Airbnb sets limits on checkout cleaning requests
Hosts may ask guests to gather used towels, but removing bedsheets and doing laundry are deemed unreasonable under a policy effective November 20.
Airbnb is changing its host policy to limit cleaning requests made of guests before departure. Effective November 20, the updated policy excludes tasks involving substantial effort or time, as well as work usually done by a cleaner, the company says.
The platform’s examples make a distinction between gathering towels after use, which hosts may request, and removing bed linen or doing laundry, which it considers unreasonable. Hosts can still make requests, provided they meet the policy’s reasonableness requirement.
The changes also establish seven standard rules from which hosts can select, with other instructions treated as requests. Both categories must be disclosed within a listing’s designated section. Once a booking has been made, hosts cannot communicate those requirements through messages, signs at the property or face-to-face conversations.
Airbnb says particular circumstances could warrant exceptions. For example, a host in an area with a known bear population could require guests to use an animal-proof trash container.
