Any tasks that a cleaner can perform are no longer considered reasonable requests for visitors.
Airbnb codifies some of the cleaning measures that may be asked to be done before leaving a property. According to a new update to the rental platform, hosts can make “requests” of visitors, but those requests “must be reasonable” under the revised policy. The examples provided said that asking guests to remove bed linen or do a lot of laundry was unreasonable, but collecting used towels was acceptable. The line drawn on the new policy page is that hosts should not ask guests to complete tasks that require significant effort or time, or would normally be performed by a cleaner.
This update is part of a broader change to Airbnb host rules that was first noticed Euronews. The new approach allows hosts to choose from a set of seven default rules for their property, and then add any further notes as requests. The rules and requests can only be communicated to the guests in the dedicated part of a rental listing and the hosts cannot share them after the booking “by message, signs in the home or in person”, which hopefully puts an end to the passive aggressive signs posted by many Airbnbs. The company has allowed exceptions to be granted based on unique situations, such as requiring litter in an animal shelter in a location with known bear populations. The revised policy will take effect on November 20.