Airbnb has introduced new guidelines prohibiting hosts from requiring guests to perform cleaning tasks such as stripping beds, laundering sheets, putting away dishes, or taking out trash if a cleaning fee has already been charged. The platform aims to standardize guest expectations and protect travelers from additional demands under the guise of separate cleaning fees.

This change has generated mixed reactions among hosts. Some longtime Airbnb hosts welcome the policy as fair, noting that cleaning fees often cover professional cleaning services. One host with 15 years’ experience described charging a £45 cleaning fee alongside nightly rates of £150 to £250, which funded a cleaner’s work. This host reported not expecting guests to tidy up and shared that guests often leave homes in better condition than expected after visits. The host also highlighted concerns about the pressure of negative reviews, which many guests fear might affect their ability to book future stays.

Conversely, some hosts have expressed frustration, launching petitions to reverse the new regulations and maintain the ability to ask guests for minor housekeeping tasks. Critics argue that certain cleaning activities, such as disposing of trash or straightening living areas, have traditionally helped preserve host properties between stays. Specific examples of guest behavior cited by hosts include complaints about furniture rearrangement, feelings of discomfort related to property features, and occasional messiness attributed mainly to younger renters.

Hosts also shared anecdotes of peculiar experiences during guest stays. Among these were instances of guests cleaning excessively—sometimes signaling undisclosed parties—and returning homes with unexpected changes to artwork or household items. Others have reported unsuitable behaviors, including the hosting of potentially illicit gatherings, inferred through leftover items or scents. Noise complaints and structural concerns have also been raised in connection with certain bookings.

Despite these challenges, some hosts appreciate when guests treat their homes with care and leave behind small tokens of appreciation, such as clothing or snacks. Several hosts emphasized a preference for flexibility and mutual understanding over strict property management, viewing Airbnb as originally fostering a community-based, informal experience rather than a traditional hospitality model.

Airbnb co-founder Brian Chesky has reflected on the platform’s evolution from its founding as a modest home-sharing service to its current status as a global hospitality company. Some hosts and guests perceive this shift as a movement away from the platform’s initial spirit of trust and informality toward more regulated and formalized interactions.

The recent relaxation of cleaning requirements could signal a broader effort to return to Airbnb’s earlier, more casual roots, potentially encouraging hosts and guests to embrace a less rigid approach to home sharing. Some hosts, weary of increasing formalities, have expressed openness to reengaging with the platform under these new policies.