Airbnb guests freed from tasks involving ‘significant effort’ under new global rules | World News

Airbnb hosts will no longer be able to ask travelers to dismantle beds or wash dishes under the accommodation platform’s new rules.

The changes, which apply to Airbnb reservations covered by the platform’s global policy, will take effect on November 20 and will limit the tasks imposed on guests.

Airbnb had long received complaints from guests about having to pay cleaning fees, which can run into the hundreds of dollars, while completing a to-do list for their host.

Since April 2025, cleaning fees are no longer presented to customers. Instead, guests were allowed to choose to factor cleaning fees into the total stay price.

In a community policy update posted to its website this week, Airbnb said hosts would “generally” no longer be allowed to ask guests to complete tasks that “require significant effort or time or would typically be performed by a cleaner.”

Examples of such tasks include removing linens from beds, transporting waste off-site, and washing and putting away dishes, the company said.

The updated guidelines state that hosts can now set seven standard house rules that must be displayed in full at the time of booking – and can also add other “reasonable” requests.

Examples of house rules include check-in and check-out times, limits on the number of people who can stay in the property, smoking restrictions, quiet hours, and whether pets are allowed.

Reasonable requests depend on “relevant local considerations”. For example, it may be reasonable to ask guests to limit shower time due to local water restrictions, or to dispose of their waste in an animal-proof container.

Although the new guidelines should not require guests to wash and put away dishes, hosts can ask them to put used dishes in the sink.

“House rules help guests understand what hosts expect, but our community has told us they can be confusing, onerous and difficult to manage,” an Airbnb spokesperson said.

“So we’ve redesigned them to make them easier to discover and clearer to define, alongside a new policy that keeps requests reasonable, with no surprises.”