Thank you hosts for your eloquent support! - Enclosed is a formal letter to Airbnb management.

Thank you everyone for being such excellent hosts! Airbnb is lucky to have you!

I wanted to update you to say that the change.org press team have been very supportive so thank you to those of you who have made donations to support the reach of the petition. We have had press approaches from the BBC and The Telegraph which I hope will bear fruit this coming week.

The key thing is to make contact with the policy makers at Airbnb and to keep our language respectful and our goals simple. To that end I am focusing on the issue of washing up. I recognise that other proposed changes are problematic but a single issue focus is more likely to achieve a reversal.

Below is the revised formal letter that I will share with media outlets this week. Please feel free to share it if you see fit. The goal is to get a meaningful response to the issues raised from the execs named in the letter -  Pepijn Rijvers, Chief Business Officer, and Marcela Aguilar, Vice President of Community.

Let’s keep up the momentum! Well done all!

‘Dear Mr Rijvers and Ms Aguilar,

I am writing to escalate a formal objection to Airbnb’s recently announced changes to its Reasonable House Rules and Requests policy, which are scheduled to take effect on 20 November 2026.

I am an Airbnb host and the organiser of the petition “Airbnb: Keep Self-Catering Self-Catering – Let Hosts Ask Guests to Wash Up!”

Since its launch on 21 October, the petition has attracted more than 17,200 signatures, demonstrating substantial opposition to Airbnb’s decision to prevent hosts from requiring guests to wash and put away dishes they have used.

The petition can be viewed here:

https://www.change.org/p/airbnb-keep-self-catering-self-catering-let-hosts-ask-guests-to-wash-up

The campaign has now attracted national and international media attention, including coverage by CBS News, WIRED and Sky News, as well as enquiries from BBC Washington and The Telegraph.

This level of interest suggests that the policy has raised concerns extending beyond a small number of individual hosts.

The substance of our objection:

I fully recognise that Airbnb has legitimate reasons to protect guests from excessive checkout requirements, particularly where substantial cleaning fees are already charged.

However, the new policy fails to distinguish adequately between professional cleaning duties and the ordinary domestic responsibilities traditionally associated with self-catering accommodation.

Asking guests to wash the dishes and cookware they have used is not equivalent to requiring them to clean bathrooms, launder bedding or undertake the work of professional cleaners.

For hosts operating larger properties, the additional burden could be substantial. A family or group staying for a week may use considerable quantities of cookware, crockery and utensils. Requiring cleaners to deal with all of these items adds time and expense to property turnovers.

These additional costs will either have to be absorbed by hosts or reflected in accommodation prices.

More fundamentally, the change raises questions about the extent to which Airbnb recognises the distinction between hotel accommodation and self-catering properties.

A wider concern about host consultation:

The response to the petition also reflects a broader frustration among hosts about Airbnb’s approach to policy development.

Hosts provide the properties, assume the financial and operational risks, and deliver the accommodation experiences upon which Airbnb’s business depends.

Nevertheless, major changes to hosting arrangements frequently appear to be introduced without meaningful consultation with those directly affected.

Airbnb has established Host Advisory Boards specifically to facilitate host input into company decisions. I would therefore welcome clarification of whether those boards were consulted about this policy and, if so, what concerns were raised.

Our formal requests:

On behalf of those supporting the petition, I am requesting that Airbnb:

1. Review and amend the washing-up restriction, allowing hosts to require guests to wash and put away dishes and cookware they have used, provided the requirement is reasonable and clearly disclosed before booking.

2. Clarify the position on household waste, expressly protecting proportionate requirements for guests to place rubbish and recycling in designated bins at the property.

3. Explain the consultation process undertaken before introducing the new policy, including whether Airbnb’s Host Advisory Boards were involved.

4. Refer the petition to the appropriate senior decision-makers and Host Advisory Board, so that the concerns raised receive substantive consideration.

5. Arrange a meeting or direct discussion with a representative of Airbnb’s senior Host Policy Team to consider a proportionate amendment before implementation.

I would also ask Airbnb to consider suspending implementation of the washing-up restriction while these concerns are reviewed.

Request for a substantive response:

The petition continues to attract support, and I am committed to keeping its signatories informed of developments.

I have already attempted to raise these concerns through Airbnb’s UK communications channels, but have not yet received a substantive response.

Given the scale of the response and the approaching implementation date, I request a written response by 6 November 2026, confirming:

● Who within Airbnb has responsibility for reviewing this objection;

● Whether Airbnb is prepared to reconsider the washing-up restriction;

● Whether a discussion with the Host Policy Team can be arranged before implementation.

I would welcome a constructive dialogue and hope that Airbnb will regard this campaign as an opportunity to engage with its hosts rather than as an adversarial challenge.

The objective is not to undermine Airbnb’s efforts to protect guests from excessive demands. It is to preserve a fair and practical distinction between professional cleaning and ordinary responsibilities in self-catering accommodation.

Airbnb’s hosts are essential partners in its business. I hope the company will demonstrate that their collective views are taken seriously.

Yours sincerely,

……………’