18 Years After Launching, Airbnb Is Finally Banning The Checkout Chores Guests Hate

For many, being in vacation mode means stepping away from the daily grind. But this doesn't necessarily mean you can escape housework, especially if you're staying at an Airbnb. The rental platform, which launched in 2008, has become notorious for its checkout chores that are required by some of its hosts. However, this is about to change with Airbnb's new Reasonable house rules and requests. This policy, which goes into effect for all reservations booked on or after November 20, 2026, states that Airbnb is prohibiting hosts from requesting certain duties from its guests, such as taking garbage to off-site for disposal and dishwashing.

These checkout chores are unsurprisingly unpopular among Airbnb users, who have continually expressed their disapproval online. Ultimately, this is one of many problems that have caused travelers to ditch the app entirely. On Reddit, one person wrote that their Airbnb host stipulated they do laundry, among other tasks. "Thinking about the 'chores' on our tight departure morning had me looking at hotels instead," they explained. That they did, and the user ultimately canceled their Airbnb booking.

Similarly, another person on Reddit stated that despite paying a $255 cleaning fee, they were met with a list of things to do before checking out. "Host wants us to strip beds, put all towels in the bathtub, and collect all garbage and remove [it] from the house." They added, "Am I being unreasonable to not want to do those things with such a big cleaning fee?"

Checkout chores are one of the disadvantages of staying in a rental compared to booking a hotel. Although Airbnb's revamped Reasonable house rules and requests can be seen as a win for the platform's users, this upgraded policy has been met with scrutiny from both hosts and guests on Reddit. One individual argued that this could become an issue if a guest is staying for an extended period of time. They wrote that this could result in cleanliness issues and concluded that "Dealing with airbnb support in the future is gonna be wild!"

Another said that, as a guest, they are more than happy to clean up after themselves and understand where hosts are coming from. In any case, Airbnb's stance is clear on the matter, with an article in its Resource Center (which is directed towards hosts) stating, "Asking them to do things a cleaner should handle can negatively affect their stay and your reviews."

However, Airbnb does say that hosts have the option to ask guests to place dishes in the sink and separate the trash and recycling, among other things. Additionally, it should be mentioned that this upgraded policy notes that hosts should provide transparent pricing (hidden fees are among the sneaky details you might be forgetting to check before booking an Airbnb). That is, any fees for advertised amenities must be included in the final price shown at booking.