“We can't do everything either”: tenants satisfied with the reduction in cleaning tasks in housing

Wash and put away the dishes, take out the trash, remove the sheets... All these tasks may be asked of you before returning an Airbnb accommodation. From November 20, the rules of the American platform change and owners will no longer have the right to ask tenants. And this announcement is appreciated differently.

For those accustomed to rentals via Airbnb, the new rule will not change much: making accommodation clean will remain the norm. “Taking out the trash, removing the sheets, that’s the minimum. The dishes too,” considers this tenant. “It seems quite logical to me to do it,” adds another. “For fear of a bad opinion, admits another. And also out of respect.”

Eric has a more nuanced opinion: it depends on the context and the price. "When we provide a service to individuals, it's normal. But when we provide a service to people who do business, for me it's no longer normal, he judges. If you ask us for 50 euros for cleaning and we have to take out the trash, it's not honest, we can't do everything either."

And Paul, owner of his home in Paris, which he often rents out, considers this argument to be entirely admissible. “I find that Airbnb is already expensive enough for guests, that we also ask them to put the sheets in the machine, to do all the dishes. Even if it takes me 15 minutes, it’s very little compared to the money we get from Airbnb,” he admits.

But for others, the pill does not work. On social networks, owners' discontent is growing: petitions, publications and videos. “We will be forced to increase our cleaning rates,” some warn. “How do you expect uncleaned trash cans and dishes to be included in the rental price?”, we can hear in publications.

Adeline uses the platform to rent her second home in Martinique. She doesn't lose her temper. "That means that tomorrow, if people have left trash cans for a week or two in the accommodation, I can't do anything. We almost have the impression that we're breaking trust with travelers, that anyone can come and do anything. It's quite scary. And then it's our home!"

Contacted, Airbnb explains: customers complained about restrictive instructions and were hesitant to book. The American platform calls for reasonableness. For example, do not ask travelers to wash the dishes but only to put them in the sink. Adeline takes it as an affront, she even plans to send a package of dirty dishes to Airbnb France headquarters.

"It really shocked me when I got the email. I said to myself, 'What are they trying to do with us?' A hotel and a seasonal rental are not the same thing. And there, they are trying to make it so,” denounces Adeline.

Today, 80% of her reservations go through Airbnb, so she stays. But it also turns to other rental platforms such as Booking and Abritel. Smaller French structures, for their part, are recording an unprecedented increase in registrations: GreenGo, for example, has multiplied its figures tenfold every day since the announcement of the new Airbnb rules.