New rules for bookings made from 20 November 2026 stop hosts requiring guests to do time-consuming cleaning, though light tidying can still be requested.
Airbnb has announced a global change that will stop hosts from making guests carry out time-consuming checkout chores. The policy applies to new bookings made from 20 November 2026. Hosts will no longer be able to require guests to wash and put away dishes, strip bed linen, do laundry or take rubbish away as a condition of checking out. The platform says the rules are meant to end expectations that guests will do work normally done by professional cleaners.
What hosts can and cannot ask
The updated “Reasonable Requests” policy follows complaints from travellers who questioned why they should complete long cleaning checklists after paying to stay, sometimes on top of a separate cleaning fee. Guests are not free to leave a property in any state they like. Hosts can still ask for simple tasks, such as putting dirty dishes in the sink, gathering used towels in one place and sorting rubbish into designated indoor bins. Guests are expected to leave the property reasonably tidy and treat it respectfully. The line is drawn between light tidying and chores a cleaner would usually do.
Hosts will also have to set out their checkout rules before guests book, instead of springing extra demands on them as they prepare to leave. It is still worth checking each listing for checkout instructions and any cleaning fee before confirming.
An Airbnb spokesperson said: “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.”
They added: “Hosts can now choose from 7 standard house rules and add reasonable requests, all in one place. House rules are now displayed more prominently on the listing page, in the guest’s Trips tab, and in reservation reminders. Under the new policy, requests must be reasonable. For example, guests shouldn’t be asked to wash and put away dishes, but hosts can ask them to put used dishes in the sink.”
The spokesperson said: “Host-imposed fines aren’t allowed, and contracts are only permitted in limited circumstances, such as where required by law or homeowners association rules. Hosts remain in control of their house rules and requests, and can update them anytime. If a request doesn’t follow the policy, we’ll flag the issue, and they can appeal if they disagree.”
Enforcement and exceptions
According to Airbnb’s policy, as set out in the research notes, hosts who repeatedly break the rules risk lower search rankings, and a notice reading “includes cleaning requests” may be shown on non-compliant listings. The system will automatically flag requests that appear to breach the policy and guide hosts on correcting them. Hosts who repeatedly breach the contract and information rules risk suspension or removal.
Some exceptions are allowed. Properties in areas with bears or other wildlife may ask guests to use animal-proof bins, and places under drought restrictions can limit shower times. Hosts cannot stop guests using advertised facilities such as air conditioning, though they may ask guests to turn it off when leaving.
Guests are not off the hook. Hosts can still leave cleanliness reviews, and guests may be liable for exceptional cleaning, such as mouldy dishes or pet-soiled carpets, and for damage beyond ordinary wear and tear. Repeated breaches of Airbnb’s guest rules can lead to removal. A host cannot charge a fee simply because a guest did not complete a particular checkout task.
Other rule changes
The same date brings new limits on what hosts can ask for. Hosts will generally be barred from demanding copies of passports, driving licences or other identity documents, unless an exception applies. They may inspect ID in person at check-in if they said so beforehand, but generally cannot keep a copy. The restrictions also cover credit card and bank details, credit histories, background checks, fingerprints, facial recognition data and medical records. Guests generally cannot be made to download another app to get in, and an alternative must be offered on request. Hosts cannot press guests to attend timeshare presentations or buy memberships. Separate rental contracts are allowed only in specified cases, including stays of 28 nights or more, Airbnb Luxe, where the law or community rules require them, and optional extras such as golf cart hire.
Hosts push back
ABC News reported on 22 October that hundreds of hosts had criticised the changes on Airbnb’s community forum, with some warning of higher nightly rates or leaving the platform. Nadia Di Martino, who runs three listings in Townsville, Australia, and cleans them herself without a cleaning fee, said she asks guests to wash their dishes and disagreed that this was unreasonable. She said she might switch to renting rooms to students or stop guests using the kitchen, but has not done so. “I think that many hosts will either have to increase their prices and then pay someone else to do the whole cleaning,” she told ABC News. That is a host’s prediction, not an established price rise.
It has not been established how many UK properties impose long checkout lists, how many UK hosts oppose the change, or whether prices will rise. No property has yet been penalised, as the policy has not taken effect.
