb community center, some hosts complained that the rule change would encourage guests “to behave in such a disrespectful manner.”
Another owner enquired as to whether the platform would remove the ability to rate a guest on cleanliness.
Over on Reddit, it was predominantly disgruntled guests posting opinions. One commenter noted double standards in asking guests to do the chores while paying a cleaner to do them.
‘You must clean the property,’ and ‘We are charging a cleaning fee.’ Pick one. Not both,instructed one Redditor.
Another Redditor commented on a hefty $250 cleaning fee that has been known to occur, along with rare host requests that the guest mow the lawn.
Others discussed the pendulum swinging back to hotels. One poster dubbed hotels “less hassle and cheaper,” while another observed that they create jobs, whereas Airbnb suffocates the housing market.
Another poster spoke of the “irrational whims” of a host, saying that they are sometimes good and at other times “batshit insane.”
Now that the grey area of cleaning is clarified, it will be interesting to see how the changes affect people’s accommodation choices going forward.
