Airbnb is putting an end to some of its most unpopular checkout chores. Beginning November 20, hosts generally won’t be allowed to require guests to strip beds, start laundry, wash and put away dishes, or haul garbage off the property before leaving. The company is also cracking down on surprise house rules, such as forbidding pets from using the furniture or unexpectedly telling guests when they can and can’t use amenities, requiring hosts to disclose all expectations before a reservation is made.
It’s a significant step for a company that has spent years fielding complaints about extensive cleaning lists, particularly from guests who pay cleaning fees. In 2023, Airbnb introduced changes designed to make checkout instructions more transparent. Now it’s limiting what hosts can reasonably expect guests to do.
The move is part of a larger overhaul of the user experience, which also includes a new partnership with American Express. Announced on October 22, the deal brings more than 1 million rentals to the American Express Travel booking platform, along with new opportunities to earn points and use Amex Platinum Card credits toward luxury stays.
Here’s how the changes work and what they mean for your next vacation rental.
Airbnb’s new rules mean fewer chores at checkout—and fewer surprises
Airbnb’s updated policy draws a clearer distinction between leaving a rental reasonably tidy and doing all the cleaning yourself. According to the company, hosts will no longer be able to assign guests cleaning tasks that “require significant time or effort, or would typically be performed by a cleaner.”
Dennis Schaal, founding and executive editor of travel industry publication Skift, says the changes reflect Airbnb’s efforts to address long-standing complaints about excessive checkout requirements, which have become a source of frustration for guests. “I think they are widespread, but perhaps some of the extreme ones are more limited,” he says. “I don’t think there is reliable data on this that’s public, although Airbnb analyzed its own data when making these policy changes.”
Hosts can still ask travelers to place used dishes in the sink, gather dirty towels, separate trash and recycling into designated indoor bins, and turn off appliances or air-conditioning before they depart. The company is also making exceptions for properties with specific environmental or safety concerns. At a remote cabin in bear country, for instance, guests might still be required to place garbage in wildlife-resistant containers, while rentals in drought-affected areas could ask visitors to limit shower times.
The restrictions also extend beyond cleaning. Hosts can’t prohibit guests from using amenities advertised in a listing, such as air-conditioning, or spring undisclosed charges on travelers, such as a pool-heating fee.
The new policy could mean higher cleaning fees—and more time to relax prior to checkout.
Courtesy of Airbnb
Although the policy should make checkout easier, it won’t necessarily make staying in an Airbnb cheaper. Hosts can still charge cleaning fees. (And travelers now see those costs upfront; in April 2025, Airbnb began automatically displaying the total price of a stay, including cleaning and service fees, in search results.) And travelers remain responsible for damage or messes that require unusually extensive cleaning, such as stained carpets or pet accidents. What hosts can’t do is impose their own fines simply because a guest skipped a checkout chore.
“I think some hosts will raise cleaning fees,” Schaal says, explaining that property owners who accommodate large families or groups argue that leaving behind a kitchen full of dirty dishes creates additional work for cleaners. Whether those costs will increase remains to be seen, particularly since Airbnb doesn’t set cleaning fees itself.
Updated instructions
Hosts must also disclose all house rules and requests in a designated section of their listing before a reservation is confirmed. They can send reminders during a stay, but they can’t introduce new requirements through messages, signs posted inside the rental, or in-person conversations.
Airbnb has reorganized those instructions into two categories:
- House rules, which guests are required to follow, cover matters such as smoking, pets, quiet hours, overnight guests, and locking up at checkout.
- Requests, which guests are encouraged to accommodate, include smaller tasks such as gathering used towels.
Travelers can review both before booking and find them afterward in their Trips tab and reservation reminders.
The changes have prompted some pushback from hosts, though Schaal says the strongest objections aren’t necessarily about cleaning. Under a related policy update, Airbnb is also limiting hosts’ ability to require separate rental agreements or collect guests’ personal information, including copies of government IDs. Some hosts argue that those documents are important for insurance or legal purposes. Airbnb allows exceptions in certain circumstances, including contracts required by law or homeowners’ associations, and hosts can still check IDs in person at check-in if that requirement was disclosed before booking, though they generally can’t retain copies.
One important detail for anyone with an upcoming vacation is that the new policy applies to reservations booked on or after November 20, 2026, regardless of when the stay takes place. If you reserved a cabin months ago for a Christmas getaway or booked a beach house for next summer, your reservation is still governed by the previous rules.
For bookings covered by the new policy, guests who arrive to find a lengthy chore list or additional requirements should compare those instructions with the ones attached to their reservation. If something doesn’t match, Airbnb recommends communicating with the host through its messaging platform.
Travelers can also save screenshots of any undisclosed demands and contact Airbnb support if the issue isn’t resolved.
Hosts who disregard the policy could receive warnings or be required to revise their listings. Repeated violations may result in reduced visibility in search results or notices on listings alerting prospective guests to excessive requests.
Airbnb bookings now come with new American Express perks
Amex users who also book vacation rentals will likely be pleased about the new union with Airbnb.
Courtesy of Airbnb
Airbnb and American Express are making it easier for travelers to earn credit card rewards on vacation rentals. Through a partnership announced October 22, more than 1 million Airbnb listings worldwide are now available through American Express Travel, the credit card company’s online booking platform, which lets customers reserve flights, hotels, cruises, and other travel arrangements.
For travelers with eligible American Express credit cards, booking an Airbnb through the platform can earn them Membership Rewards points, the company’s loyalty currency that can be redeemed for travel and other purchases. The number of points depends on the card: Consumer and Business Platinum cardholders earn five points per dollar on qualifying prepaid reservations through Amex Travel, while most other eligible cards earn two.
To book, travelers can visit AmexTravel.com or use the Amex Travel app and select the Homes tab, where they can search for rentals by destination, dates, property type, and amenities. They’ll need to connect their Airbnb and American Express accounts before completing the reservation. Although the booking will appear in Amex Travel, they’ll still use Airbnb to communicate with their host, make changes, or cancel their stay. For now, travelers can earn points on eligible reservations but can’t use those points to pay for an Airbnb at checkout through Amex Travel.
American Express Platinum and Business Platinum cardholders can also use their annual $600 hotel credit, now called the $600 Lodging Credit, toward Airbnb Luxe, the platform’s collection of high-end private homes.
To qualify, cardholders must book and prepay for at least two consecutive nights at an Airbnb Luxe property through Amex Travel. The credit is issued as a statement credit rather than an upfront discount, with up to $300 available for bookings made from January through June and another $300 from July through December. The stay can take place later, but regular Airbnb properties aren’t eligible, regardless of price. A qualifying Luxe reservation also unlocks up to $250 in annual statement credits for Airbnb Experiences, including guided tours, cooking classes, and outdoor excursions. Once the stay is confirmed, cardholders can use their Platinum Card to book eligible activities directly through Airbnb for the remainder of the calendar year.
