Changes are coming to Airbnb. Here’s what travellers and hosts need to know

Being faced with an endless list of chores when it’s time to check out of your Airbnb stay isn’t the best way to end a holiday. Facing complaints from travellers, Airbnb is changing the rules to limit what hosts can ask guests to do before checkout. The new policy starts on November 20. What do the changes mean for hosts? From November 20, hosts will need to re-check and revise their checkout chores to ensure they are simple and reasonable – and not “onerous”. For instance, they could ask guests to place used dishes in the sink rather than washing them, or gather towels in a designated place rather than launder them. This may help to avoid guest complaints and action from the platform. The company suggests hosts should fully disclose their updated house rules and requests on the property page, before guests get to the booking page. Unexpected rules and requests after booking or during the stay can leave guests feeling misled, which can result in poorer stay experiences, bad reviews or complaints to the platform. The changes may also leave hosts with more cleaning to do. If so, hosts need to ensure they have adjusted their cleaning fee to reflect the actual cost. However, they should also check whether their total price remains competitive compared to similar properties in the area. What do the changes mean for travellers? Travellers can expect a better checkout experience during their stay due to less time-consuming checkout chores. However, while they are not required to perform work normally handled by a professional cleaner, they must still be responsible guests and leave the property in reasonable condition. One practical tip for travellers is to always check the house rules and requests before booking. They should keep a record, such as a screenshot or photograph, of any unexpected rules and requests introduced after the booking or during the stay. This can help if they need to report a problem to the platform. Travellers should also be prepared for possible price increases. Some hosts may face higher cleaning costs if they can no longer rely on guests to complete certain tasks. They may pass these additional costs on to travellers through higher cleaning fees or nightly rates. Why have these changes been made? Guests have questioned why they should pay a cleaning fee while still being expected to complete cleaning tasks themselves before checking out. From their perspective, the problem is not simply how difficult each task is, but whether the overall exchange appears fair. Guests may accept a cleaning fee when they believe it relieves them of the labour required to prepare the property for the next guest. However, when the fee comes with a demanding list of chores, they may perceive the arrangement as less fair, as they may feel they are paying twice, once with money and again with their labour. The new changes are therefore intended to create a fairer division of responsibilities and protect the guest experience on Airbnb. Keeping both sides happy Airbnb is a service platform whose value depends on both guests and hosts. This means Airbnb must consider whether the new changes are fair to both groups. So far, the changes have sparked strong opposition from hosts. They have called for a booking blackout on November 20 by closing their properties to new bookings, and started an online petition asking Airbnb to reconsider the rules. The petition has attracted more than 27,000 signatures. This response highlights the challenge Airbnb faces. A policy change that makes checkout easier for guests could leave hosts feeling neglected and with less control over their properties. This may simply shift dissatisfaction from guests to hosts. In response, some hosts may reduce their dependence on Airbnb by listing their properties on other platforms. If enough disgruntled hosts switch completely to other platforms, it will risk the supply of properties on Airbnb and make the platform less attractive to guests. What alternatives could Airbnb consider? Rather than introducing policies that improve guest convenience at the expense of hosts, one possible way Airbnb could address this issue is to increase cost transparency to promote fairness to both guests and hosts. For example, Airbnb could reintroduce a breakdown of cleaning fees in the pricing details. Hosts would need to explain how the fee is calculated and which cleaning services it covers. This would help guests understand what they are paying for and what, if anything, they are still expected to do.