Starting Nov. 20, Airbnb hosts can’t make guests strip beds, wash dishes or haul trash. What the platform’s new house rules policy allows, and how it’s enforced.
Few things sour a vacation rental faster than a long to-do list on the way out the door. Airbnb is now putting limits on it. On Oct. 20 the company announced a new house rules policy that restricts the chores hosts can ask guests to do, and it applies to all reservations booked on or after Nov. 20, 2026.
For a marketplace business, it’s a notable move: Airbnb is using product design and listing rules to settle one of the most common complaints between the two sides of its platform.
What hosts can no longer require
Under the policy, hosts generally can’t ask guests to do work that takes significant time or effort, or that a cleaner would normally handle. Airbnb’s own examples:
- Dishes: no asking guests to wash and put away dishes.
- Laundry: no asking guests to strip the beds or start a load of laundry.
- Trash: no asking guests to take garbage off-site.
- Amenities: no telling guests to avoid an advertised amenity, like air conditioning.
The policy also bars hosts from charging extra for anything advertised as part of the listing, imposing fines or penalties on guests, or asking guests to sign separate contracts or hand over personal information like a government ID, except where the law requires it.
What hosts can still ask
Light requests are still fine. According to Airbnb, hosts can ask guests to:
- Put used dishes in the sink.
- Gather used towels.
- Sort trash and recycling into designated indoor bins.
- Turn off amenities such as the AC when they leave.
Airbnb says it will weigh local context too. Asking guests to use an animal-proof trash container in bear country, or to keep showers short during drought restrictions, may be allowed.
A redesigned rules section in the listing editor
The policy comes with a product change. Hosts now pick from seven standard rules and add “reasonable requests” in one place in the Listing editor. Checkout instructions no longer live in a separate tab. The standard rules cover:
- Maximum overnight guests
- Quiet hours
- Events
- Pets
- Smoking, including vaping
- Commercial photography and filming
- Lock up at checkout
Every rule and request must appear in that designated section before a guest books. Hosts can’t add new rules later through messages, signs in the home or in person.
How Airbnb will enforce it
Airbnb says requests that break the policy will be highlighted in the Listing editor with tips to fix them, and hosts will get an email and a chance to appeal. If a problem isn’t fixed, guests may see an alert on the listing, such as “includes cleaning requests.”
The help center policy lists further steps for repeat issues, including warnings and reduced visibility in search results. For hosts who depend on bookings, that’s the real stick.
Why it matters
The AP reported that the change was announced this week and frames it as the end of chores like washing dishes and stripping beds for guests.
The tension is easy to see. Guests already pay cleaning fees and dislike doing the cleaner’s job on top of that. Hosts, especially those renting their own homes, worry that turnover will cost more. Airbnb is betting that clearer, standardized rules will lead to better reviews and fewer disputes.
What to do now
If you host:
- Open the Listing editor and review your house rules before Nov. 20.
- Move any checkout instructions into the new Requests section.
- Rewrite chore-heavy requests into the allowed versions, like “leave dishes in the sink.”
- Remove signs or welcome-book rules that aren’t in your listing.
If you’re a guest:
- Read the House rules and requests section before you book.
- If a host adds new chores after booking, you can point to the policy and contact Airbnb.
