10/23/2026
**IMPORTANT AIRBNB POLICY UPDATE**
**Effective November 20, 2026**
Dear Cedar Creek Cleans Airbnb & Short-Term Rental Clients,
We want to make you aware of an important Airbnb policy change that may directly affect your property’s checkout procedures, cleaning requirements, and potentially your cleaning costs.
Beginning with reservations booked on or after **November 20, 2026**, Airbnb is implementing updated rules regarding what hosts may require guests to do during their stay and before checkout.
Under the new policy, Airbnb generally does not allow hosts to require guests to complete tasks that would normally be performed by a professional cleaner.
This includes asking guests to:
• Wash and put away dishes
• Strip beds or remove linens
• Start laundry
• Take trash off the property
Airbnb does allow certain reasonable requests. For example, hosts may ask guests to place used dishes in the sink, gather used towels, separate trash/recycling into designated indoor receptacles, turn off lights or utilities when leaving, and lock the property at checkout.
# # # HOW THIS MAY AFFECT YOUR CLEANING SERVICE
Historically, many vacation rental checkout procedures have relied on guests completing basic tasks before the cleaning team arrives. These tasks help our cleaners complete turnovers efficiently, particularly when properties have same-day check-ins.
With Airbnb's new policy, our cleaners may arrive to find:
• Sinks containing used dishes and cookware
• Dishwashers that have not been started or emptied
• Additional kitchen cleanup
• Beds that have not been stripped
• Towels and linens throughout the property
• Additional trash requiring removal or handling
• More work required during the same turnover window
As a result, some properties may require additional cleaning time.
# # # POSSIBLE IMPACT ON CLEANING FEES
**Cedar Creek Cleans is not automatically increasing every Airbnb cleaning rate because of this policy change.**
We will monitor each property individually after the new policy takes effect.
However, if we begin consistently seeing additional labor caused by the new checkout requirements, we may need to reevaluate the cleaning rate for that specific property to ensure the scheduled cleaning time and cleaning fee accurately reflect the work required.
For properties with larger kitchens, high guest capacities, numerous beds, or tight same-day turnover windows, the impact may be greater.
Please also understand that Airbnb states that hosts may not charge guests a fee or penalty simply because they failed to perform a specific cleaning or checkout task. Therefore, owners should not rely on an additional guest cleaning charge as a way to recover routine labor resulting from these changes.
Guests are still expected to treat the property respectfully and should not leave a home requiring excessive or deep cleaning. Situations involving excessive cleaning, damage, stains, smoke odors, or other conditions beyond a normal turnover may be handled differently under Airbnb's policies.
# # # GUEST COUNT, VISITORS & ADDITIONAL CLEANING
We also want owners to be aware that the number of people **using the property** can have a significant impact on the amount of cleaning required, even when those individuals are not overnight guests.
Our standard cleaning rates are based on the property's normal occupancy, typical use, and the amount of labor normally required to complete a turnover.
A reservation may show a certain number of overnight guests while additional friends, family members, event attendees, or other visitors spend time at the property during the stay. These additional visitors can result in substantially more:
• Dishes, glassware, and cookware
• Trash and food waste
• Bathroom usage
• Towels and other linens
• Floor and surface cleaning
• Outdoor and patio cleanup
• Furniture resetting
• General cleaning time
For this reason, we strongly recommend that owners establish and clearly communicate reasonable rules regarding * gatherings, parties, and events** in accordance with Airbnb's policies and any applicable property restrictions.
Owners should also understand that a property's standard cleaning rate is **not intended to cover unlimited occupancy or unusually heavy use simply because the additional individuals did not stay overnight.**
If our team encounters a property that requires substantially more labor than a normal turnover because of unusually high occupancy, a gathering, an event, excessive visitors, or other extraordinary use, Cedar Creek Cleans may document the condition and notify the owner of the additional labor required and get approval before cleaning.
Where appropriate and permitted, **additional cleaning charges may apply when the condition of the property requires cleaning beyond the property's normal turnover scope.** Any such charge will be based on the additional work required rather than simply the number of people who visited the property.
This distinction is important: **additional visitors do not automatically create an additional cleaning fee. Additional cleaning work does.**
We encourage owners to make sure their listing accurately reflects the property's maximum occupancy and that their house rules clearly address visitors and gatherings.
OUR RECOMMENDATION TO OWNERS
We strongly recommend reviewing your Airbnb listing and checkout instructions before November 20.
Rather than requiring guests to complete tasks that may conflict with Airbnb's new policy, consider using courteous, optional language where appropriate, such as:
“If you have time before departing, we appreciate you placing used dishes in the sink and leaving the home reasonably tidy. Our cleaning team will take care of the rest.”
We also recommend removing language that threatens an automatic additional cleaning fee solely because a guest did not wash dishes, strip beds, start laundry, or complete another checkout chore.
WHAT CEDAR CREEK CLEANS WILL DO
Our goal remains the same: provide a clean, consistent, guest-ready property while protecting the interests of our property owners.
After November 20, we will continue monitoring turnover times and documenting unusual or excessive conditions when necessary. If we see that the new Airbnb policy is consistently increasing the labor required at your property, we will contact you before making any permanent adjustment to your standard cleaning rate.
When our team encounters excessive cleaning caused by unusually heavy property use, we will document the condition whenever reasonably possible so owners have information available to address the situation with their guest or booking platform.
We appreciate your continued partnership and want to make sure our owners are prepared for these changes before they begin affecting reservations.
Cedar Creek Cleans
Residential | Airbnb | Commercial
Serving Cedar Creek Lake & Surrounding Communities
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