Airbnb house rules 2026: what changes on November 20
Airbnb's new house rules policy explained: the standard rules, which requests are allowed, no new rules after booking, and how to explain your rules to guests.
Operations · · 7 min read · By StayPerk Team · Updated
Quick answer
What changed
From November 20, 2026, Airbnb house rules come from a short standard list, and everything else is a request. Guests must follow house rules but are only encouraged to follow requests. Hosts can no longer ask for cleaner-style chores, charge fines, or add new rules after booking, in messages or on signs in the home.
Airbnb announced the change on October 20, 2026 in Important changes to house rules. The new house rules and requests policy applies to reservations booked on or after November 20, 2026. Reservations booked before then keep the rules that were on the listing when the guest booked.
Last checked October 21, 2026. StayPerk is independent and not affiliated with Airbnb. Check your own Listing editor, because Airbnb flags requests it thinks break the policy.
The standard Airbnb house rules
House rules are now picked from a set list in the Listing editor. These are the rules guests must follow:
- Maximum overnight guests
- Quiet hours
- Events
- Pets
- Smoking, including vaping and e-cigarettes
- Commercial photography and filming
- Lock up at checkout, with optional details on where to return keys
Airbnb's help page also lists which Airbnb Services, such as a visiting chef, are allowed in the home. Anything outside the list becomes a request, such as "please take your shoes off inside". For each request you choose whether it applies during the stay or before checkout.
Which requests are still allowed
Requests must be reasonable for the type of listing and the place. Airbnb's own examples show where the line now sits:
| Topic | You can ask | You can't ask |
|---|---|---|
| Dishes | Put used dishes in the sink | Wash and put away dishes |
| Laundry | Gather used towels | Strip the beds or start a load of laundry |
| Rubbish | Sort rubbish and recycling into the indoor bins | Take rubbish off-site |
| Utilities | Turn off the air conditioning when you leave | Avoid using an amenity the listing advertises |
| Penalties | Note in the listing that a community association can fine for breaking its rules | Pay a fine or penalty to the host |
Airbnb house rule requests from November 20, 2026
Dishes
- You can ask
- Put used dishes in the sink
- You can't ask
- Wash and put away dishes
Laundry
- You can ask
- Gather used towels
- You can't ask
- Strip the beds or start a load of laundry
Rubbish
- You can ask
- Sort rubbish and recycling into the indoor bins
- You can't ask
- Take rubbish off-site
Utilities
- You can ask
- Turn off the air conditioning when you leave
- You can't ask
- Avoid using an amenity the listing advertises
Penalties
- You can ask
- Note in the listing that a community association can fine for breaking its rules
- You can't ask
- Pay a fine or penalty to the host
Local exceptions can apply. Airbnb's examples include shorter showers during a drought and animal-proof bins in bear country.
No new rules after booking
This is the change most likely to catch hosts out. Every rule and request has to be in the House rules and requests section of the listing at the time of booking. Airbnb's policy says hosts may not introduce new rules or requests after booking, in messages, on signs in the home or in person. Checkout instructions also no longer have their own tab.
- Move any rule that lives only in a welcome message, binder or door sign into the listing before November 20.
- Delete rules that conflict with anything else on the listing page, such as a check-in time.
- Remove fines. If an association or council can fine for something, say so in the listing instead.
- Separate contracts are only allowed in limited cases, such as a legal requirement, community association rules, monthly stays or optional amenities like a golf cart. Contracts go in the Contracts section.
- Don't ask for ID copies or other personal data unless the law or one of Airbnb's limited exceptions requires it.
If a request doesn't comply, Airbnb highlights it in the Listing editor and emails you, with an option to appeal. If it isn't fixed, guests may see an alert on the listing, such as "includes cleaning requests".
How StayPerk helps you explain your house rules
The policy limits what you can ask for, not how well you explain it. Guests follow rules they understand, and a lot of house rules were really instructions: where the bins are, how the hot tub cover works, which door locks behind you. A StayPerk guest manual gives those instructions a home without turning them into new rules.
- Copy your listing's rules and requests word for word into the manual's House rules section, so the listing and the manual always say the same thing.
- Explain the reason. "Quiet hours start at 10 pm because the bedroom next door belongs to our neighbour" gets more cooperation than the rule alone.
- Show how things work. Add a short video of the indoor recycling bins, the lockbox or the thermostat, so a request like "turn off the heating when you leave" is easy to follow.
- Keep checkout light. Use requests Airbnb allows, such as dishes in the sink, used towels gathered and the door locked, and leave the rest to your cleaner.
- Reach every guest. Guests open the manual on their phone with no app, and can read it in their own language.
- Offer extras instead of chores. Late checkout, a welcome hamper or a firewood bundle can be optional add-ons that guests choose and pay for in the manual.
Information, not new rules
For Airbnb bookings, use the manual to explain your existing rules and how the home works. Don't use it to add rules or requests that aren't on your listing. For direct bookings and other channels, your own terms apply, and the same manual can carry them.
- Build a free digital guest manual
Use the full editor, save progress in your browser, and follow the private-draft-to-publishing path step by step.
Checklist before November 20
- Open the Listing editor and set the seven standard house rules.
- Rewrite other rules as reasonable requests, during the stay or before checkout.
- Remove cleaner-style chores, fines and anything that limits an advertised amenity.
- Check that no rule lives only in a message, printed binder or sign.
- Update your guest manual and Welcome Book so they match the listing word for word.
- Brief co-hosts and cleaners so they don't add rules in person.
Frequently asked questions
When do Airbnb's new house rules start?
Airbnb announced the changes on October 20, 2026. The new house rules and requests policy applies to reservations booked on or after November 20, 2026. Earlier bookings keep the rules shown on the listing when the guest booked.
What are Airbnb's standard house rules?
Maximum overnight guests, quiet hours, events, pets, smoking (including vaping and e-cigarettes), commercial photography and filming, and lock up at checkout. Anything else is a request.
Is there a limit on how many house rules I can add on Airbnb?
Airbnb's policy sets no number. Rules come from the standard list, and other expectations are added as requests, which must be reasonable and appear on the listing before booking.
Can I still ask Airbnb guests to take out the trash or do the dishes?
Not as a chore. From November 20, 2026 you can ask guests to put dishes in the sink and sort rubbish into indoor bins, but not to wash and put away dishes or take rubbish off-site.
Can I put extra house rules on a sign or in a welcome message?
Not new ones. Airbnb's policy says hosts may not introduce new rules or requests after booking, in messages, on signs or in person. A sign or guest manual can repeat and explain rules that are already on the listing.
Can I fine Airbnb guests for breaking house rules?
No. Fines and penalties are not allowed. If a community association or local government can fine for something, you can tell guests in the listing. If a guest breaks a house rule, Airbnb lets hosts cancel without fees.
How does a guest manual help with the new Airbnb house rules?
It explains your existing rules and how the home works, with reasons and short videos, so guests follow requests they're only encouraged to follow. It should match your listing, not add to it.
Still have a question?
Write to us and a person will reply, or look it up in the Help Center.
Useful StayPerk pages
- House rules template
Copyable wording for clear house rules.
- Checkout message templates
Short checkout steps guests follow.
- Free guest signs
Print signs that match your listing.
- Welcome Book templates
Every design includes a House rules page.
Sources for this page
- Important changes to house rules (October 20, 2026) - Airbnb Resource Center
- House rules and requests policy - Airbnb Help Center
- Add house rules and requests to your listing - Airbnb Help Center