We’ve all been there. You’ve walked through your front door after a long weekend away, exhausted but with unforgettable memories, and your phone pings.
It’s a notification from your Airbnb host.
‘We’ve taken an extra €20 from your account because you didn’t take the bins out. We’ve also charged you another €20 because you didn’t wash the dishes.’
Airbnb check-out chores have long been a controversial subject.
Many argue that people book short-term rentals for a home-like atmosphere, without the formality of hotels and their services.
Guests can cook their own meals, do their own washing, and enjoy multi-room living, which works perfectly for families or larger groups.
Others ask, if you’re paying for a property — just like booking a hotel room — why should you be required to complete household chores? Especially when hosts charge their guests cleaning fees.
The latter is why Airbnb has decided to update its house rules, which apply to all bookings made on or after November 20.
So, what’s it all about?
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What are Airbnb’s new updated house rules?
Granted, everyone should (hopefully) be mature enough to clean up after themselves, hotel or at home.
We’d also hope you’d treat someone else’s property as you’d want yours treated — with respect.
To an extent, this is what Airbnb’s updated rules ask of its guests.
According to its community policy update, hosts can’t ask paying customers to do things that require ‘significant effort or time or would typically be performed by a cleaner.’
This includes stripping and washing bedding, taking rubbish to an offsite location, and washing and putting away dishes. However, guests are expected to place used crockery, glasses and cutlery in the sink.
With the change, Airbnb’s cleaning fee should only cover a basic tidy-up between guests — and hosts are prohibited from charging guests if they don’t finish a task on the checkout list.
To avoid confusion, house rules and requests must be visible for guests at the time of booking.
These rules include check-in and check-out times, smoking, pets, quiet hours, the number of approved guests and commercial photography or video.
Hosts are forbidden from adding new rules after accepting a booking. However, they will be able to add ‘reasonable’ requests at any time.
In this respect, the updated policy reads: ‘We understand every home is unique. For example, it may be reasonable to ask guests to limit shower time due to local drought-related water restrictions, or to dispose of trash in an animal-proof container in bear country.’
What have Airbnb guests said?
It’s safe to say plenty of Airbnb customers think it’s ‘about time’ the house rules were updated, and many have taken to X to share their own experiences and opinions.
One person called the older house rules ‘bizarre,’ asking: ‘Why pay to rent a place as a type of hotel vacation spot, pay a lot of money, but also do chores there?’ as another echoed: ‘Then they shouldn’t charge a cleaning charge if the guest is doing the cleaning.’
Others shared extreme stories of nightmare hosts. One user recalled receiving a bad review because they ‘hadn’t wiped down the bench tops thoroughly enough.’ In reality, they said the ‘mess’ was ‘drops of water’ from filling their bottle before leaving.
‘It was like they were writing a review for a cleaner, rather than a guest.’
Someone else posted a similar experience, saying they were ‘lectured’ and ‘given a poor review by a host’ because they ‘forgot to clean a dish.’ Another pointed out that ‘paying a cleaning fee AND doing the dishes always felt so wrong.’
Of course, others had fun with it, joking that they’re relieved they’ll never have to walk the host’s dog again, or ‘mow the lawn and trim the bushes anymore.’
What about hosts?
Since the rules were announced, several Airbnb hosts on TikTok have shared their own takes.
Many said they understand why guests will be happy about them, but still argue hotel and short-term rentals are different.
They also stressed they don’t think it’s ‘unreasonable’ to ask someone to wash the dishes, or even turn on the dishwasher before they leave.
For hosts, ‘simple’ tasks like these are just etiquette, and the cleaning fee is for a deep clean to ensure the property is up to standard for the next guest.
Short-term rental controversy
Let’s not beat around the bush. While there’s no denying the popularity of short-term rentals, the business model has found itself in some controversy over the years.
First, there’s the housing impact. From Barcelona to London to Lisbon, activists have held mass protests against short-term rentals, blaming them for making housing unaffordable and displacing local tenants.
Then there’s noise pollution. Locals often complain about guests being too loud, especially if the property hosts big groups.
Neighbourhood disruption can also be a problem. Some residents state rental properties destroy a sense of community.