Airbnb is limiting the housekeeping tasks that hosts may need after a guest’s stay is over, an issue that has drawn the most complaints on the platform. As might be expected, this is a measure that has caused some division between guests and hosts The company has revealed changes to its community policy.
What changes. Starting Nov. 20, hosts will generally be prohibited from making guests’ beds, washing dishes, running washing machines or taking trash out of the property, according to Airbnb’s updated policy. The company says the tasks “require significant effort or time or should not normally be performed by a cleaning service.” According to Airbnb, hosts can still ask for small gestures, such as leaving used dishes in the sink.
Clearing things up. A cleaning fee is usually charged to guests when they book the accommodation. The thing is, sometimes these fees can be sky high, sometimes exceeding hundreds of euros. This is one of the main complaints from Airbnb users, and the company wanted to clarify a few things about it.
book of D rules Airbnb has set limits on rules that hosts can apply to their listings. Now, the company shares, you can choose from seven standard rules, such as arrival and departure times, guest limit, no smoking, quiet time and pets, etc.
According to the company, the rules will appear more clearly in the listing and hosts will not be able to add new requirements after the reservation is made, through messages, signs at the house or conversations with guests.
Airbnb specifies that hosts will not be able to impose their own fines, and separate agreements are limited to areas such as legal requirements or homeowner association rules.
consent According to Airbnb, hosts who violate the rules risk a warning or reduced visibility in search results. Company will flag non-compliant requests and allow hosts to appeal.
response. Not everyone agrees. A petition on Change.org calling for Airbnb to back down had more than 5,000 signatures, as shared by the NYT. It argues that there is a difference between preparing a property for the next guest and cleaning up after one’s daily use. “Washing the dishes you just used is not the same as cleaning an entire property,” it reads.
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky has already signaled his position, saying in an interview with the May Times that it’s fine to put trash in a bin, but guests shouldn’t take it out. “These people are on vacation and they’re on vacation from their housework,” he said.
Cover image Flickr
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