Airbnb hosts can only set “reasonable” cleaning duties for guests, according to new guidelines put in place by the tech giant, with tasks such as washing dishes and stripping beds now the sole responsibility of owners.
Although Airbnb reservations always include a cleaning fee, there were no universal policies on what hosts can ask their renters to complete.
But now, starting November 20, Airbnb will limit guest responsibilities to “set clear expectations” for hosts whose house rules must be “reasonable and consistent” with the new requirements.
Hosts cannot ask “guests to perform tasks that require significant effort or time, or that would typically be performed by a cleaner, including removing the bed, taking trash off-site, or washing and putting away dishes,” Airbnb said.
The new guidelines follow years of customer complaints, travel industry expert Clint Henderson told NBC News.
“So it’s pretty important to consumers,” said Henderson, editor and spokesperson for the travel industry website The Points Guy.
“Complaints have been increasing lately with owners asking guests to do the most ridiculous things, like remove beds, wash dishes, do all the laundry and take out the trash,” Henderson said.
“It really got out of hand,” he said. “And from a consumer perspective, it’s like, ‘Why am I going to stay on Airbnb when I have to do chores?'”
While Airbnb host Gabriel Valk of Greenville, South Carolina, believes that small tasks like washing dishes and cleaning the bed should be a “common courtesy” performed by guests, he understands why Airbnb would institute clearer guidelines.
“But I understand the reluctance,” Valk said, citing the service fee meant to cover cleaning costs.
“OK, you pay, whatever, $100 for cleaning. ‘We shouldn’t have to do anything,'” he imagined the guests saying. “It makes perfect sense to me.”
According to Henderson, Airbnb needed to give its customers a break or risk seeing consumers flock back to traditional hotels.
“Why (stay in an Airbnb) when I can stay in a hotel and not have to do all this tedious work? » he said. “And these days, Airbnb is as expensive, with all the fees and everything, as a hotel. So I think Airbnb has lost some of its competitive edge over the years.”
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