Airbnb limits guest chores like laundry, drawing host backlash

Airbnb is updating its rules to shield visitors from onerous cleaning tasks it says could negatively impact their stay.

The new policy, announced this week, prevents hosts from asking guests to strip beds, start a load of laundry and other household chores Airbnb says "require significant effort or time" and would typically be performed by a cleaner.

These tasks could lead guests to write negative reviews, Airbnb said, which ultimately hurt the property owner.

The new policy sparked backlash among some hosts, with more than 5,000 people signing a Change.org petition calling on Airbnb to reverse the rules. The signatories argued that the policy goes too far and is "unreasonable."

Requiring a cleaner to pick up the slack could hike expenses for hosts, which could ultimately be passed on to guests in the form of higher accommodation prices, the petition says.

"These are not professional cleaning duties," the petition says. "They are ordinary aspects of living responsibly in somebody else's property."

What are the new rules?

The online booking platform clarified which requests are "reasonable" as part of a new policy it unveiled on its website. The new rules apply to reservations booked on or after Nov. 20, according to Airbnb.

In some cases, it's a fine line: hosts can ask guests to put used dishes in the sink, but they can't ask them to wash or put away dishes. They can request that guests separate trash and recycling, but can't ask guests to deposit garbage at an off-site facility.

"When adding a request, remember that most guests want to avoid unexpected chores," Airbnb said on its website.

Airbnb said that if hosts repeatedly violate the rules, the rental company could reduce the visibility of their listing page or issue a notice to guests on the listing page about the host's violation.