Airbnb just announced a change to its cleaning policy that has owners upset, but it seems obvious to most that this is long overdue.

(Sorry, I don’t have an Airbnb photo so this is what you get instead.)

New Airbnb cleaning policy coming November 20, 2026

As posted on Airbnb’s website, there is a new policy coming for hosts and guests. Starting with reservations booked on or after November 20, 2026:

• All house rules must be posted on the listing at the time of booking. New rules cannot apply after booking, including via messages, signs in the property, or in person.
• These rules must be consistent with information found elsewhere on the listing page.
• House rules must comply with Airbnb’s policies and terms of service.
• All rules must “be reasonable”.
  • Hosts cannot ask guests to complete tasks that require “significant” effort or time.
  • Hosts cannot ask guests to perform tasks that would typically be performed by a cleaner, including removing the sheets, taking trash offsite, and washing dishes.
  • Any feature that is advertised on the listing cannot have a separate fee that is not disclosed at the time of purchase.
  • Hosts cannot impose fines or penalties on guests.

Old rules apply until that date. This new set of rules seems more customer-friendly than host-friendly.

Owners appear rather upset about the rules

And wouldn’t you know that owners seem to be rather up in arms about the changes. Just head over to Reddit to see some of the carnage.

These are just a few of the many articles out there. Host concerns seem centered around higher time requirements spent cleaning, issues with trash pileup especially in secluded areas with local wildlife, and the potential for more ‘problem’ guests.

While this might increase costs, it’s long overdue

The most likely result of these changes is an increase in costs. Cleaners will have more to do and one cleaner might not be able to complete as many properties in one run. That will drive up the cost for cleaners, which in turn will be passed on to the customer.

Could the increased cost drive some customers away? Perhaps, especially if the customers are particularly sensitive to price. But those customers, especially if they already are Airbnb customers, might instead just downsize to a different property rather than leave altogether.

But this seems to be for the greater good

First, it was never a good look when hosts charged big bills for cleaning to the consumer and still required guests to clean on their way out. After all, it seems illogical at first glance. If the customer is already doing much of the cleaning, shouldn’t there be a reduction in the cleaning cost? Instead, there is no offset and thus you have a customer who feels as though they’ve been taken advantage of.

Second, hotels don’t do this. They’ve never required customers to take out the trash and put it in a dumpster, or run a dishwasher or laundry machine, or remove the sheets from the bed. Airbnb went along with hosts for a long time because without the hosts, Airbnb has nothing to market. But clearly Airbnb must be feeling there is a large population of customers out there who don’t stay with the platform simply because of the experience.

Airbnb needs two things to survive: customers to stay with them and hosts to register their houses. Right now, per Airbnb’s Q2 earnings release, the company seems focused on the customer experience and has noticed an uptick in new bookings. From their perspective, going with more of a customer-friendly change has already brought new value to Airbnb. I don’t think it’s a stretch to assume that’s the motive for this particular change.