Airbnb hosts are melting down over a new policy banning them from making guests complete tasks that “would typically be performed by a cleaner,” like “stripping the bed, taking trash offsite, or washing and putting away dishes.”
The change, which applies to all bookings made on or after November 20, quickly sparked outrage after it was announced in an email to Airbnb hosts on Wednesday. Many began fuming online about losing the right to make their guests clean up after themselves.
“As hosts, we have a responsibility to protect our investments, our homes, and, in many cases, our personal living spaces,” one person wrote in Airbnb’s official forum for hosts. “The problem is that Airbnb increasingly expects hosts to accept the risks while limiting our ability to protect ourselves.”
“Airbnb is like an abusive partner,” wrote one user on the Reddit community r/airbnb_hosts. “I’m alive long enough to recognize how truthful those few words are,” another person replied. “Until and unless I see substantive changes, I’m finally out.”
A different self-described host declared that going forward, the kitchens in their rentals will be “stripped down to only bare essentials.”
Many guests, meanwhile, are celebrating. For years, travelers have complained about having to pay hefty cleaning fees as part of their Airbnb bookings, only to be required to complete a list of chores before checking out.
“The guest experience has become total ass,” one person said in a subreddit for Airbnb hosts. “Clean dishes and run in the dishwasher. Strip the beds, put all linen in the laundry room. Take out all garbage, put in garbage can, take to the curb. Honestly, knock it off.”
Airbnb noted in its Wednesday announcement that hosts can’t get around the new policy by listing cleaning tasks in the “Requests” section of their listings instead. Airbnb spokesperson Simon Letouze tells WIRED that hosts can still make “reasonable” requests, such as asking guests to put dirty dishes in the sink. Other examples Airbnb cites includes asking guests to take short showers in areas with drought-related water restrictions, or telling them to place trash in bear-proof containers.
In a Facebook group for Airbnb hosts, one person posted what they claimed was a screenshot of their failed attempt to edit their property’s “Requests” section. They tried to ask guests to wash and air-dry dishes, put dirty towels in the laundry room, and take trash to a dumpster at an RV park they could find using a map on the refrigerator. But they realized they couldn’t hit save. Airbnb’s interface had underlined and highlighted the requests in red and displayed a pop-up that read “Guests shouldn’t be asked to do this task.”