No more cleaning duties for guests: new Airbnb rules from 20 November

Paying an extra fee for cleaning and then, at the end of your stay, finding yourself obliged to tidy the flat. From 20 November, Airbnb’s new rules come into force, designed to set out more strictly the responsibilities of guests and to limit the demands made by hosts.

No washing-up to do, no bed linen to put in the washing machine and no rubbish to take out. The platform’s decision comes in response to complaints and grievances from users who were previously obliged to carry out household chores before checking out, despite having already paid a fixed fee specifically for cleaning costs. Under the new guidelines, hosts will be prohibited from imposing tasks that require ‘considerable effort or time’ – tasks that would normally be carried out by specialist staff.

Minor requests will still be tolerated and left to common sense, such as collecting used towels or leaving dirty dishes in the sink, as well as certain exceptions relating to specific situations (such as waste management in areas inhabited by wild animals or restrictions in the event of drought).  

Airbnb will monitor the rules set out in listings: non-compliant requests will be flagged and blocked by the system, and hosts who fail to comply will risk warnings, reduced visibility in search results or even being removed from the platform.

Whilst travellers have welcomed the change, many owners have spoken out, voicing their protests on social media. ABBAC (the National Network for Non-Hotel Accommodation) has spoken out against this, expressing strong concern over what it describes as ‘unilateral decisions that risk penalising operators and owners’. Whilst not disputing the need to protect consumers, the association considers it unacceptable for an international platform to amend such significant terms and conditions without prior consultation with industry representatives.