Airbnb hosts can no longer ask guests to do dishes or strip bed under new rules

Airbnb hosts will no longer be able to ask guests to do the dishes or strip the beds under new rules announced by the platform.

In an update on its community page, Airbnb said a new policy will take effect on 20 November under which hosts can make "reasonable requests", but are generally not allowed to "ask guests to complete tasks that require significant effort or time".

For example, guests can be asked to put their dishes in the sink but not to wash them up.

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Likewise, guests shouldn't be asked to strip the bed and put a load of washing on, but they can be asked to gather used towels.

"When adding a request, remember that most guests want to avoid unexpected chores," the update reads.

"Asking them to do things a cleaner should handle can negatively affect their stay and your reviews."

The new guidelines come after years of customer complaints, travel industry expert Clint Henderson told our US partner network NBC News.

"So this is pretty major for consumers," said Henderson, managing editor and spokesperson for the travel industry website The Points Guy.

"The complaints have been really ramping up lately, with owners asking guests to do the most ridiculous things, like stripping beds, washing dishes, doing all the laundry and taking the trash out.

"It's just gotten really out of hand. And from a consumer's perspective, it's like, 'why am I going to stay at Airbnb when I have to do chores?'"

Airbnb had to give guests a break or risk consumers flocking back to traditional hotels, according to Henderson.

"Why [stay at an Airbnb] when I can stay at a hotel and not have to do all that busywork?" he said. "And these days, Airbnb is as expensive, with all the fees and everything, as a hotel is. So I think Airbnb has lost some of its competitive edge over the years."

While guests might be happy, hosts have been expressing their anger across the internet.

One host said on Reddit they'd be stripping their kitchen to the bare essentials.

"I'm implementing new rules that I am allowed to have like: no instant bookings, no new accounts or accounts without a great track record will be approved, lower max occupancy, my kitchens are going to be stripped down to only bare essentials, max stay length without approval and a visit from housekeeping will be 4 nights.

"My list of 'requests' will be enforced with bad guest ratings and a block from future bookings. These are still my properties and guests will have to follow my requests if they want to stay."

Another host, in a Facebook group, shared a letter they had sent to the company.

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They wrote: "I am deeply concerned that these new rules place an unfair financial burden on hosts, particularly those of us who operate on tight budgets and are already struggling to make our properties profitable.

"Cleaning costs are a significant expense in running a short-term rental. If hosts are no longer able to ask guests to complete even simple, basic tasks, such as washing their dishes, the additional time and labour required to prepare a property for the next guest will inevitably increase cleaning costs."

(c) Sky News 2026: Airbnb hosts can no longer ask guests to do dishes or strip bed under new rules