Airbnb guests no longer have to wash dishes or strip beds. Furious hosts are threatening to boycott and raise cleaning fees

Airbnb guests who are tired of spending the final hour of their vacation stripping beds and scrubbing pans are about to get a break. Many hosts are not happy about it.

Under a new “reasonable house rules and requests” policy announced Oct. 20, Airbnb hosts generally can no longer ask guests to “complete tasks that require significant effort or time, or would typically be performed by a cleaner.” The company names three examples: stripping the bed, taking trash offsite, and washing and putting away dishes. The policy applies worldwide to reservations booked on or after Nov. 20, 2026. Existing bookings aren’t affected.

The change targets one of travelers’ most persistent complaints about the platform: paying a cleaning fee, then being handed a chore list anyway. CEO Brian Chesky acknowledged the frustration in 2022, saying checkout tasks should be reasonable. What’s new is a written policy with enforcement.

What Airbnb’s new rules actually ban

Hosts now choose from seven standard house rules. These cover maximum overnight guests, quiet hours, events, pets, smoking and vaping, commercial photography, and locking up at checkout. Anything beyond those counts as a “request.” Guests must follow house rules but are only encouraged to honor requests.

Lighter requests are still allowed, including asking guests to leave dishes in the sink, gather used towels, and sort trash and recycling. Airbnb says local circumstances can justify exceptions. Examples include requiring animal-proof trash bins in bear country or shorter showers during........

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