Airbnb bans checkout cleaning rules for guests in major House Rules overhaul
A popular holiday booking platform has sparked heated debate following the announcement of major updates to guest rules.
Airbnb has announced major changes to its platform, cracking down on hosts who set unnecessary House Rules for guests trying to check out.
Guests regularly quote cleaning checklists as the most annoying part of staying in an Airbnb, with such chores often pushing users from the platform towards hotels instead.
Now, the holiday stay platform is introducing a new global House Rules policy that will prevent hosts from enforcing excessive workloads on guests leaving the short stays.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“House rules help guests understand what hosts expect, but we’ve heard from our community that they can be confusing, onerous, and hard to manage,” an Airbnb spokesperson shared in a statement with nine.com.au.
“So we’ve redesigned them to make them easier to discover and clearer to set, alongside a new policy that keeps requests reasonable, with no surprises.”
The policy, which comes into effect from November 20, will allow hosts to choose from seven standard House Rules, which include two new rules: maximum number of overnight guests and lock up at checkout.
Any additional checkout instructions are to be included under Requests “as long as they’re reasonable under the new policy”.
“For example, guests shouldn’t be asked to wash and put away dishes, but you can ask them to put used dishes in the sink,” the update read.
Hosts are also reminded of their inability to restrict access to any amenities promised to guests in the listing, and that they are prohibited from slapping guests with any surprise fees.
Until now, hosts have been able to slap guests with hefty fees for not abiding by the rules of check out.
The changes have sparked heated debate between guests and hosts online.
“Like those that have $200 cleaning fees, but also want you to do all the cleaning before you leave,” one guest pointed out.
Another agreed: “The most hated thing for me was having to pay a cleaning fee and still having to clean the house.”
Some said the changes came too late with the hosting platform having already left a bad impression.
“Too late. So many of us have moved on back to hotels. Less hassle and cheaper,” one person wrote.
Meanwhile, many hosts are also unimpressed with the update aimed at making the guest experience better.
“Why are they removing host functionality? It’s our homes, we should have a say in guest expectation/behaviour,” one frustrated host shared online.
Airbnb confirmed hosts remain in control of their own House Rules and can update them anytime.
However, if a request does not follow the new policy, the company will flag the issue and allow hosts to dispute if they disagree.
Cleaning fees have not been shown to guests on Airbnb since a pricing update in 2025 but hosts have been able to factor cleaning costs into the price of the stay.
