Airbnb hosts in and around Greater Manchester have welcomed the changes to chore requirements Airbnb has announced, which come into force later this month. But they’ve warned that there are more concerning elements to the updated policy.
New House Rules Policy
From November 20, changes to Airbnb's ‘house rules’ policy will come into effect. From that date hosts will have to choose from seven standard rules, with anything else being stipulated as a request.
Under the updated policy, hosts can make ‘reasonable requests’ regarding cleaning and rubbish, however Airbnb has clarified on its website what hosts cannot ask. Under the new rules hosts can no longer ask guests to: wash dishes and put them away, strip the bed, remove rubbish off-site, and avoid using a listed amenity such as air conditioning.
They can ask guests to put used dishes in the sink, gather together used towels and turn off amenities before leaving. The changes have divided opinion online, with some guests thrilled at no longer being asked to complete numerous tasks at checkout while some hosts fear it could mean guests leave behind even more mess.
Host Reactions
Holly Stott, who runs two Airbnb properties in Ramsbottom, doesn’t have a problem with the changes, but she warns that regardless of the rules, there are some guests who will leave a mess. “I don’t actually ask my guests to do anything like that anyway, because I think you’re on holiday. I always assume that you look after a place as you would treat your home, and for me those experiences have been potluck,” she said.
“You can never guess what kind of guest is going to stay there, no matter what communication you have before, and it’s a bit like Russian roulette. Some days the cleaners will go in and it will be fine, and other days they will arrive and it’ll be a mess.
“It’s luck of the draw. The one thing I do ask is that they don’t move furniture, as it is expensive and it could be scratched or damaged, and that they don’t stick things on the walls like decorations.
“But we never ask them to clean and I think if you’re a reasonable human being you wouldn't leave it in a bad state. I think it’s quite fair for Airbnb to say that we can’t ask guests to do that. I always say to guests that the cleaners will take care of everything.”
Holly runs two Airbnbs which are slightly different, one she describes as more luxurious and the other features more practical furnishings. She said they both attract different guests and the former is often left in a worse state, despite it being more upmarket.
She added: “I think no matter what rules you put in place people are going to do what they want anyway. You can provide the exact same service to everyone and yet you’ll still get different reviews, sometimes you get people who slate you just so they can have a full refund - you can’t pre-empt a guest like that.”
Concerns Over Fines and Contracts
Matthew Thomson is the founder of Beyond Stays Group, a Manchester-based property which manages over £3 million worth of short-term rentals on Airbnb and Booking.com. He also agrees that the changes to chore rules aren’t an issue, however Airbnb has made other policy updates which impact hosts.
He said: “We don’t ask guests to do things like removing bedding from beds and cleaning anyway, so it’s not a major issue for us. I don’t think hosts should be asking guests to strip beds, or take rubbish further away from a bin on a premises. So those rule changes haven’t affected us.
“It’s shocking to think that some hosts are actually asking guests to clean up and then charge them a cleaning fee.
“What is a big one for us is that hosts can no longer impose fines and that does affect us. Only this week we’ve had a one-night stay in one of our apartments where the guest has had a party. There was a mess everywhere, drugs were found on the premises.
“Previously a security deposit would have allowed me to recoup some of the lost revenue through extra cleaning fees, or put off the quest from booking all together. Now I have to have a battle with Airbnb about getting compensated.
“Before when I had a security deposit I didn’t even have to contact Airbnb. So that’s very frustrating for us. Another change is that we can no longer have a contract with guests. Previously we would have had a guest agreement which said no parties, no smoking, no drugs, no extra guests. We’ve had to remove that.”
According to the Airbnb website, hosts generally may not ask guests to sign a separate contract or rental agreement, except in the following situations: when they are required by law or community association rules; necessary to facilitate access to an optional amenity (such as a golf cart rental), requested in connection with a monthly stay (28 nights of more); or related to a stay at a Luxe listing.
The website states that most hosts are not allowed to charge a security deposit and that they should use the Resolution Centre to seek reimbursement from guests. There are some exceptions to this, with deposits and credit card holds allowed in select cases such as some software-connected hosts and hotels.
Matt added: “The changes to chores I completely agree with as some hosts do take the mickey, but the changes to contracts and deposits is another matter. Personally, I’m more upset at not being able to protect my business.
“90-85 per cent of our guests dream, but it's the 10-15 per cent that ruin it for everybody. They either leave a bad review for some reason, often for something they haven’t reported during their stay which massively affects our business, they trash the joint, they wake the neighbours, checkout late…it’s unfortunate.”
Airbnb's Response
A spokesperson for Airbnb said: “House rules help guests understand what hosts expect, but we've heard from our community that they can be confusing, onerous and hard to manage. So we've redesigned them to make them easier to discover and clearer to set, alongside a new policy that keeps requests reasonable, with no surprises.”
Airbnb added that hosts remain in control of their house rules and requests, and can update them at any time. If a request doesn't follow the policy, the issue will be flagged by Airbnb and they can appeal if they disagree.
