# What the fuck has happened with Airbnb? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 10, 2026, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-has-happened-with-airbnb/1032261 "2026-08-10T02:55:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-has-happened-with-airbnb/1032261/121 "2026-10-22T05:07:13Z")
> Checking out of your next Airbnb might be less of a hassle now that the company is banning hosts from [including time-consuming chores](https://airbnb.pvxt.net/c/482924/264339/4273?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.airbnb.ca%2Fresources%2Fhosting-homes%2Fa%2Fimportant-changes-to-house-rules-21%3Flocale%3Den&subId2=%5Bvg1022awD%5D%5B1015844%5D%5B%5D%5Bn%5D%5B%5D%5B%5D%5B%5D%5B%5D%5B%5D%5B%5D%5B%5D) in their house rules. Airbnb’s [updated house rules policy](https://airbnb.pvxt.net/c/482924/264339/4273?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.airbnb.ca%2Fhelp%2Farticle%2F4168&subId2=%5Bvg1022awD%5D%5B1015844%5D%5B%5D%5Bn%5D%5B%5D%5B%5D%5B%5D%5B%5D%5B%5D%5B%5D%5B%5D), which starts with reservations booked on or after November 20th, says hosts can’t ask guests to “complete tasks that require significant effort or time, or would typically be performed by a cleaner.” According to Airbnb, that includes: > > - **Dishes:** Guests shouldn’t be asked to wash and put away dishes, but you can ask them to put used dishes in the sink. > - **Laundry:** Guests shouldn’t be asked to remove sheets from the bed or start a load of laundry, but you can ask them to gather used towels. > - **Trash:** Guests shouldn’t be asked to take garbage off-site, but you can ask them to separate their trash and recycling into designated indoor bins. > - **Utilities:** Guests shouldn’t be asked to avoid using a listed amenity like air conditioning, but you can ask them to turn it off when they leave. > - > **[Airbnb bans making guests do dishes and take out the trash](https://www.theverge.com/tech/1015844/airbnb-chores-house-rules-update)** > > No more fines for not taking out the trash at your Airbnb. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-has-happened-with-airbnb/1032261/122 "2026-10-22T09:59:12Z")
Good news for sure. But the move strongly suggests this kind of stuff was rapidly becoming the new standard of shitty owner behavior. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-has-happened-with-airbnb/1032261/123 "2026-10-22T15:32:44Z")
Probably not the standard. If it was, the company wouldn’t be trying to stop these practices. It’s more likely a case than a minority of home owners were setting rules like this and the majority of home owners didn’t like that their poor behavior was setting the reputation for everyone. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-has-happened-with-airbnb/1032261/124 "2026-10-22T15:45:08Z")
I know that anecdote≠data, but I gave up on AirBnB because for both work and personal travel, I was running up against listings with tacked on fees (cleaning and other) that made the overal cost no longer comparable to a hotel, and the additional requirements for pre-check-out cleaning were getting out of hand. Seemed pretty universal to me. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2026, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-has-happened-with-airbnb/1032261/125 "2026-10-23T03:48:35Z")
There are plenty of examples of companies changing policies after consumers making complaints. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2026, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-has-happened-with-airbnb/1032261/126 "2026-10-23T04:01:19Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > - **Dishes:** Guests shouldn’t be asked to wash and put away dishes, but you can ask them to put used dishes in the sink. This one is strange to me - it may be a cultural thing but I would never expect to leave dirty dishes, other than in a five star hotel. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2026, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-has-happened-with-airbnb/1032261/127 "2026-10-23T04:18:56Z")
There’s only one Airbnb (which is basically just a six-room hotel above a bar in an old brick building in Seattle’s Pioneer Square that uses Airbnb as its booking service) I ever stay at, and they’ve never asked for any of this stuff - just throw your trash in the trash can, leave any unwashed dishes in the sink, no smoking, don’t make an excessive mess, and drop your key in the mail slot on the way out. I’m not paying you so I can do chores. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2026, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-has-happened-with-airbnb/1032261/128 "2026-10-23T05:06:37Z")
If the hotel gives me dishes, i leave them for the maid to pick up. I only do dishes at a hotel if they are my dishes. (I sometimes bring a bowl to eat breakfast in the room. I clean that dish.) ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2026, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-has-happened-with-airbnb/1032261/129 "2026-10-23T05:43:00Z")
If I’m provided dishes, I’ll rinse and scrub them so that they don’t cause a literal stink, and that only takes a moment to do for each dish. I’m not going all-out and washing them. That seems to be going beyond the level of regular courtesy and into doing someone else’s job. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2026, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-has-happened-with-airbnb/1032261/130 "2026-10-23T06:13:55Z")
I guess I would see a distinction between staying somewhere with a kitchen for a period of time where I’m going to have to be (in effect) running the kitchen like I would if I was at home, and staying somewhere that is staffed. I don’t expect airbnb’s to have maids or to pay them to do chores. At least in my perception, airbnb started out as a service through which you could book unserviced places and has gradually turned into a general accommodation booking site used by conventional staffed hotels but the lines have blurred and changed. I’m probably still seeing it as somewhat the former. These days I only use airbnb as a last resort - at most I use their site to find a place before booking the same place direct or through another booking agency because airbnb has become quite oustandingly uncompetitive. I suspect a big reason - at least where I’m from - is that guest expectations have become so high with airbnb that there are a lot of extra costs being factored into the price (like guests expecting maid service) that are not factored into the price otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2026, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-has-happened-with-airbnb/1032261/131 "2026-10-23T11:51:41Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > (like guests expecting maid service) that are not factored into the price otherwise. Maid service would be expecting someone to come by during the day, in the middle of your stay, to clean stuff up and make the bed. That’s totally different from expecting someone to clean up after you’ve left. I’ve never rented from air bnb. The one time i tried to the owner sold the house a few weeks before our rental was supposed to happen, leaving us in the lurch. I’ve rented apartments with kitchens through other services, though. And… I’ve probably done the dishes. I don’t actually remember. I sure as hell didn’t wash the sheets. I was replying to > [@Princhester](#): > > would never expect to leave dirty dishes, other than in a five star hotel. I’ve stayed in hotels that were certainly not “5 Star”, and i do expect maid service there. And if they leave dishes in the room (and there are usually at least water glasses and coffee cups, although cheap places sometimes offer disposable dishes) i expect the hotel to provide me with clean ones regularly. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2026, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-has-happened-with-airbnb/1032261/132 "2026-10-23T13:22:20Z")
I will still wash any dishes I use, it’s the courteous thing to do. I’ve rented entire house and stayed with a big group where we shop for groceries and cook up big meals. No way would I just leave a mess of dirty dishes cluttering the kitchen. I’d fill the dishwasher run it and wipe down the counters. I’d even take out the garbage. In a hotel I don’t clean the coffee pot after use. If there’s a kitchenette and we used their plates for takeout or made it soup or something I’d clean those dishes if there was dish soap. Otherwise rinse and stack in the sink. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2026, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-has-happened-with-airbnb/1032261/133 "2026-10-23T16:28:39Z")
My timeshare has a combination of rules for leaving. Load and run the dishwasher (but no expectation to wait around for it to unload.) Take all the trash out and drop it at the municipal (bear resistant) transfer station. Generally don’t leave a mess. But no expectation of doing something like washing sheets or linens because there isn’t a washer. Cleaning up after yourself and not leaving a pile of dirty dishes isn’t unreasonable. Neither is taking out the trash, as long as there is a can available on the property. But some of these requirements I’ve seen seem absolutely ridiculous and I’m surprised that the ones I see as actually reasonable are the ones listed to be banned. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2026, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-has-happened-with-airbnb/1032261/134 "2026-10-23T16:39:37Z")
To me, Airbnbs are very, very short-term rentals. If I’m renting a house or an apartment to live in, I’m expected to clean up after myself. I don’t see how renting a house via Airbnb for a week is any different. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2026, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-has-happened-with-airbnb/1032261/135 "2026-10-23T17:19:48Z")
Upthread @mtnmatt described a VRBO rental where they were expected to wash and dry all of the bedsheets on the last day. That’s the sort of chore that the new Airbnb rule seems to address. > [@mtnmatt](#): > > I recently did a VRBO where the owner, a few days before we (3 couples and 2 singles) arrived, told us we were required to both be gone by 11am, and wash, dry, fold and return to the linen closet all sheets and towels before we left. ---
**Author:** ![BleizDu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@BleizDu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BleizDu)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-has-happened-with-airbnb/1032261/136 "2026-10-24T09:17:14Z")
Washing the dishes is a no-brainer for me, because it’s easier to clean up that way anyway, than to let dried food on them. But if the new policy is worldwide and not just in the usa, I welcome it. Here in france I can say nearly 100% of the air bnb I rented the last few years involved sweeping up all floors, cleaning the whole bathroom, dressing down the bed, (sometimes putting the dirty sheets in a washer or even having to take away sheets from a dryer when I arrive and put them away), and playing the game of “find where to take away the garbage bag and the recycling”. While still paying for a cleaning fee. (This is why I pretty much stopped renting air bnb and have gone back to hotels) ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-has-happened-with-airbnb/1032261/137 "2026-10-24T12:13:11Z")
I guess I’m in the minority, because I’ve used several Airbnb/VRBO rentals over the years and I’ve never had a bad experience. Most have been outstanding, in fact. I have no problem piling up the used towels, loading the dishwasher, or even taking out the trash on the last day. I’ve never been asked to do more than that. Finally, in the Airbnb vs hotel debate, I don’t know if it’s been mentioned yet, but when you’re housing a large group, or a family, having an entire house wins, hands-down. If it’s just two of us, it’s a hotel every time. mmm ---
**Author:** ![teelabrown](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teelabrown/32/8412_2.png) [@teelabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teelabrown)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-has-happened-with-airbnb/1032261/138 "2026-10-24T12:42:06Z")
Most VRBO places have the same rules like **MMM** outlines above. Like him, I don’t mind loading the last load of dishes into the dishwasher and starting it, collecting all the used towels into a heap, and dumping the trash. I opine that sometimes the house will be vacant for awhile until the next guest, and it’d be gross to leave dirty dishes in the sink and garbage in the trash to attract bugs until the day cleaners can come and attend to the place. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-has-happened-with-airbnb/1032261/139 "2026-10-24T14:10:33Z")
I’ve gathered up towels, and probably done dishes. That’s fine. It’s > [@mtnmatt](#): > > I recently did a VRBO where the owner, a few days before we (3 couples and 2 singles) arrived, told us we were required to both be gone by 11am, and wash, dry, fold and return to the linen closet all sheets and towels before we left. That I’d balk at. (I often quarantine with friends for a few days after i travel, to avoid bringing random infections home to my immune-compromised husband. I knew I’d become “family” when my host put the sheets I’d be using in the wash, but let me cycle them into the dryer and make the bed – they hadn’t been washed since his prior guest left shortly before i arrived. But even there, at the end of my stay, i just stripped the bed and put my linens in the washing machine. I didn’t hang around to dry and fold them.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-has-happened-with-airbnb/1032261.md?page=6)