What can I ask Airbnb guests to do at checkout?
Short answer
For reservations booked on or after Nov 20, 2026, you can still make light, quick checkout requests such as locking up and turning off lights. Airbnb's policy says hosts generally can't ask for cleaner's work like stripping beds, washing and putting away dishes or taking trash offsite. Move those tasks to your cleaner and price them in.
The basics
Airbnb's Reasonable house rules and requests (opens in a new tab) policy changes what a checkout list can say. The page states: "This policy applies to all reservations booked on or after November 20, 2026." Stays booked before that date aren't covered by it, even if the guest checks out later.
The short version: keep checkout requests light and quick, put them in your listing before guests book and leave the cleaning to your cleaner. Then make sure your cleaner's checklist and your cleaning fee cover the work that guests used to do.
What the policy says about checkout tasks
According to Airbnb's policy page:
- 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, including stripping the bed, taking trash offsite, or washing and putting away dishes."
- House rules and requests must be "disclosed in the designated section of the listing page at the time of booking." Hosts may not communicate new rules or requests "after booking, including by message, signs in the home, or in person."
- Hosts may not "impose fines or other penalties on guests."
- Guests "must follow hosts' house rules, and are encouraged to comply with hosts' requests." Most checkout tasks are requests, so a guest who skips one isn't breaking a rule.
- Airbnb looks at each listing's context and "may grant exceptions." Its example is asking guests to "dispose of trash in an animal-proof container in bear country."
Airbnb's additional fees page (opens in a new tab) adds that hosts "should not impose fees, charges, or penalties for failing to perform specific cleaning or checkout tasks." So a cleaning fee can't come with a discount for doing chores or a charge for skipping them.
Common checkout asks, sorted
The policy names three tasks. The rest of this table is our reading of "significant effort or time" and "typically performed by a cleaner." Airbnb makes the final call, so when in doubt, leave it to the cleaner.
| Checkout ask | Status | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Lock the door and return the key or close the lockbox | OK | Takes seconds and isn't cleaning |
| Turn off lights, the A/C or heat | OK | Quick and not a cleaner's task |
| Close and lock the windows | OK | Quick and about security |
| Leave used towels in the tub or one spot | OK | A few seconds, no cleaning involved |
| Put dirty dishes in the sink | OK | Quick, and not the same as washing them |
| Put trash in the indoor bins | OK | Normal use of the home |
| Use the animal-proof trash container | OK where local conditions call for it | Airbnb's own example of a reasonable local request |
| Take trash to a bin just outside the door | Depends | Short trips may be fine; a long walk or heavy bags look more like work |
| Run the dishwasher | Depends | Pressing start is quick; loading a full day's dishes is closer to washing |
| Put furniture back where it was | Depends | A chair is fine; heavy furniture takes real effort |
| Strip the beds | Not OK | Named in the policy |
| Wash and put away dishes | Not OK | Named in the policy |
| Take trash offsite, such as to a dumpster down the street | Not OK | Named in the policy |
| Start a load of laundry | Not OK | A cleaner's task |
| Vacuum, sweep or mop | Not OK | A cleaner's task |
| Wipe counters or clean out the fridge | Not OK | A cleaner's task |
| Pay a fee if a task isn't done | Not OK | No fines or penalties, and no fees tied to checkout tasks |
How to rewrite your checkout list
- Copy your current checkout list from the listing, your house manual and your checkout message.
- Strike every task in the "Not OK" rows. Rethink the "Depends" rows for your home.
- Put the remaining requests in the designated house rules and requests section of your listing.
- Make your other guest materials match. The checkout reminder message should only repeat requests that were in the listing when the guest booked. The house rules template and house rules examples help you word them.
- Remove fee or fine language from signs and messages.
A short list reads better anyway. Three or four requests, such as locking up, turning things off and leaving used towels in the tub, are easy for guests to remember.
Move the work to your cleaner
Every task you strike still needs doing. Add it to the cleaner's turnover list so nothing is missed on a tight changeover. Our turnover checklist already includes stripping every bed, washing and putting away dishes and emptying every trash can, so you can build it for your rental and send it to your cleaner.
Then check the time. If your cleaner now strips beds, does the dishes and takes the trash out, each turnover takes longer. Ask your cleaner how many extra minutes that adds, and agree on any change in pay before November 20.
Price the extra minutes into your cleaning fee
Hypothetical example for one rental:
| Task moved to the cleaner | Extra minutes |
|---|---|
| Strip two beds | 10 |
| Wash and put away dishes | 15 |
| Take the trash out | 5 |
| Total | 30 |
Step by step:
- Extra cleaner pay: 30 minutes at $30 an hour = 0.5 × $30 = $15.00.
- Gross it up for a 15.5% single fee that applies to the cleaning fee: $15.00 ÷ 0.845 = $17.75 (17.7514), rounded up to $17.76.
- Round to a clean number: add $18 to your cleaning fee.
- Check: 15.5% of $18 is $2.79, which leaves $15.21. That covers the $15.00.
A host whose turnover cost was $108 and whose cleaning fee was $128 would move to $146. Your minutes and rate will differ, so use your own. The cleaning fee calculator does the gross-up with your numbers, and how to set an Airbnb cleaning fee explains each line of a turnover.
These are example numbers. Use your cleaner's actual time and rate and the fee rate your payout breakdown shows.
Do it for your rental
Built from your beds and bathrooms, with linen and restock counts for each room.
Build my turnover checklistFrequently asked questions
When does Airbnb's checkout chores rule start?
The Reasonable house rules and requests policy applies to all reservations booked on or after Nov 20, 2026. Bookings made before that date aren't covered by it.
Can I still ask Airbnb guests to strip the beds?
Not for reservations booked on or after Nov 20, 2026. The policy names stripping the bed as an example of a task hosts generally can't ask guests to do.
Can I ask guests to take the trash out?
You can ask them to put trash in the bins. The policy says hosts generally can't ask guests to take trash offsite. In places with local needs, such as bear country, Airbnb gives using an animal-proof container as an example of a reasonable request.
Can I charge guests who skip checkout tasks?
No. The policy says hosts may not impose fines or other penalties, and Airbnb's fees page says hosts should not charge fees or penalties for failing to do specific cleaning or checkout tasks.
On this page
Do it for your rental
Built from your beds and bathrooms, with linen and restock counts for each room.
Build my turnover checklist