Airbnb guests have faced checkout instructions that resemble a cleaning checklist: wash the dishes, strip the beds, start the laundry, and take out the rubbish before leaving. Some properties require these chores even after charging a separate cleaning fee. New Airbnb rules will limit what hosts can demand from guests.
Starting November 20, 2026, the updated guidance will apply to bookings made worldwide. Hosts will no longer be allowed to require guests to complete tasks normally handled by cleaners, including washing and putting away dishes, stripping beds, and removing rubbish from the property.
The change doesn’t eliminate checkout instructions or cleaning fees. Hosts can still make reasonable requests, such as placing used dishes in the sink, gathering towels, and sorting rubbish into designated indoor bins.
Airbnb’s New Rules Remove Several Common Checkout Chores
Under the updated guidance, hosts can no longer require guests to wash and put away dishes before departure.
Guests may still be asked to place dirty dishes in the sink, but cleaning them is no longer a mandatory checkout task.
The same distinction applies to laundry. Hosts cannot demand that guests strip beds, wash bedding, or start a load of laundry. Gathering used towels remains an acceptable request.
Rubbish rules are changing as well. Guests can be asked to sort waste and recycling into designated indoor bins, but hosts cannot require them to carry rubbish off the property.
Airbnb also addresses the use of household amenities. Hosts cannot ask guests to avoid using advertised features, such as air conditioning, during their stay. They can request that appliances and utilities be switched off before departure.
The platform will continue allowing seven standard house rules and additional reasonable requests.
The new guidance doesn’t give guests permission to damage property or leave excessive mess. It limits mandatory cleaning tasks rather than removing expectations for responsible use of the accommodation.
Cleaning Fees Are at the Center of the Disagreement
The changes have divided property owners and travelers, with cleaning costs becoming a major point of disagreement.
One guest described paying a $250 cleaning fee for an Airbnb booked for a family reunion in Florida. Despite the charge, the host instructed the group to wash and fold towels, clean bedding and the kitchen, and sweep and mop the floors.
Other travelers have questioned why they must prepare a rental for the next arrival after paying for professional cleaning.
Some hosts see the issue from another perspective. One owner of a three-bedroom holiday rental in Wales said cleaners need about four hours to prepare the property between bookings.
After guests left broken glasses, food-filled pans, rubbish, and other mess behind, the owner worried that removing checkout chores could increase cleaning costs and delay arrivals.
Another property owner in North Yorkshire reduced the number of cabins listed on Airbnb from five to two after learning about the changes.
Not every host opposes the policy. Some already ask guests to do little more than lock the door and return the keys.
The disagreement comes down to where guest responsibility ends and paid cleaning begins.
From November 20, Airbnb hosts can still expect guests to respect their properties, but washing dishes, stripping beds, and completing laundry can no longer be mandatory checkout chores under the new guidance.