 | Flytrippers cofounder |
Airbnb is the reference for private accommodation rentals. But many of them have very dreaded and dreadful requests, like making guests take out the trash or do the dishes. The platform just announced a major change and will ban hosts from imposing many of these tasks.
Many owners of accommodations listed on Airbnb have been really unhappy since this announcement this week, which is a good indicator that lots of travelers will be happy! I am, anyway. Enough to like Airbnb? Probably not, but it can’t hurt…
Don’t forget there’s an amazing current deal that gives you $755 to redeem on Airbnb. Flytrippers helps you travel for less with our 3 types of content, namely flight deals, travel rewards, and tips/inspiration/news.
Here are the changes to Airbnb’s rules.
What are the changes to Airbnb’s rules?
Airbnb announced fairly major rule changes on October 20.
There are 2 major components:
- Ban on unreasonable requests
- Standardization of house rules
Let’s look at each.
Ban on unreasonable requests
Many people, me included, hate Airbnbs because of hosts who have tons of requests and tasks/chores imposed on guests. The cheap free labor is frustrating enough, but even more so when they already charge cleaning fees.
(Note that it’s not imposed everywhere and that it’s mostly common in North America, another one of the many reasons why it’s the worst place in the world to travel!)
Airbnb is cracking down on hosts having guests perform cleaning tasks. They’ve decided that extra requests must be “reasonable”.
Specifically, Airbnb lists 3 requests that aren’t considered reasonable and can no longer be imposed:
- Taking the trash outside
- Doing the dishes
- Stripping the bed and starting the laundry
These kinds of rules were definitely one of the reasons why I prefer hotels, personally. I had great Airbnb experiences in Europe this summer (my girlfriend wanted to try it), but I still prefer not having to do anything!
So it’s good news. But if frustrated hosts actually leave the platform, that will reduce supply and could push prices up. Or they’ll try to make up for the chores they can no longer have guests do by raising the nightly price or the cleaning fees…
In addition to the chores, hosts can no longer request not to use utilities, like air conditioning, if they’re listed as an amenity. This one is common sense, and I’m shocked that this was even ever allowed.
(Reminder that Airbnbs in Europe often don’t have air conditioning, so watch for that if you’re unfortunately going in the middle of summer, as so many people do!)
Standardization of house rules
Airbnb wants to simplify house rules for hosts and guests.
There are 2 major components:
- 7 standard rules that can be imposed
- Rules displayed more prominently
There are only 7 rules that can be imposed:
- Number of guests sleeping in the accommodation
- Quiet hours
- Permission to host events
- Pets
- Permission to smoke or vape
- Commercial photography
- Process for locking the door when leaving
This simplification is great, and on top of that, the rules will now be displayed more prominently on accommodation pages. Instead of being in different places, all the rules will now be displayed clearly together in one place. Checkout instructions will no longer appear in a separate tab.
Hosts have until November 20 to review and adjust their existing listings. Airbnb will even highlight the now-banned requests from the previous section above on listings if they’re not resolved.
Airbnb’s host platform will clearly tell them that guests shouldn’t be asked to do tasks. You just love to see it!
Reminder of Airbnb tips
We haven’t talked about Airbnb much, so I wanted to share a rapid-fire list of tips (we’ve already shared tips for saving on hotels).
Compare on Vrbo: The simplest trick for saving on any travel expense is to always compare everything. For Airbnb, the main alternative is Vrbo, and it’s worth taking a few seconds to check there, since there aren’t 1,000 ways to save on the price itself.
Always book through the British Airways portal: Airbnb isn’t on the 3 biggest Canadian shopping portals, but British Airways Avios points are among the best for Canadians anyway. It gives you a nice free return on your bookings in a few clicks… instead of nothing at all.
Use the expense to unlock a welcome bonus: Welcome bonuses are the key to earning rewards faster. This is THE most important thing to understand: the best card to use to pay for literally everything is always a card with a bonus.
Buy Airbnb gift cards at the grocery store at 5X: If you’re sadly not unlocking a welcome bonus, at least earn 5 points per $ (instead of 1 point per $) on your Airbnb booking by using the grocery store gift card trick.
Use Scene+ points for free Airbnbs: The best rewards currency for Airbnb stays is Scene+ points, which have a simple fixed value for any travel expense booked on any site. You can get $755 with the current great deal.
Message hosts to ask for discounts: It costs nothing to try, and it’s more likely to work if you’re willing to walk away without booking (the key to any negotiation). I booked Airbnbs for the first time in years this summer, and it worked 1 time out of 2.
Always recheck your bookings regularly: Just like with hotels, prices often drop and new options often become available. This is probably the most profitable tip, yet it’s so little known by people who book any kind of accommodation and then never check again…
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Summary
The changes to Airbnb’s rules will please travelers who don’t like having to do cleaning chores on top of already paying cleaning fees. That said, hosts who were relying on the cheap free labor of their guests will certainly try to make up for it by raising the nightly price.
What would you like to know about the Airbnb changes? Tell us in the comments below.
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Featured image: My Airbnb in Riga this summer (photo credit: Andrew D’Amours/Flytrippers))
