Airbnb hosts will no longer be able to ask guests to make beds or wash dishes under the hosting platform’s new rules. The changes, which apply to Airbnb reservations covered by the platform’s global policy, will go into effect on November 20 and will limit the tasks imposed on guests. Airbnb had long received complaints from guests about having to pay cleaning fees, which can be hundreds of dollars, and still complete a list of tasks for their host. As of April 2025, cleaning fees have not been displayed to guests. Instead, hosts have been allowed to choose to include cleaning costs in the total price of the stay. Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email In a community policy update posted to its website this week, Airbnb said hosts will “generally” no longer be allowed to ask guests to complete tasks that “require significant effort or time or that would normally be performed by a cleaner.” You can now set seven standard house rules that must be displayed in full at the time of booking, and you can also add other “reasonable” requests. For example, it may be reasonable to ask guests to limit shower time due to local water restrictions, or to dispose of trash in an animal-proof container. Skip Newsletter Promotion Free Newsletter | When needed Subscribe to Breaking News Australia Receive the biggest news as it breaks after the newsletter promotion While guests should not be asked to wash and put away dishes under the new guidelines, hosts can ask them to put used dishes in the sink. “House rules help guests understand what hosts expect, but we’ve heard from our guests that’s why we’ve redesigned them to be easier to discover and clearer to set up, along with a new policy that keeps requests reasonable, with no surprises.”
