Group Petition

We are professional hosts who want Airbnb to succeed, and we welcome clearer house rules. We are asking Airbnb to reconsider one part of the policy that applies to bookings made on or after November 20: the limits on rental agreements and guest verification.

Communities consistently name noise, parking, and trash as their top short-term rental concerns. In HOAs, condos, and resorts, pool and clubhouse behavior is on that list too. Many of these problems come from how many people are on the property, not how many sleep there. Airbnb’s new standard rule caps overnight guests only. Daytime visitor limits protect septic systems, keep noise down, and keep decks, balconies, and pools within safe capacity. Hosts use a short rental agreement to set those limits before anyone arrives.

Hosts also need a clear way to address the risks that come with pools, hot tubs, bunk beds, and watercraft. Insurers expect waiver and use-at-own-risk language, and a signed acknowledgment is the clearest way to document it.

Some towns and associations also require guest names, ages, or verification as a condition of renting. Hosts need clear permission to meet those requirements.

We ask Airbnb to:

1. Allow a short rental agreement, disclosed before booking, limited to terms relevant to the stay: safety, occupancy and visitor limits, parking, trash, noise, care of the property and shared areas, and use of amenities and equipment, including assumption-of-risk acknowledgments.

2. Provide a clear place in the listing to upload that agreement.

3. Allow third-party identity and age verification where required by law, ordinance, permit, or HOA, with data minimization and deletion after the stay.

4. Add a house rule option for maximum daytime visitors, alongside overnight guests, plus parking limits.

5. Confirm that safety signage and warnings for listed amenities are allowed.

6. Recognize association and permit requirements, and insurer-required risk terms, as qualifying exceptions.

7. Delay the effective date until hosts, associations, and carriers have been consulted.

We would welcome the chance to work with Airbnb on a version that protects guest privacy and gives communities confidence in short-term rentals.

Note from the petition starter, Annie Switzer:

My “Airbnb Breakup Letter” is on the public Facebook page that I run called “Say No to VRBO Service Fee.”  Please head over there to like & share on social media to raise awareness.

As a host, I felt completely betrayed and thought about ending my professional relationship with Airbnb when I saw the latest round of changes.  I know I’m not alone.

 So I penned a somewhat tongue-in-cheek breakup letter.  However, the main issues I raised are not a joke.

1) Skimming 15.5% off the fees another business charges me to clean is not okay especially after I had to sign a promise to pay them a living wage to continue listing on Airbnb.  

2) Telling me I can’t protect my property & my community with a rental agreement is not okay.  

3) Telling me I don’t need contact info for someone who has full unsupervised access to my property is also not okay.