10/24/2026
My email to Airbnb. Yes it’s long but there is a lot that’s at issue. If I don’t get a reply by the end of the week I’ll send a summary 😁
“I am writing to formally express my concerns regarding Airbnb’s revised House Rules Policy, scheduled to take effect for reservations booked on or after November 20, 2026. While I understand and appreciate the intention to improve the guest experience by simplifying checkout expectations and protecting guest privacy, I believe the policy changes, as currently presented, fail to adequately consider the operational realities of short-term rental management, the responsibilities of professional housekeeping providers, and the potential consequences for hosts, guests, and the long-term sustainability of the platform.
I am asking Airbnb’s executive leadership to reconsider the practical implications of these changes and engage directly with experienced hosts and professional housekeeping providers before implementing policies that could have significant financial, operational, and security implications across the short-term rental industry.
I am approaching this matter from two important perspectives: that of a hospitality professional with 30 years of experience and that of an Airbnb shareholder who has a financial interest in the company’s long-term success.
1. My Perspective as a Hospitality Professional
I bring 30 years of professional housekeeping experience to this discussion. I began my career in the hospitality industry, later transitioned to independent housekeeping, and now exclusively service and cohost short-term rentals (STRs).
My concerns are grounded in decades of experience understanding the labor, scheduling, sanitation, security, and operational demands required to maintain a property to professional hospitality standards.
2. The Distinction Between Cleaning and Housekeeping Must Be Recognized
One of my primary concerns is the assumption that tasks such as washing dishes, managing laundry, changing linens, making beds, removing trash, and restocking supplies are automatically included in a standard cleaning service.
They are not necessarily the same service.
Professional cleaning and housekeeping are distinct service categories, even when one provider offers both. A cleaning appointment may cover the sanitation and cleaning of bathrooms, kitchens, floors, and surfaces. Full housekeeping may additionally include laundry, dishes, linen management, restocking, household organization, and other property-related responsibilities.
These additional tasks require time, labor, equipment, utilities, and scheduling. They also affect the price a professional must charge to operate a sustainable business.
By restricting the checkout tasks hosts can require guests to perform, Airbnb is transferring more responsibility for property readiness to hosts and their service providers without necessarily addressing the additional labor and expense involved.
A policy should not redefine the scope of professional services without acknowledging the additional work required to meet the platform’s expectations.
I strongly encourage Airbnb to recognize the distinction between cleaning and housekeeping and provide hosts with clear guidance on how these services can be accounted for in their operating budgets and guest pricing.
3. Dirty Dishes and Food Waste Present Practical Sanitation Concerns
I understand that guests should not be expected to complete extensive cleaning duties at checkout. However, there is an important difference between asking guests to perform a cleaner’s job and requiring reasonable measures to protect a property until the next scheduled turnover.
Consider a guest who must leave a property unexpectedly due to an emergency. If dirty dishes containing food residue and household trash remain behind, and the cleaning provider cannot return for another 24 to 48 hours because of existing commitments, those conditions may attract insects and rodents.
The resulting problem can extend beyond ordinary turnover cleaning. It may require additional sanitation, disposal of contaminated items, pest-control intervention, and other corrective work.
Similarly, properties with scheduled municipal trash collection, shared waste facilities, or limited outdoor storage may require additional coordination to prevent overflowing bins, odors, and sanitation issues.
If hosts must arrange separate service visits to manage these situations, those visits require travel, labor, scheduling, and compensation.
These are real operational considerations that deserve to be addressed in a policy intended to improve the overall guest experience.
4. The Financial Consequences Will Ultimately Affect Guests
Airbnb’s goal of creating a better guest experience is understandable. However, reducing guest responsibilities does not eliminate the work required to prepare a property for its next reservation.
That work must still be completed by someone.
When additional labor is transferred to hosts and professional service providers, operating costs increase. Hosts may respond by raising cleaning fees, adjusting nightly rates, contracting additional services, or increasing the overall price of their accommodations.
Professional housekeeping providers must also charge rates that accurately reflect the services performed if they are to remain financially viable.
These costs will ultimately be reflected in the price guests pay.
There is a real risk that a policy intended to improve affordability and guest satisfaction could inadvertently contribute to higher accommodation costs, particularly for smaller independent hosts who do not have the economies of scale available to larger property management companies.
Airbnb should consider these downstream financial effects rather than evaluating the policy solely through the lens of checkout convenience.
5. Guest Identity Verification and Property Security Must Remain a Priority
Another significant concern is Airbnb’s revised restrictions on the collection of guest identification and personal information.
I recognize the importance of protecting guest privacy and preventing the unnecessary collection or retention of sensitive personal data. However, I am concerned that limiting a host’s ability to independently verify a guest’s identity may create additional security challenges for those entrusting their homes and properties to people they have never met.
Airbnb’s own identity verification process is an important safeguard, but no verification process is infallible. Airbnb acknowledges that identity verification cannot guarantee that a person is who they claim to be.
As a result, hosts may reasonably question what additional safeguards are available when a reservation presents unusual circumstances or when a property has specific legal, insurance, community association, or security requirements.
Under the revised policy, hosts generally cannot collect or retain copies of guests’ identification unless a qualifying exception applies. Although an in-person visual ID check may be permitted when disclosed in the listing, this is not equivalent to being able to retain documentation when such records are lawfully required or necessary under applicable building security procedures.
This raises several important questions:
What additional protections does Airbnb offer hosts when the identity associated with a reservation cannot be independently verified to their satisfaction?
How will Airbnb address situations involving suspected fraudulent reservations, identity misrepresentation, or unauthorized occupants?
How can hosts comply with legitimate legal, insurance, building security, and community association requirements without risking policy violations?
What practical options are available when a host identifies a credible security concern but cannot collect additional identifying information under the platform’s rules?
I believe Airbnb should provide clear guidance addressing these scenarios and ensure that hosts have a meaningful way to report and resolve legitimate identity-related security concerns.
I am not advocating for unrestricted collection of guest data or the unnecessary retention of identification documents. Rather, I am advocating for a balanced approach that protects guest privacy while recognizing a host’s responsibility to safeguard their property, comply with applicable requirements, and maintain a secure environment.
Privacy and property security should not be treated as mutually exclusive priorities. Airbnb should establish clear, practical procedures that support both.
6. Hosts Need Clear, Practical, and Fair Implementation Guidance
I encourage Airbnb to provide more comprehensive guidance addressing the realities of short-term rental operations, including:
Clear distinctions between standard cleaning services and full housekeeping services.
Practical guidance for food waste, dirty dishes, trash storage, and sanitation between reservations.
Consideration for properties with limited waste storage, scheduled collection, or other logistical restrictions.
A reasonable exception or appeal process for documented sanitation, safety, and property-specific concerns.
Clear guidance on lawful guest identification requirements, building security obligations, and suspected identity misrepresentation.
Transparent procedures for hosts to report security concerns and obtain timely assistance.
Meaningful consultation with independent hosts and experienced professional housekeeping providers before future policy changes are finalized.
A policy that affects millions of hosts should reflect the diversity of the properties, local requirements, and operational circumstances represented on the platform.
7. Airbnb Must Consider the Professionals Who Make Its Hospitality Model Possible
Airbnb has evolved considerably from its origins as a home-sharing platform. Today, many properties operate within a sophisticated hospitality environment that depends on professional cleaners, housekeepers, maintenance providers, and property managers.
These individuals are essential to maintaining cleanliness, sanitation, property readiness, and a positive guest experience.
Their labor should not be treated as an unlimited resource or assumed to be included in a basic cleaning fee. Nor should policies inadvertently encourage hosts to expect increasingly comprehensive housekeeping services without recognizing the associated costs.
Similarly, hosts should not be expected to assume additional security and operational responsibilities without clear guidance and adequate support from the platform facilitating their reservations.
A sustainable hospitality model must balance guest convenience with reasonable expectations for hosts and fair compensation for the professionals who perform the work.
8. My Perspective as an Airbnb Shareholder
I would also like to emphasize that I own shares in Airbnb. My concerns therefore extend beyond my professional experience as a housekeeper and short-term rental host. I also have a financial interest in the company’s long-term performance, reputation, and ability to maintain the confidence of the people who make its business model possible.
I believe Airbnb’s continued success depends on maintaining a healthy relationship between guests, hosts, and the service providers who support the platform.
Policies that create unintended operational burdens, increase costs, or leave hosts feeling that their property security concerns are not adequately addressed may affect host confidence and the overall quality of the platform’s offerings.
I recognize that Airbnb must balance competing interests and adapt to changing guest expectations. However, I believe that listening to experienced hosts and industry professionals before implementing significant policy changes is an important part of responsible business leadership.
As a shareholder, I want to see Airbnb continue to grow and succeed. I also want to see that success built on policies that are practical, sustainable, and attentive to the needs of all parties involved.
9. My Request to Airbnb Leadership
I respectfully ask Airbnb’s executive leadership to review the practical implications of the November 20, 2026, policy changes and consider further consultation with experienced hosts and professional housekeeping providers.
Specifically, I ask that Airbnb:
Reassess the operational implications of the revised checkout requirements.
Provide clearer guidance regarding the distinction between cleaning and housekeeping services.
Establish practical procedures for addressing sanitation, waste management, and property-specific concerns.
Clarify how hosts can meet legitimate identification and security requirements while complying with guest privacy protections.
Create a meaningful channel through which experienced hosts and service providers can contribute feedback before future policies are finalized.
I am not advocating for unreasonable checkout chore lists or expecting guests to perform extensive cleaning. I am advocating for a balanced policy that protects the guest experience while recognizing sanitation requirements, operational realities, professional labor, property security, and the financial sustainability of short-term rental businesses.
A successful policy should make expectations clearer without creating avoidable operational problems or shifting unacknowledged costs and risks onto hosts, service providers, and ultimately guests.
Airbnb has built a significant business by connecting people who want places to stay with people willing to open their properties to them. Preserving that relationship requires trust, reasonable expectations, and policies that acknowledge the responsibilities carried by both sides.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I hope Airbnb’s leadership will take these concerns seriously and welcome constructive dialogue with the professionals and shareholders who have a vested interest in the company’s continued success.
I would appreciate a substantive response outlining how Airbnb intends to address these concerns and whether there is an opportunity for experienced hosts and hospitality professionals to provide direct feedback to the teams responsible for these policy decisions.
Sincerely,
A Hospitality Professional with 30 Years of Housekeeping Experience
Independent Short-Term Rental Housekeeper and CoHost
Airbnb Shareholder
~Natosha Longo~
Floor To Ceiling Cleaning”
