Checking out of an Airbnb is about to feel a lot less like a shift at a cleaning company. The homestay booking platform has finally banned hosts from requiring guests to do checkout chores – meaning no more stripping the beds, washing and putting away the dishes, or taking the rubbish off site at the end of your stay.
Under the new policy, which comes into force from November 20, hosts can’t ask guests to complete tasks that ‘require significant effort or time, or would typically be performed by a cleaner’. Simpler requests are still fine though, like putting used dishes in the sink or gathering used towels, and locking up at checkout is one of seven standard house rules hosts can still choose from.
Cleaning fees aren’t going anywhere, but hosts can’t fine guests or charge them extra for not finishing a checkout task, and any requests have to be listed on the property when you book rather than added afterwards. If a request doesn’t follow the rules, Airbnb says it will flag it to the host, who can appeal.
Airbnb says the change follows feedback that house rules can be ‘confusing, onerous and hard to manage’. This is great news for guests, but as you’d imagine, not every host is on board. Hundreds have criticised the move on Airbnb’s community forum, with several threatening to move to other booking platforms or put their prices up.
It isn’t the first time Airbnb has taken aim at the chore list. When it scrapped its hidden fees in 2022, it also promised to get rid of ‘unreasonable’ demands from hosts, and said all host requirements would be visible before guests book.
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