Airbnb hosts throw tantrums over strict rule changes as site loses its shine

They’re taking their spare keys and going home.Airbnb hosts around the world are hopping mad over the short-term rental giant’s sudden, sweeping crackdown on onerous demands made of customers — a move that appears to have sparked a global revolt, with many landlords threatening to leave the platform for good.The new rules rolled out by the tech titan take effect Nov.

20 — and will generally prohibit hosts from requiring guests to complete housekeeping tasks like washing dishes, stripping beds, starting laundry or hauling garbage off-site.Airbnb’s message to operators was brutally simple: Stop making vacationers do the job of a maid, especially after pocketing money for cleaning fees.

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By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Never miss a story “When adding a request, remember that most guests want to avoid unexpected chores,” the company warned hosts.

“Asking them to do things a cleaner should handle can negatively affect their stay and your reviews.”Rather than take a hint, property holders are staging a hissy on Airbnb’s in-house community forums — wailing that the new rules will turn their cash-cow rentals into animal houses.“They will rob us of toilet paper, destroy our towels and linens, leave holes and dents in walls,” one Airbnb host wrote, first reported by SFGATE.“And now you are ALLOWING guests to come in and be slobs.”As a result, some say they’re prepared to take their business elsewhere.“I get the feeling that Airbnb is asking me to leave the platform and look for alternative solutions, because everything is getting worse,” one host in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, fumed in an Airbnb community discussion.

“We do NOT agree with the new house rules and call on Airbnb to withdraw them,” another host in Switzerland wrote.“Every day, we as...