Airbnb changes rules for all bookings starting November 20. Then hosts learn they can no longer force guests to do chores: ‘minimal level of respect’

Airbnb has launched some new rules for hosts on the official website, and hosts aren’t happy about it. The new policy is called “Reasonable house rules and requests,” and it limits what hosts can tell guests to do as far as chores are concerned. This new policy will be in effect for any bookings made on or after November 20.

The rule from the new policy that hosts have the biggest issue with reads that hosts are not allowed to “ask guests to complete tasks that require significant effort or time, or would typically be performed by a cleaner, including stripping the bed, taking trash offsite, or washing and putting away dishes.”

Hosts quickly shared their frustrations on Airbnb’s forums

Even now, there are new posts on Airbnb’s forums being made by hosts about the new rules. One user named Kim said that the company could solve the backlash by having more options in the listings that show if a rental has a checkout list of chores and what they would be, letting guests make the decision about what they find reasonable for the booking.

Another user named Sandy calls the new rules disrespectful, saying that hosts are taking financial risks by letting their properties be rented and that they’re entitled to a minimal level of respect.

Guests have already been at odds with hosts

In addition to feeling that some chore requests are excessive, which would now be banned by the new Airbnb policy, guests have shared nightmare Airbnb experiences caused by hosts, including an unusual case where the owner of a property wasn’t the one who listed it for rent, and they had no idea that it had been listed at all.

One host has been accused of charging guests fees for damages that guests claim didn’t happen while they were there, leading them to say the host is scamming people. In one case, a guest ended up being charged $20,000 for damages caused to a couch that were due to a burst pipe, even though the pipe burst when she was out to dinner for her birthday.

Tensions between hosts and guests using Airbnb seem to be rising quite steadily. Now, the new Airbnb policy is adding to that as hosts feel disrespected and guests celebrate the end of tasks that they felt were excessive. Hosts are concerned about the added risk to their properties and how filth could be left to fester, but for guests who may have already been scammed by hosts in some way, the policy can seem like a relief.

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