Airbnb hosts can only set “reasonable” housecleaning duties for guests, according to new guidelines rolled out by the tech giant, with tasks such as dishwashing and bed stripping now the sole responsibility of homeowners.
While Airbnb bookings have always included a cleaning fee, there hadn’t been universal policies on what hosts can ask their renters to complete.
But now, starting with rentals on Nov. 20, Airbnb will limit these guest responsibilities in order to “set clear expectations” for hosts whose house rules must be “reasonable and comply with” these new requirements.
Hosts cannot ask “guests to complete tasks that require significant effort or time, or would typically be performed by a cleaner, including stripping the bed, taking trash offsite, or washing and putting away dishes,” Airbnb said.
The new guidelines come after years of customer complaints, travel industry expert Clint Henderson told NBC News.
“So this is pretty major for consumers,” said Henderson, managing editor and spokesperson for travel industry website The Points Guy.
“The complaints have been really ramping up lately with owners asking guests to do the most ridiculous things, like stripping beds, washing dishes, doing all the laundry and taking the trash out,” Henderson said.
“It’s just gotten really out of hand,” he said. “And from a consumer’s perspective, it’s like, ‘Why am I going to stay at Airbnb when I have to do chores?’”
While Airbnb host Gabriel Valk, in Greenville, South Carolina, believes small tasks like dishwashing and bed stripping should be “common courtesy” performed by guests, he understands why Airbnb would institute these more clear guidelines.
“But I do understand the pushback,” Valk said, citing the service fees that are supposed to cover cleaning costs.
“OK, you guys are paying, whatever, $100 for the cleaning. ‘We shouldn’t have to do anything,’” he imagined the guests saying. “So totally makes sense to me.”
Airbnb had to give guests a break or risk consumers flocking back to traditional hotels, according to Henderson.
“Why (stay at an Airbnb) when I can stay at a hotel and not have to do all that busy work?” he said. “And these days, Airbnb is as expensive, with all the fees and everything, as a hotel is. So I think Airbnb has lost some of its competitive edge over the years.”