Airbnb is cracking down on hosts who impose heavy checkout cleaning duties on guests. Starting Nov. 20, new listing rules will bar hosts from asking guests to wash dishes, strip beds or handle other tasks normally done by cleaning staff.
Britain's Guardian reported on the 22nd that Airbnb will apply the new rules to reservations covered by its global policies from Nov. 20. The company said it drew up the rules after repeated complaints that guests were paying hundreds of dollars in cleaning fees and still being asked to do household chores.
Under the rules, hosts cannot ask guests to perform tasks that take significant time or effort, or that are normally handled by cleaning staff. Requests to strip bed sheets, wash used dishes by hand or carry trash to a designated spot outside the property are among those restricted. Hosts may still ask guests to leave used dishes in the sink, gather towels in one place or sort trash into a designated indoor spot.
Airbnb also set out seven categories of standard house rules that hosts may establish, including check-in and checkout times, the number of guests allowed, smoking policies, quiet hours and whether pets are permitted. All such rules must be disclosed to guests at the time of booking. Hosts are not allowed to add rules after a reservation unless they were disclosed in advance through messages or listing information. Exceptions are recognized for local conditions, such as asking for shorter showers in drought-hit or water-restricted areas, or requiring trash to be placed in animal-proof containers in areas where wildlife is present.
This is not the first time Airbnb has addressed checkout cleaning. In 2023, the company said it was inappropriate to ask guests to strip bed sheets or run laundry machines, and advised hosts to disclose only reasonable requests before booking.
Turning off lights, throwing out food waste and locking doors were cited as reasonable requests. The company also said listings with accumulated low ratings could be removed. On April 21, 2025, it made total pricing including fees the default in search results worldwide. Airbnb said about 300,000 listings eliminated or lowered cleaning fees in 2023, and that 40% of active listings had no cleaning fee.
Among internet users in the U.S., some said it was unfair to be left with the cleanup on a service they had paid for. One recounted being asked to wash dishes separately after paying a $180 cleaning fee for a single night. On the host side, some were reported to have shifted to charging extra cleaning fees when a property is left messy, rather than requiring checkout tasks.
The rules are not limited to any single country and apply to all reservations covered by Airbnb's global policies. The same standards are expected to apply to listings in South Korea and other countries.