--- title: "Airbnb Hosts Are Having a Meltdown After New Rules Means They Can’t Force Guests to Clean Up Everything For Them" description: "Airbnb updated its policy to prevent hosts from requiring guests to do loads of chores before checking out, causing a meltdown among hosts." date: "2026-10-23" modified: "2026-10-23" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore.md" url: "https://futurism.com/future-society/airbnb-hosts-meltdown-chores" categories: - "Future Society" --- # Airbnb Hosts Are Having a Meltdown After New Rules Means They Can’t Force Guests to Clean Up Everything For Them ![A stock photo shows an angry man shaking his fist.]() *Shutterstock* The reign of tyrannical Airbnb hosts is over. On Wednesday, Airbnb unveiled a new policy update that prevents hosts from demanding their guests do a bunch of cleaning before checking out. Starting on bookings made on or after November 20, hosts won't be able to make guests do chores that "would typically be performed by a cleaner," the company said — like stripping beds, washing and putting away dishes, or taking trash off the property. Guests have been begging for these changes for years. You've probably heard — or experienced — the horror stories of hosts that impose extensive check out instructions and slap on arbitrary cleaning fees. It's had people yearning for the hospitality of an old-fashioned hotel, which Airbnbs were originally supposed to be the cheaper, no-fuss alternative to. But hosts, not unlike an aristocracy under threat, aren't taking the changes well. As soon as word got out, Airbnb discussion boards turned into the ground zero of a landlord meltdown like you've never seen before. "Can we not band together and build our own post-airbnb platform?" one Reddit [post]() asked. A similar [post in a Facebook group]() for Airbnb hosts also raised the idea of collective action and called for a strike, as [*Wired* spotted](). Taking a more spiteful route, one [threatened]() to jack up their cleaning fees in response. "I'll raise the fee to cover the additional cleaner that now needs to wash dishes... and drag out the trash and recyclables," they wrote. One [likened]() Airbnb to "an abusive partner," before another expanded on the dramatic analogy: "they keep hurting you, but you're not sure you can find anything better, so you stay." On the Airbnb community forum, one host fumed that "guests are given complete freedom to be lazy while the hosts bear the risk." "Guests can certainly be expected to wash their dishes or put them in the dishwasher and remove their dirty linens," the host seethed, [as quoted by *TechCrunch*](). "In exchange, they enjoy a personal connection and a unique environment that a hotel simply can't provide." Quite a few hosts agreed with the changes, though. One who claimed to be a super host [posted a thread]() with a strong message: "any hosts complaining should leave AirBnB." "I cannot imagine asking a guest to strip the bed, take the garbage out, wash the dishes, or start laundry," agreed another host. "To me, that's insane." **More on Airbnb:** [*Airbnb Host Furious After Startup Trashes His Unit to "Test Robots"*]() ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()