Washing Up Row: Airbnb House Rules Divide Hosts and Guests Over Checkout Duties

New limits on checkout chores

Lisa Clewes, who runs a Welsh holiday let, returned after a group’s stay to find broken glasses, cans, pans of food and fish guts in the garden. She charges a cleaning fee that covers about 75% of a cleaner’s cost and asks guests to empty the fridge, bin rubbish and load the dishwasher.

Airbnb’s new rules bar hosts from requiring jobs normally done by cleaners, including washing and putting away dishes, stripping beds and taking rubbish off site. Clewes says cleaners need four hours to turn around her three-bedroom property and worries that more mess could mean extra staff and higher costs, potentially passed on to guests.

Guests welcome fewer demands

Jessica Newhook says the changes are a relief after facing long checkout lists as well as substantial cleaning fees. One host asked her group to wash and fold towels, clean the bedding and kitchen, and sweep and mop; the host also warned they might have to leave because chairs had blocked bins.

Newhook enjoys the comforts of Airbnb stays, but says strict rules combined with rising cleaning fees have reduced their appeal. Krissi Foskett, a Glasgow cleaning-company owner who also stays in Airbnb properties, says guests should be considerate without being made responsible for preparing a business for its next customers.

On a recent stay in Stafford, Foskett paid a £35 cleaning fee but was still asked to strip beds, start laundry, empty bins and carry rubbish along a long track to a recycling area. She sympathises with hosts facing tight changeovers and higher cleaning costs, but says those costs should not be shifted to guests.

Hosts weigh costs and respect

Anthony Marsh and his husband co-own a cabin retreat in North Yorkshire. They previously listed five of their 12 cabins on Airbnb, but Marsh says the new rules led them to cut that number to two.

Marsh considers washing pots and putting out bins reasonable requests. With a small cleaning team and short changeovers, he fears extra mess could leave cabins unready for incoming guests. His company does not charge a cleaning fee, and he says most guests are respectful.

AirROI data puts the share of Airbnb listings charging a cleaning fee at 63.2%, with an average fee of £55. Laura Lewis says washing dishes and taking bins out is a matter of basic respect; many of her clients who list on Airbnb are unhappy with the change.