Gen Z travelers are cutting back on meals, haircuts and daily expenses to be able to travel, while homeownership and other traditional milestones seem increasingly out of reach.
Airbnb aims to check to-do lists, telling hosts that guests generally shouldn’t have to dismantle beds, wash dishes or carry trash off-site before returning home.
The vacation rental platform announced the changes Tuesday as part of an overhaul of its house rules, drawing a clearer distinction between reasonable requests and cleaning work that guests should not be expected to do.
The new policy applies to reservations booked on or after November 20, 2026. It generally prohibits hosts from asking guests to perform tedious tasks or work typically done by a cleaner.
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Airbnb will no longer allow hosts to ask guests to take down beds, wash and put away dishes, or start laundry before check-out. (iStock)
According to Airbnb’s new guidelines, hosts generally should not ask guests to wash and put away dishes, strip beds, or start laundry before check-out. They may, however, ask customers to leave used dishes in the sink, gather towels and sort trash and recycling into designated indoor bins, the company said.
The same approach applies to amenities. Hosts should not discourage guests from using advertised features such as air conditioning, but they can ask guests to turn it off when they leave, according to Airbnb.
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Airbnb is cracking down on checkout to-do lists, banning hosts from requiring guests to complete tedious cleaning tasks before leaving. (Getty Images/Getty Images)
“When adding a request, remember that most guests want to avoid unexpected tasks,” Airbnb wrote in its statement, warning hosts that assigning cleaning tasks could hurt their reviews.
Airbnb also takes steps to avoid surprises after booking. All house rules and requests must appear in the designated section of the listing when guests reserve a property. Hosts cannot add new requirements afterward via messages, signs inside the house or in-person instructions, the policy states.
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The new rules, effective for reservations made on or after November 20, also require hosts to disclose all rules and requests in advance. (iStock/iStock)
According to Airbnb, hosts generally cannot impose their own fines or penalties, although they can warn guests of potential fines from a homeowners association, building security or local government.
To enforce the changes, Airbnb said it would flag requests that violate the policy and send hosts guidance on how to correct them. Hosts will also have the opportunity to appeal.
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Airbnb is cracking down on checkout to-do lists, banning hosts from requiring guests to dismantle beds, do dishes or perform other tedious cleaning tasks. (istock/iStock)
Unresolved violations may result in a notice being posted on the property alerting guests to cleaning requests. Continued violations could result in reduced visibility in Airbnb searches or other actions, the company said.
Airbnb will consider exceptions based on property and local conditions. Hosts in bear country, for example, may be allowed to ask their guests to put their trash in an animal-proof container. Shower duration limits may also be reasonable in areas with drought-related water restrictions.
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Along with this policy, Airbnb has grouped its standard house rules into seven categories covering guest stay limits, quiet hours, events, pets, smoking, commercial photography and checkout lockout.
Guests must always follow these house rules, Airbnb said, while respecting the host’s reasonable requests is encouraged.
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Guests are required to follow the house rules and encouraged to comply with host requests. Airbnb said hosts can contact the company for assistance and can cancel a reservation without fees or other consequences if a guest violates a house rule during a stay or declares before check-in that they intend to do so.
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