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Airbnb Checkout Requests After Nov 20: What You Can Still Ask Guests

Writer: Thomas Garner
Thomas Garner
1 day ago
11 min read
Cabin kitchen with an open wooden shelf of mugs and pots, a window onto pine trees, a kettle on a stainless stove and a coffee maker on the counter, representing a host reviewing checkout requests under Airbnb's new house rules policy.

Airbnb has published examples of checkout tasks hosts generally should not ask of guests on reservations booked on or after Nov 20. The Airbnb checkout chores rules come from a new house rules policy that, according to Airbnb's Resource Center, "takes effect November 20, 2026." Airbnb's own examples draw the line in plain words: guests shouldn't be asked to wash and put away dishes, but "you can ask them to put used dishes in the sink."


We re-read five Airbnb pages: the Resource Center articles "Important changes to house rules" and "A clear and simple checkout," and the Help Center articles "Reasonable house rules and requests," "Add house rules and requests to your listing" and "Ground rules for home guests." This post sticks to what they say and notes where they are silent. It is not legal advice, and the pages can change.


For every dated fall change in one place, see our hub overview of the fall 2026 changes. For the policy as a whole, see Airbnb's new house rules policy, explained.


Which bookings the checkout rules reach

Airbnb's Resource Center article is dated Oct 20, 2026. It says the new policy "takes effect November 20, 2026" but does not say whether that date turns on the booking date or the stay date.


The Help Center article does. It says: "This policy applies to all reservations booked on or after November 20, 2026." By that wording, a reservation booked in October is outside the policy even if the stay is in December, and a reservation booked on Nov 20 is inside it.


A second Help Center article says changes you make to your house rules and requests apply only to future reservations and "won't affect any pending or confirmed reservations."


None of the pages we read says whether the policy reaches a booking made outside Airbnb. We make no claim either way.


Airbnb's own examples: what you can ask and what you cannot

The Resource Center article gives four pairs of examples, introduced as "examples of what generally is and isn't allowed." The list below uses Airbnb's wording. The Help Center article calls the bed task "stripping the bed."


  • Dishes: Airbnb says guests shouldn't be asked to wash and put away dishes. Airbnb says you can ask them to put used dishes in the sink.

  • Laundry: Airbnb says guests shouldn't be asked to remove sheets from the bed or start a load of laundry. Airbnb says you can ask them to gather used towels.

  • Trash: Airbnb says guests shouldn't be asked to take garbage off-site. Airbnb says you can ask them to separate their trash and recycling into designated indoor bins.

  • Utilities: Airbnb says guests shouldn't be asked to avoid using a listed amenity like air conditioning. Airbnb says you can ask them to turn it off when they leave.


Dishes go in the sink. Airbnb's pages say "sink." We found no Airbnb page that lists loading a dishwasher as allowed, so this post does not say it is.


The utilities pair is about access. The Help Center article separately says hosts generally may not "restrict access to any feature that's advertised as part of the listing."


Two-column table. Airbnb says guests shouldn't be asked to wash and put away dishes, remove sheets from the bed or start laundry, take garbage off-site, or avoid using a listed amenity like air conditioning. Airbnb says you can ask them to put used dishes in the sink, gather used towels, separate trash and recycling into indoor bins, or turn the air conditioning off when they leave. A last row notes that lock up at checkout is a standard house rule.

Airbnb's published examples of allowed and not-allowed checkout requests.


The general test behind the examples

The examples illustrate a broader test. The Help Center article says hosts are generally not allowed to ask guests to complete "tasks that require significant effort or time, or would typically be performed by a cleaner." It names stripping the bed, taking trash off-site, and washing and putting away dishes.


The same article lists two other things hosts are generally not allowed to do:


  • Restrict access to a feature advertised in the listing. Fees for an advertised part of the listing "must be included in the price shown to guests" at booking. Optional add-ons, like breakfast service, may be described in requests.

  • "Impose fines or other penalties on guests." Where a homeowners association or local government might fine guests, a host can give notice in the designated section of the listing.


The test is not a list of banned words. The Resource Center article tells hosts that "most guests want to avoid unexpected chores" and that asking guests to do what a cleaner should handle "can negatively affect their stay and your reviews."


What remains available: house rules, requests and the lock-up rule

Airbnb's Resource Center article says hosts can choose from 7 standard rules and add reasonable requests, "all in one place in the Listing editor." Checkout instructions no longer sit in a separate tab. The seven rules cover maximum overnight guests, quiet hours, events, pets, smoking, commercial photography, and lock up at checkout.


Lock up at checkout is a house rule. Airbnb's checkout article says you can require guests to lock up and add optional details about where to return keys. Guests are "required to follow your house rules," the Resource Center article says, and "encouraged to comply with your requests."


Other checkout items are requests. Airbnb's checkout article says you can add requests, like "please turn off lights when you leave," under Before checkout in the Listing editor. Another Help Center article says each request applies either "During the stay" or "Before checkout."


What Airbnb names as still available at checkout is short and light: dishes in the sink, used towels, indoor sorting bins, air conditioning off, lights off, and locking up. Whether another request is reasonable is Airbnb's call.


Local exceptions, and who decides

Airbnb says reasonableness depends on context. The Resource Center article says: "we consider the type of listing or stay and relevant local factors." It gives two examples: asking guests to dispose of trash in an animal-proof container in bear country, and asking guests to limit shower time because of local drought-related water restrictions. It says it "may grant exceptions based on your situation."


Three cautions follow. The word is "may," and the pages list no qualifying situations beyond the two examples. They give no approved wording, so we cannot say a given sentence will pass. And they do not say how a host asks for an exception, apart from the appeal described below.


Where a request has to appear

This part is easy to miss. The Help Center article says every house rule and request must be "disclosed in the designated section of the listing page at the time of booking." Hosts may not communicate new house rules or requests in other sections of the listing page or after booking, "including by message, signs in the home, or in person." The Resource Center article says you "shouldn't write additional rules elsewhere on your listing." A request must also be "consistent with information found elsewhere on the listing page."


So a chore that is not allowed as a request does not become allowed by moving it to a sign, a message template or another part of the listing. We found no Airbnb page that permits that, and the pages point the other way.


Cleaning fees, penalties and reviews

No charge for a skipped task. The Help Center article "Ground rules for home guests" says "Hosts may not charge guest fees for failing to perform specific cleaning or checkout tasks." It says cleaning fees "are only meant to cover the cost of standard cleaning between reservations."


Reviews remain available. The same sentence says hosts "may leave ratings and reviews based on cleanliness."


Guests can flag excessive requests. Airbnb's checkout article says guests rating listing accuracy must give at least one reason, which "can include unexpected or excessive rules or requests." It adds that "Listings with repeated low ratings from unreasonable requests may be removed from Airbnb."


The pages we read do not say how a host should change a cleaning fee in response. To re-cost turnover with your own numbers, see your cleaning fee after Airbnb's chores policy. Airbnb's checkout article also suggests working with a housekeeper or co-host if you cannot handle the tasks yourself.


What happens if a request is flagged

The Resource Center article says requests that do not follow the policy "will be highlighted in the Listing editor." Airbnb will also email you, give tips for resolving the issue, and offer "an opportunity to submit an appeal." If an issue goes unresolved, "Guests may see an alert on your listing," and Airbnb's example of the wording is "includes cleaning requests."


A Help Center article on adding requests says a flagged request saved without fixing is "subject to further review," after which Airbnb reaches out with next steps. The policy article says Airbnb may educate the host, ask for an update, and issue warnings. For a persistent violation, "it may result in a notice on the listing page," along with "reduced listing visibility in search" or other action under the Terms of Service.


The pages do not say when editor highlighting starts (the Resource Center article uses the future tense), where the guest alert appears, how long it stays, whether it is the same as the "notice on the listing page," what counts as a persistent violation, or how long a host has to fix a request or appeal. Trade press has reported additional consequences; we did not find them on the Airbnb pages we read, so we leave them out. For the mechanics as Airbnb has published them, see how Airbnb will enforce house rules.


Three columns titled Keep, Change and Remove. Keep: light actions Airbnb names as allowed. Change: requests that ask for a task Airbnb lists as not allowed, replaced with the light action actually needed. Remove: tasks needing significant effort or time, fines or penalties, and restrictions on advertised features. A bottom strip says requests belong in the House rules and requests section.

A simple way to sort your current checkout list against Airbnb's published examples.


How to sort your own checkout list

This is a sorting aid built only from the Airbnb pages above. It does not promise that any wording will pass Airbnb's review.


  • Open the House rules and requests section of each listing and read every item under Requests, During the stay and Before checkout.

  • Check each item against Airbnb's test: significant effort or time, a task a cleaner would typically do, a restriction on an advertised feature, or a fine or penalty.

  • Keep requests that match the light actions Airbnb names as allowed.

  • Change a request that asks for something on the not-allowed side. If what you need is a light action, such as used dishes in the sink, ask for that. Do not give the same chore a new name. Airbnb's pages describe the test in terms of the task asked of the guest, not the label, and say the editor highlights requests that do not follow the policy.

  • Remove requests that call for cleaner-type work, any penalty language, and anything that limits a listed amenity.

  • Look beyond the Requests tab for instructions in your listing description, saved messages and printed signs. Airbnb says additional rules should not appear there.

  • Save, then read the editor. If a request is highlighted, read Airbnb's tip. The Resource Center article says you will have an opportunity to appeal.


For a fuller template, see our house rules rewrite worksheet.


How hosts have reacted

Airbnb's Community Center announcement thread was posted Oct 20, 2026 by the Airbnb Official Account. It had more than 800 replies when we checked on Oct 22, and the count keeps changing.


Hosts in the replies we read raised worries about sanitation and pests, properties without a dishwasher, and higher cleaning costs. One long reply asked whether the rules apply during a stay as well as at checkout, and how they apply to trash collection days. The pages we read do not answer that.


TechCrunch reported on Oct 21, 2026 that some hosts were pushing back in Airbnb's community forums. It quoted a host who wrote: "Guests are given complete freedom to be lazy while the hosts bear the risk."


These are host opinions and press reports, not Airbnb's position. Forum posters are not a sample of all hosts, and we make no claim about how many agree.


What the pages do not say

  • Whether the Nov 20 policy reaches bookings made outside Airbnb. We make no claim either way.

  • Whether a dishwasher counts as "the sink."

  • What a host can do about dishes or trash that build up on a long stay. Airbnb's guest rules say guests "should leave the listing in a state that doesn't require excessive or deep cleaning," and that hosts can contact Airbnb if a guest does not follow a request.

  • Whether Airbnb limits cleaning fee amounts in response to the policy.


Frequently asked questions

What is Airbnb's new checkout chore policy?

Airbnb's Resource Center says a new house rules policy takes effect November 20, 2026. Its Help Center says the policy applies to reservations booked on or after that date.


Can hosts still ask guests to put dishes in the sink?

Yes. Airbnb's Resource Center gives that as an example of what you can ask. It says guests shouldn't be asked to wash and put away dishes.


Can I ask guests to remove the sheets or start laundry?

Airbnb's Resource Center says guests shouldn't be asked to remove sheets from the bed or start a load of laundry. It says you can ask them to gather used towels.


Can I ask guests to take the trash out?

Airbnb says guests shouldn't be asked to take garbage off-site. You can ask them to sort trash and recycling into designated indoor bins. Local exceptions are possible.


Can I still require guests to lock up at checkout?

Yes. Airbnb's Resource Center lists lock up at checkout as one of 7 standard house rules, with optional details on where to return keys.


Does the policy apply to bookings made before November 20?

Airbnb's Help Center applies it to reservations booked on or after November 20, 2026. The test is the booking date. The stay date is not the test.


Can I charge a guest for skipping a checkout task?

No. Airbnb's Help Center says hosts may not charge guest fees for failing to perform specific cleaning or checkout tasks. The policy also lists fines or other penalties on guests as generally not allowed.


Does Airbnb allow exceptions, such as bear-proof trash bins?

Airbnb says it may grant exceptions based on context, such as animal-proof trash containers in bear country or shower limits in a drought. It publishes no list of approved wording.


What happens if a request breaks the policy?

Airbnb says it highlights the request in the editor, emails tips and an appeal option, and guests may see an alert if it stays unresolved. Persistent violations may bring a listing notice.


Can I put chore instructions in messages or signs instead?

Airbnb's Help Center says new rules or requests may not be communicated after booking, including by message, signs in the home, or in person. They belong in the designated listing section.


Sources

Every Airbnb page below was re-read in full on 2026-10-22 (all returned HTTP 200). Quotes in the post are 15 words or fewer and attributed inline. Airbnb Help Center articles show no publication or update date (the footer shows only "© 2026").



Last checked 2026-10-22. This post is not legal advice. Check the current policy on the pages above before you act.


Featured photo: Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash (stock photo).


Related Reading

More on Airbnb's house rules policy, cleaning costs and reviews.


Work with Crest & Cove Creative

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Crest & Cove Creative helps independent hosts build marketing that holds up when platform rules change. Visit https://www.crestcove.co or call (256) 998-7502.

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