Hey Airbnb, let's talk.

On November 20, Airbnb's new house rules policy kicks in. We get the idea behind it. Nobody wants guests hit with surprise fees or asked to scrub the kitchen before checkout.

But this policy goes way further than that. It makes it harder for hosts to post safety signs, know who's actually staying in their homes, use a rental agreement, or even stay in touch with their own guests. Those are the things that keep guests, hosts, and neighbors safe.

So we're asking Airbnb to hit pause and fix it. Here's why.

What's changing
Here's the short version of the new policy. It covers anything booked on or after November 20, 2026:

• All rules go in one spot on the listing. No adding rules later by message, in person, or with signs in the home.
• Requests have to be reasonable. No asking guests to do dishes, strip beds, do laundry or haul trash offsite.
• Rental agreements are mostly out. They're only allowed for legal or HOA requirements, monthly stays, Luxe listings and optional add-ons.
• Guest info is off-limits. No collecting contact info, payment details or ID copies. You can look at an ID at check-in if your listing says so, but you can't keep a copy.
• No fines, no outside reviews. You can't fine guests or ask them for reviews or surveys off Airbnb.
• Break the rules and you pay. That could mean a warning on your listing, dropping in search, or getting suspended or kicked off.

Why we're worried
Are safety signs now against the rules?

The policy says no new rules through signs in the home. So what about these?

1. No diving in the pool.
   Kids must be supervised in the pool.
2. Don't cook over the gas fire pit.
   Turn on the exhaust fan when using the stove.

Are those common-sense safety tips or sneaky house rules? Airbnb hasn't said. To be fair, it hasn't banned safety signs either. But the wording is vague enough that we can already hear the complaints: “The listing never said I couldn't move the grill closer to the house.” Nobody should need 47 pages of warnings in a listing to book a weekend getaway. Safety is hospitality.

You're handing someone the keys to a home
Knowing who's staying isn't a nice-to-have. Screening and ID checks are how responsible hosts stop parties, damage, fraud and worse, including shootings at short-term rentals. Lots of hosts use outside tools to vet guests. Now Airbnb is basically saying, “Trust us, this guest is legit, and if something goes wrong, we'll cover it.” Anyone who's filed an AirCover claim knows how that can go. Take away hosts' right to know who's walking through the door, and incidents will go up.

Rental agreements are just good business
Most hosts we know use a rental agreement. It spells out what's expected on occupancy, damage and behavior, and it protects both sides. Taking it away sets back years of work to make this a professional, trusted industry.

Hosts are getting cut off from their own guests
Hospitality is about relationships. No contact info and no reviews or surveys off Airbnb means hosts can't follow up, fix problems or invite great guests back. It feels like one more step toward making sure hosts never really know their guests at all.

This could backfire on everyone
The policy still allows ID checks when the law requires them. So guess what happens next? Cities and states start writing ID checks into law for every booking. Worst case, places that see more incidents just ban short-term rentals outright. Nobody wins there, Airbnb included.

Big penalties for fuzzy rules
Hosts can get hidden in search, suspended or removed for breaking rules that Airbnb hasn't clearly defined. That's not fair.

What we're asking for
We're hosts, property managers, industry folks and people who care about safe stays. We're asking Airbnb to:

1. Push back the November 20 date and actually talk with hosts and managers before rolling this out.
2. Say clearly that safety signs are OK. Pools, fire pits, grills, stoves, stairs, hot tubs, carbon monoxide, weather: put the exemption in writing.
3. Let hosts verify guests, including with secure third-party ID and screening tools, as long as it's disclosed before booking and the data is handled legally.
4. Let hosts use rental agreements when they're disclosed before booking, not just in a few narrow cases.
5. Let hosts collect basic contact info so they can run safe stays and look after their guests.
   Spell out what reasonable means, with real examples, and give hosts a fair warning and a way to appeal before any penalty.

Add your name if you think hosts should be able to post safety tips, know who's staying, use a rental agreement and actually get to know their guests.

Sign below and share this with every host you know.