- Airbnb announced a major overhaul of its House Rules policy, setting new limits on pre-checkout tasks hosts can require of guests
- The updated policy, which takes effect November 20, 2026, bars hosts from asking guests to strip beds, start laundry, or take out rubbish
- Airbnb also prohibited hosts from imposing their own fines on guests and restricted the use of separate rental contracts
Airbnb has announced a sweeping overhaul of its House Rules policy, placing firm restrictions on what hosts can demand from guests before they check out, in a move that addresses one of the platform's most persistent points of friction.
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The changes, which apply to all reservations booked on or after November 20, 2026, bar hosts from assigning tasks that involve significant effort or would ordinarily fall to a professional cleaner.
Under the new rules, hosts can no longer require guests to strip beds, start laundry loads, wash and pack away dishes, or remove rubbish from the property, tasks that many guests had previously flagged as unreasonable, particularly when a cleaning fee had already been charged.
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What hosts can still ask of guests
Airbnb made clear that some reasonable requests remain acceptable.
Hosts may still ask guests to place used dishes in the sink, gather used towels in one spot, sort rubbish and recycling into designated indoor bins, and switch off appliances such as air conditioning before leaving.
The company said it would also consider exceptions for specific local circumstances, including requests to limit shower duration during drought conditions or to use wildlife-proof containers in areas where animals pose a concern.
New standardised rules and guest protections
Beyond checkout tasks, Airbnb is introducing a set of standardised house rules that hosts can apply to reservations.
These cover areas including check-in and check-out times, the maximum number of overnight guests, quiet hours, event permissions, pet policies, smoking rules that extend to vaping and e-cigarettes, commercial photography and filming, and a requirement to lock up upon departure. Hosts retain the ability to add reasonable custom requests on top of these standards.
The policy also strips hosts of the ability to impose their own financial penalties for rule violations and limits how they may use separate rental agreements, which will only be permitted in narrow circumstances such as when required by law or homeowners association regulations.
To reduce last-minute surprises, Airbnb said house rules will be displayed more prominently on listing pages, in the Trips tab, and within reservation reminders.
Where a host's request is found to breach the updated policy, Airbnb will flag it for review. If the host does not edit or appeal the request and the issue remains unresolved, a visible alert may be added to the listing for prospective guests to see.
The policy shift transfers greater responsibility for thorough cleaning back to hosts, particularly those collecting cleaning fees, while offering guests a more consistent and predictable framework for what is expected of them during a stay.
Source: TUKO.co.ke