Airbnb bans hosts from asking guests to clean before checkout

Airbnb will no longer allow hosts to ask guests to perform housework before checkout for reservations made on or after November 20. The policy, announced October 20, draws a line between light tidying and cleaning the rental for the next occupants.

Guests may be asked to leave used dishes in the sink and gather used towels, but hosts generally cannot request that dishes be washed and put away, beds stripped, or laundry started. Trash may be separated into indoor bins, but guests should not be required to haul it off-site.

“Guests should no longer be asked to perform tasks that normally fall to a professional cleaner, such as washing dishes or stripping beds.”

Hosts also cannot tell guests to avoid an advertised amenity, though they may ask that air conditioning be turned off when leaving. Exceptions may apply based on the property, the stay, or local conditions, such as animal-proof trash containers in bear country or shower limits during drought restrictions.

All house rules and requests must appear in the designated listing section at the time of booking, ending the practice of revealing rules only after a reservation is paid for. Hosts may set seven basic house rules covering occupancy, quiet hours, events, pets, smoking and vaping, professional photography, and locking up.

Airbnb takes a 15.5 percent service fee for most hosts, which applies to the nightly price and additional charges including cleaning. On a $100 cleaning fee, $15.50 goes to Airbnb, meaning the company could collect more if hosts raise those charges to cover additional work.