Listing on Airbnb: what owners need to know

Every Airbnb booking made from 20 November 2026 carries more risk for owners than it did before. Airbnb’s new House Rules policy limits what we can require of guests, and what we can recover when they fall short.

Airbnb remains one important short term rental channel for your property, offering domestic and international exposure. Our aim is to make sure you accept Airbnb bookings knowing exactly where the risks sit.

Why Airbnb still matters

Airbnb still delivers a significant share of short-term rental leads. Many guests start their search on Airbnb rather than on a destination or brand site, so leaving the platform would cut your property’s visibility and, in most cases, its occupancy.

That is why we continue to list on Airbnb. However, for bookings taken after 20 November 2026 when Airbnb makes changes to their policies, the trade-off has changed, and you should know what it now involves.

What Airbnb is changing on 20 November 2026

The new Airbnb policy applies to reservations booked on or after 20 November 2026. Bookings made before then stay under the old rules. For new bookings:

• Only seven standard house rules bind guests. These cover very basic enforceable rules such as maximum guests, quiet hours, and restrictions on smoking/vaping, parties and events, and pets (except service animals). Everything else is now a “request” that guests are encouraged, but not required, to follow.
• Cleaner tasks are off the table. Hosts generally cannot ask guests to take rubbish off-site, follow specific instructions to leave the property in a specific way or mandate extra charges or conduct.
• Linen cleaning is not covered. Costs for extra cleaning of owner’s linen or bedding is not claimable – it’s all bundled in the rental income.
• No fines. Hosts cannot charge guests for breaking house rules or impose penalties. Airbnb also wont assist to enforce rules or allow fines for breaking rules, unlike in the past.
• No extra charges. Airbnb expects costs to be fully inclusive for the amenities provided. For example, does your listing offer a pool and, then when they arrive, the guest realises it could be heated? These new restrictions do not allow us to charge extra for this amenity unless listings are really clear and state this upfront.
• Contracts, guest ID and security deposits are restricted. Separate rental agreements, pre-arrival ID checks and security deposits are largely ruled out, apart from narrow exceptions. Airbnb conduct their own checks to verify people, but we have no access to actual ID to conduct our own due diligence. Airbnb will allow hotels to capture ID, but short term rental homes cannot – even NSW strata regulation does not mandate compulsory ID for short term rental guests.
• Home Guides don’t offer protection. Extra requests in guides or signs inside properties don’t offer extra protection, and in fact, guests could complain to Airbnb who can enforce changes on hosts or in extreme cases, restrict listings.

See Airbnb’s Reasonable house rules and requests policy for the full detail.

The risk: guests are protected, owners have fewer tools

When you accept an Airbnb booking, the guest relationship belongs to Airbnb. Airbnb takes the payment, holds the guest’s identity details and decides disputes. Our ability to recover extra costs directly from Airbnb guests is limited.

From 20 November, that gap widens:

• We cannot validate guests before arrival. We can no longer require full names, ID or contact details for everyone staying.
• We cannot guarantee a security deposit. There is no bond to draw on if something goes wrong.
• We cannot require guests to sign our rental agreement. That agreement was built to protect owners and their property, covering excess garbage, cleaning, guest conduct and duty of care of the home and excess costs.
• Instructions become requests. Until 20 November, we could charge guests who ignored reasonable instructions. Now we can only ask. In practice, more guests will simply walk out and leave the rest to us. That means costs may rise and we may not have full recourse to claim from the guest.
• Airbnb caps cleaning fees. Airbnb uses local host data to define the cost of cleaning in the local area. We can review these fees, however Airbnb can put caps on the maximum cleaning fee we can charge.
• Listing content is flagged. We cannot bury rules or extra charges in listings. Airbnb flags and blocks listings which do not conform to Airbnb policy.

If a guest does cause a loss, recovery outside Airbnb means demand letters, debt collection or a tribunal claim. For a single stay, that often costs more than the amount at stake, and it relies on guest details we may no longer hold.

Don’t rely on AirCover

In our experience, AirCover is not a safety net for a premium property. Accidents and damage are rare, but they do happen, and when they do, AirCover often falls short.

• It is not insurance. Airbnb describes Host damage protection as a reimbursement program it runs on its own terms which essentially relies on guests paying for their damage, and if they dispute this, there’s signifcant limitations.
• Airbnb decides what is paid. Claims must be lodged within 14 days of checkout, wear and tear is excluded, and a claim does not guarantee payment.
• It rarely makes you whole. In our experience it does not fund like-for-like replacement of quality furnishings, and linen damage and extra cleaning costs are often not recovered.

Your own landlord and specialist short-term rental insurance remains essential. Be aware that insurers may need full guest details (full name, email address, home address, photo ID) to process a claim or a signed rental agreement, which we can no longer reliably collect for Airbnb bookings. These details are usually mandated to make a civil claim (your only other recourse), and the cost of this legal route may be more likely to be greater than the damage itself.

How we manage the risk

We will keep Airbnb as one channel among several, and manage it tightly:

• Review and adjust Airbnb guest fees.
• Set clear house rules within Airbnb’s seven, plus add key requests guests see before they book.
• Record the property’s condition and lodge claims quickly.
• Adjust Airbnb settings where needed, such as minimum stays, booking approval and pricing that reflects the risk.
• Keep growing direct and other channels, where our rental agreement, ID checks and deposits still apply.

What we ask of you

1. Check your insurance. Ask your broker or insurer to confirm your home and contents policy covers short-term rental, and what it needs from you to pay a claim. Never assume Strata or general landlord insurance covers short term rentals.
2. Review what’s in the home. Consider storing items that are irreplaceable or highly valuable. Keep an inventory of all items, including purchase receipts in case you need to claim.
3. Tell us your appetite for risk. If you’d prefer to limit or pause Airbnb bookings, we’ll discuss the likely effect on occupancy and income.

Our position

We have formally raised these concerns with Airbnb and asked it to restore reasonable protections for owners and professional hosts. We will keep you updated on its response.

In the meantime, accepting an Airbnb booking means accepting these risks. If you’d like to talk through what this means for your property, please get in touch.

Sources

Skift: Airbnb’s new policy for hosts (21 Oct 2026)

Airbnb: Reasonable house rules and requests

Airbnb: AirCover for Hosts and Host damage protection

Do you have your home or investment property listed on Airbnb? We can help diversify your rental opportunities. Get in touch with us today.

Frequently Asked Questions

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At Property Providers our core purpose is “Helping People Live Better”.  As Sydney’s most flexible residential rental agency, we are totally focused on Property Management and renting “Your Property, Your Way”. We have designed 6 different rental services covering all facets of Long-Term Leasing as well as Short-Term Stays. Unlike franchise real estate agencies, we see the value in pragmatism and flexibility. 

Whether you want to rent your property furnished or unfurnished, for 6 months or 5 years, we will manage your property, your way. Our bespoke marketing strategies deliver discerning international Tenants that understand quality and are prepared to pay for it. If you would like to learn more please continue exploring our website or call us on +612 9969 7599

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