Airbnb Guests Won't Have to Strip Beds or Wash Dishes Under New Host Rules

Paying a cleaning fee and still taking out the trash? That may soon be a thing of the past. Here’s what hosts can and can’t ask of you under Airbnb’s new policy, plus the few exceptions.

Beginning November 20, 2026, new house rules will apply to Airbnb reservations worldwide.

In the vacation rental company’s updated guidelines, hosts will generally no longer be allowed to ask guests to do certain chores before checkout. This includes asking guests to “complete tasks that require significant effort or time, or would typically be performed by a cleaner, including stripping the bed, taking trash offsite, or washing and putting away dishes.”

A woman stripping a bed | Source: Pexels

Under the new policy, hosts are also tasked to define their rules and requests clearly, highlighting them in a section of the listing where guests can see them before booking. And after guests have made their bookings, hosts are no longer permitted to make additional requests or add new rules via messages, memos or signs in the home, or in person.

Hosts also can’t restrict access to any facility or feature promoted in the listing, and if there are any fees attached to using the facility, they should be indicated in the listing and included in the price guests are quoted when booking.

Guests also shouldn’t be fined or penalized, since Airbnb’s AirCover program protects hosts if guests damage their property.

A person sweeping the floor | Source: Pexels

“House rules help guests understand what hosts expect, but we’ve heard from our community that they can be confusing, onerous and hard to manage,” Airbnb said in a statement to USA Today. “So we’ve redesigned them to make them easier to discover and clearer to set, alongside a new policy that keeps requests reasonable, with no surprises.”

Airbnb says there will also be considerations and exceptions, depending on the listing context. For instance, a host may be allowed to request guests to limit their shower time when local water restrictions are in place due to drought, or to use an animal-proof trash bin in bear country.

Airbnb’s guidelines also highlight expectations for guests, including following house rules and respecting hosts’ requests. Guests who repeatedly or seriously break the rules may face consequences.

Hosts who don’t meet Airbnb’s standards for house rules may be educated about the policy, asked to update their listing, or issued a warning. Repeated violations may result in a notice flagging the issue on their listing or reduced visibility in search results.

A person looking at Airbnb listings in a laptop | Source: Pexels

In July, a couple hosting an Airbnb in Georgia went viral on TikTok when they released videos inspecting their rental after guests left, detailing issues like moved furniture and misplaced pillows, drawing criticism from viewers.

With Airbnb’s new guidelines, guests can now see what their host will require before booking, and they’ll have fewer tasks to worry about before leaving the premises.