Airbnb hosts are collapse because of a new policy prohibiting them from asking customers to do tasks that “would typically be done by a cleaner,” such as “dismantling the bed, taking trash off-site, or washing and putting away dishes.”
The change, which applies to all bookings made on or after November 20, quickly sparked outrage after it was announced in an email to Airbnb hosts on Wednesday. Many began fuming online over the loss of the right to ask their guests to clean up after themselves.
“As hosts, we have a responsibility to protect our investments, our homes, and in many cases, our personal living spaces,” one person wrote on Airbnb’s official host forum. “The problem is that Airbnb increasingly expects its hosts to accept risks while limiting our ability to protect ourselves.”
“Airbnb is like an abusive partner,” wrote one user on the Reddit community r/airbnb_hosts. “I’ve been alive long enough to recognize how true those few words are,” another person responded. “Until I see substantial changes, I will ultimately be eliminated. »
Another self-described host said that in the future, the kitchens in their rentals will be “stripped down to the bare essentials.”
Many guests, meanwhile, are celebrating. For years, travelers have complained about having to pay high cleaning fees as part of their Airbnb reservations, only to be required to complete a to-do list before leaving.
“The guest experience has become completely absurd,” said one person in a subreddit for Airbnb hosts. “Clean the dishes and run them in the dishwasher. Strip the beds, put all the laundry in the laundry room. Take out all the trash, put it in the trash, take it to the curb. Honestly, knock it out.”
Airbnb noted in its Wednesday announcement that hosts cannot circumvent the new policy by listing cleaning tasks in the “Requests” section of their listings. Airbnb spokesperson Simon Letouze told WIRED that hosts can still make “reasonable” requests, like asking guests to put dirty dishes in the sink. Other examples cited by Airbnb include asking guests to take short showers in areas with drought-related water restrictions, or asking them to place their trash in bear-proof containers.
In a Facebook group for Airbnb hosts, someone posted what they claimed was a screenshot of their failed attempt to edit the Requests section of their property. They tried asking guests to wash and air dry dishes, put dirty towels in the laundry room, and put trash in a dumpster at an RV park that they could find using a map on the refrigerator. But they realized they couldn’t save. Airbnb’s interface had underlined and highlighted the requests in red and displayed a pop-up saying “Guests should not be asked to complete this task.”
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