Airbnb will from November 20 require hosts to limit checkout chores to simple, reasonable requests such as placing used dishes in the sink or gathering towels in a designated spot, rather than washing dishes or laundering towels. The changes follow traveller complaints about checkout chores.
Guests have questioned why they should pay a cleaning fee while still being expected to complete cleaning tasks. According to Andreawan Honora, a marketing lecturer at the University of Western Australia writing in The Conversation, the changes are intended to create a fairer division of responsibilities and protect the guest experience.
Honora said guests may accept a cleaning fee when they believe it relieves them of the labour required to prepare the property for the next guest, but when the fee comes with a demanding list of chores, they may perceive the arrangement as less fair, as if they are paying twice, once with money and again with labour. The changes mean travellers are not required to perform work normally handled by a professional cleaner.
Hosts will need to re-check and revise their checkout chores, and the company suggests they fully disclose updated house rules and requests on the property page before guests reach the booking page, Honora wrote. Unexpected rules introduced after booking or during a stay can leave guests feeling misled and result in poorer experiences, bad reviews or complaints to the platform. Hosts who face higher cleaning costs because they can no longer rely on guests for certain tasks should adjust their cleaning fee to reflect actual costs, but should also check that their total price remains competitive with similar local properties.
The changes have sparked strong opposition from hosts. Honora reported that hosts have called for a booking blackout on November 20 by closing their properties to new bookings and have started an online petition asking Airbnb to reconsider the rules, which has attracted more than 27,000 signatures. The response highlights the challenge Airbnb faces: while the policy makes checkout easier for guests, it could leave hosts feeling neglected and with less control over their properties.
Honora suggested that some hosts may reduce their dependence on Airbnb by listing on other platforms, and if enough disgruntled hosts switch completely, it could risk the supply of properties on Airbnb and make the platform less attractive to guests. As an alternative to policies that favour guests at the expense of hosts, Honora proposed that Airbnb could increase cost transparency by reintroducing a breakdown of cleaning fees in the pricing details, requiring hosts to explain how the fee is calculated and which cleaning services it covers. This would help guests understand what they are paying for and what, if anything, they are still expected to do.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- For travellers: Checkout will become less time-consuming, but potential price increases in cleaning fees or nightly rates may offset the convenience if hosts pass on higher cleaning costs.
- For hosts: The policy shifts more cleaning work back to them, requiring fee adjustments and possible loss of control over property standards, while the backlash threatens Airbnb's supply of properties.
- For Airbnb: The company must balance guest satisfaction with host retention; a misstep could drive hosts to competing platforms and reduce the platform's attractiveness.
Background
Airbnb has long faced tension between guests, who often pay a cleaning fee but are still expected to perform tasks before checkout, and hosts, who rely on guest labour to reduce their own workload and costs. The new policy, effective November 20, aims to clarify what is reasonable to ask of guests, limiting chores to simple tasks like placing used dishes in the sink or gathering towels in a designated spot. Hosts who violate the new rules risk guest complaints and action from the platform.
Key Perspectives
Guests: According to Honora's analysis, guests question why they must pay a cleaning fee while still being expected to complete cleaning tasks themselves, perceiving the arrangement as unfair, as if they are paying twice.
Hosts: Honora reported that hosts have responded with strong opposition, calling for a booking blackout on November 20 and launching an online petition that has gathered more than 27,000 signatures urging Airbnb to reconsider the rules.
Airbnb: The company has not directly commented beyond the policy change, which Honora describes as intended to create a fairer division of responsibilities and protect the guest experience.
What to Watch
- Whether the booking blackout on November 20 results in a noticeable dip in available properties or bookings, and how Airbnb responds.
- The number of signatures on the host petition, which currently stands at more than 27,000, and whether Airbnb engages with the petition's demands.
- Whether hosts shift listings to other platforms like Vrbo or Booking.com, potentially reducing Airbnb's supply in key markets.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 11 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedAirbnb’s new policy starts on November 20.The Conversation – Articles (AU): “The new policy starts on November 20.”
- SupportedThe policy limits what checkout chores hosts can ask guests to do.The Conversation – Articles (AU): “Airbnb is changing the rules to limit what hosts can ask guests to do before checkout.”
- SupportedThe policy is intended to create a fairer division of responsibilities.The Conversation – Articles (AU): “The new changes are therefore intended to create a fairer division of responsibilities and protect the guest experience on Airbnb.”
- SupportedHosts have called for a November 20 booking blackout by closing properties to new bookings.The Conversation – Articles (AU): “They have called for a booking blackout on November 20 by closing their properties to new bookings”
- SupportedThe petition asking Airbnb to reconsider the rules has attracted more than 27,000 signatures.The Conversation – Articles (AU): “The petition has attracted more than 27,000 signatures.”
- SupportedExamples of simple checkout requests are placing used dishes in the sink or gathering towels in a designated place, rather than washing or laundering them.The Conversation – Articles (AU): “they could ask guests to place used dishes in the sink rather than washing them, or gather towels in a designated place rather than launder them.”
- SupportedThe changes follow complaints from travellers.The Conversation – Articles (AU): “Facing complaints from travellers, Airbnb is changing the rules to limit what hosts can ask guests to do before checkout.”
- SupportedGuests may feel they are paying twice when a cleaning fee comes with a demanding list of chores.The Conversation – Articles (AU): “when the fee comes with a demanding list of chores, they may perceive the arrangement as less fair, as they may feel they are paying twice, once with money and again with their labour.”
- Not in the sourcesAndreawan Honora is a marketing lecturer at the University of Western Australia.The Conversation – Articles (AU): “Andreawan Honora does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.”
- SupportedTravellers are not required to perform work normally handled by a professional cleaner.The Conversation – Articles (AU): “while they are not required to perform work normally handled by a professional cleaner”
- SupportedThe company suggests hosts disclose updated house rules and requests on the property page before guests reach the booking page.The Conversation – Articles (AU): “The company suggests hosts should fully disclose their updated house rules and requests on the property page, before guests get to the booking page.”
- SupportedUnexpected rules introduced after booking or during a stay can leave guests feeling misled and lead to poorer experiences, bad reviews or platform complaints.The Conversation – Articles (AU): “Unexpected rules and requests after booking or during the stay can leave guests feeling misled, which can result in poorer stay experiences, bad reviews or complaints to the platform.”
