Airbnb Sets Standard House Rules From 20 November, Restricting Checkout Chores for Guests

Airbnb hosts who ask guests to do chores at checkout will have to change their listings: a new house rules policy takes effect on 20 November.

According to Skift, Airbnb emailed hosts under the subject "Important Changes to House Rules". From 20 November, hosts will choose from seven standard house rules. Hosts are "generally not allowed" to ask guests to wash dishes, strip beds or take out the garbage at checkout.

What changes

• It is the first time Airbnb has published a house rules policy that spells out which host requests are reasonable and which are not.
• The policy formalises practices Airbnb had discouraged in recent years.
• A new provision in Airbnb's terms bars hosts from requiring separate rental agreements. Exceptions reportedly include monthly stays, Airbnb Luxe and optional amenities such as golf cart use, or cases where local rules apply.

Enforcement

Hosts who repeatedly violate the policy could face a notice on their listing, lower search visibility or other actions under Airbnb's terms of service. These could include cancelling bookings, removing Superhost or Guest Favorite status, or suspending the account.

Why it matters

Short-term rental managers should audit listing house rules and any checkout instructions before 20 November, since non-compliance is linked to search visibility and badge status.

Based on reporting by Skift (Dennis Schaal); the source article was partly truncated, so details on the rental-agreement provision may be incomplete.