Airbnb guests can say goodbye to checkout chores like washing dishes, stripping beds and taking out the trash under a new policy announced this week.
The short-term rental platform’s new rules limit hosts to “reasonable” checkout requests beginning on November 20.
Guests can still be asked to leave dishes in the sink, gather used towels and sort trash and recycling, but hosts generally cannot require chores typically handled by professional cleaners.
“Remember to think like a guest and keep in mind what you’d find unreasonable,” Airbnb tells hosts in a video announcing the new policy.
Checkout chores have been a recurring point of contention for Airbnb guests, particularly when they’re also paying cleaning fees.
The company has previously acknowledged that those fees can create different expectations between hosts and travelers.
Airbnb said exceptions may apply in certain circumstances, such as requiring guests to put trash in animal-proof containers in areas with bears.
Hosts must now also disclose all house rules and requests in a designated section of their listing before guests book, according to Airbnb. They can no longer add extra requirements through messages, signs inside the property or other sections of a listing.
As part of the changes, Airbnb said it is standardizing house rules into seven categories, covering topics including overnight guests, quiet hours, pets, smoking and whether guests must lock up at checkout.
The changes build on Airbnb’s broader efforts to make booking a rental more predictable for travelers.
In 2023, CEO Brian Chesky acknowledged that the variety of properties on Airbnb creates uncertainty among guests.
“A lot of guests have described booking Airbnb, once they check in, it’s a moment of truth. Is the house exactly what they expected?” he told The Associated Press.
“We don’t want this to be a moment of truth. We want you to know exactly what you’re going to get before you book.”
Follow The Gleaner on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.
