5 things Airbnb hosts can no longer demand of guests from November 20

Airbnb is tightening what hosts can ask guests to do, including cleaning tasks, for all bookings made from November 20, 2026. Hosts will no longer be able to ask guests to strip beds, take rubbish offsite or wash and put away dishes. They must also be transparent about all house rules before booking.

Hosts must keep house rules reasonable and visible before booking

Airbnb will apply a newly introduced policy requiring house rules and requests to be reasonable to all bookings starting on November 20. Rules for hosts include not asking guests to do chores that take significant effort, or tasks a cleaner would do.

Based on Airbnb’s new requirements, guests should not be required to:

• Strip the bed, take rubbish offsite, wash and put away dishes, or do any other task a cleaner would do
• Accept restricted access to anything advertised in the listing, or pay extra for it, as fees for advertised features must be included in the price shown upon booking
• Pay fines or other penalties to the host
• Deal with new house rules or requests added after booking, whether it is in person or via written messages
• Sign separate contracts or hand over personal information such as a government ID, except if it is a legal requirement under certain circumstances

Hosts who break the rules will receive a warning and be asked to update their listing. If violations continue, Airbnb will escalate in stages. 

First, Airbnb will add a notice to the listing page alerting guests to cleaning requests, then reduce the listing's visibility in search, and ultimately take further action under its terms of service. This can include cancelling bookings, removing "superhost" status, or suspending the host's account.

New policy won't apply in all local areas

Airbnb has considered that the stricter policy may not be reasonable in all contexts and regions. The company will assess each listing based on its circumstances, including the type of stay and any relevant local considerations. 

Airbnb can grant exceptions to general guidelines if, for example, it is reasonable to ask guests to limit water use because of local drought restrictions. It may also be acceptable to ask guests to dispose of rubbish in an animal-proof container in a country known to have bears. In both cases, the request reflects local conditions rather than the host’s preference.

Exceptions for listing are not automatically granted to all hosts. Airbnb stresses they “may” grant hosts exceptions to the new policy, and that all rules are to be disclosed in the listing before any bookings are made.

What this means for guests and hosts in Germany

Local norms and rules are taken seriously in Germany, from waste separation to quiet hours, so hosts can argue that their requests reflect local rules. Guests would then be responsible for sorting rubbish, as neighbours expect bins to be used correctly.

Germany also observes quiet hours (Ruhezeit), after 10pm every day, and all day on Sundays and public holidays. Airbnb has not yet said whether it will consider these local rules.

Hosts who want guests to follow the local rules are to make it clear in their listings by November 20. Hosts must explain house rules and necessary chores, and both parties must agree to them.