Airbnb’s November 2026 Policy Changes: What Operators Need to Know

Airbnb has published a new policy on house rules and requests, and an updated policy on the contracts and information hosts may ask guests for. Both apply to reservations booked on or after 20 November 2026. If you run serviced accommodation, short lets or holiday lets on Airbnb, they change where your rules must live, which agreements you can ask guests to sign and what you can collect from guests.

This guide explains what Airbnb has published, in plain English, with links to Airbnb’s own pages. Where something is our reading or our suggestion rather than Airbnb’s wording, we say so. We checked Airbnb’s pages on 22 October 2026. Airbnb can update them at any time, so read the originals before you change anything. This guide is not legal advice.

Which bookings are affected

Airbnb’s pages say the new versions apply to reservations booked on or after 20 November 2026. Reservations booked before that date stay under the previous policy, which Airbnb keeps on the same page.

In practice, that means a period when some of your stays follow the old rules and some follow the new ones, depending on when each guest booked, not when they arrive. A stay booked on 1 November for a December arrival is under the previous policy. A stay booked on 25 November for the same dates is under the new one.

These policies are about stays booked through Airbnb. Our reading is that bookings you take on your own website or through other channels are not governed by them. They follow your own terms, the law and the rules of whichever channel they come through. That difference matters later in this guide.

Change 1: House rules and requests

Airbnb’s new Reasonable house rules and requests policy sets out where rules can live and what they can ask of guests.

One place, at the time of booking. House rules and requests must be disclosed in the designated section of the listing at the time of booking. Airbnb says hosts may not communicate new rules or requests in other parts of the listing or after booking, including by message, signs in the home or in person.
Seven standard rules. In its announcement of the changes, Airbnb lists seven standard rules hosts can set: maximum overnight guests, quiet hours, events, pets, smoking, commercial photography and locking up at checkout. Anything else is added as a request.
Rules versus requests. Guests must follow house rules. They are encouraged to follow requests.
No significant chores. Hosts generally may not ask guests to do tasks that take significant effort or time, or that a cleaner would normally do. Airbnb’s examples include stripping the bed, taking rubbish off-site and washing and putting away dishes. Asking guests to put used dishes in the sink or gather used towels is given as acceptable.
No fines, and no hidden fees. Hosts may not impose fines or penalties on guests. Fees for any advertised part of the listing must be included in the price shown at booking. Optional extras, such as breakfast, can be described in requests.
Enforcement. Airbnb says it may educate the host, ask for the listing to be updated or issue warnings. If a problem persists, it may show a notice on the listing, reduce its visibility in search or take other action under its Terms of Service.

Airbnb also says it considers the type of listing and local circumstances, and may grant exceptions. Its examples are drought-related water restrictions and animal-proof bins.

Change 2: Contracts and guest agreements

Under the updated Limiting host-imposed contracts and other requirements policy, hosts generally may not ask guests to sign a separate contract or rental agreement unless it is:

required by law or by community association rules, such as building security requirements;
needed for access to an optional amenity;
for a monthly stay of 28 nights or more; or
for a stay at a Luxe listing.

An allowed contract must be relevant to the stay, comply with Airbnb’s policies and be disclosed in the designated section of the listing. Airbnb may ask for evidence that it meets one of the criteria above. Contracts are publicly visible, so they should not contain personal information. Hosts collect signatures themselves, and Airbnb says it does not require guests to sign host contracts or help enforce them.

Under the previous policy, a host could ask any guest to sign a contract, provided the actual terms were disclosed in the listing description and included in full in the message thread with the guest. Our reading: if you currently send every Airbnb guest a standard guest agreement, check whether each listing falls within one of the four exceptions above for bookings made from 20 November.

Change 3: Guest data, ID and registration

The same policy says that, with limited exceptions, hosts may not ask guests for personal data at any point during the booking or the stay. That includes:

contact details, such as phone number, home address or email address;
identification details or documents, such as a passport, driving licence or photo;
card numbers, bank details or other financial data, except where Airbnb’s pricing and payment policy allows it;
background check or credit history information;
biometric or health data, such as fingerprints, facial recognition or medical records.

Airbnb verifies guests itself. Airbnb’s booking requirements explain that it may verify a guest’s identity during booking, for example with a photo of their government ID and a selfie, and that it does not share the guest’s government ID with hosts.

Checking ID at check-in. Airbnb says hosts may check a guest’s ID in person at check-in to verify their identity, if the requirement is disclosed in the requests section of the listing. They may not keep a digital or physical copy, except under the exceptions below.

Apps, registration and Wi-Fi. Hosts generally may not require guests to use a third-party app or register on another website to get into the property or use a critical amenity. Keyless entry apps that need registration are allowed if the host offers another way in when a guest asks. Optional apps that add to the stay are allowed. Wi-Fi portals that ask for an email address or other personal information are not allowed unless the listing is a hotel or resort, or an exception applies.

The exceptions. Collecting personal information, or asking guests to register elsewhere, is allowed only where it is necessary to comply with applicable law or a documented community association rule, or to get an allowed contract signed. The host must state what is required, and why, in the requests section before booking. They may not collect more than the law, rule or contract requires, and they are responsible for storing and disposing of it securely. Airbnb may ask for evidence that an exception applies.

Reviews and surveys. Hosts may not ask guests to review an Airbnb stay or complete a survey on another website, unless the listing is a hotel.

Our reading: online check-in forms, ID upload steps, guest registration portals and Wi-Fi sign-ins are the processes most worth reviewing. If you believe a legal requirement applies to your property, take advice on exactly what it requires, then disclose it the way Airbnb’s exception describes.

Deposits and claim windows: what we could and could not confirm

We have seen it reported that, from 20 November, hosts will have a strict seven-day window after checkout to make a deposit claim. We could not find that in Airbnb’s published pages. Here is what Airbnb’s pages do say.

Security deposits. Airbnb’s Pricing and payment transparency policy says most hosts are not allowed to charge a security deposit or a card hold for incidentals. Some hosts, including select software-connected hosts, may collect a deposit off the platform, as long as it is shown in the appropriate fee field before booking. Hotels may take a card hold or deposit at check-in on the same basis.
Seven days to refund. The same page says hosts must refund the deposit or release the hold in full within 7 days of checkout, or within 14 days for hotels, if the guest causes no damage and incurs no incidental charges. If a host keeps any of it, they should be ready to give the guest a written explanation and evidence.
Damage claims. Airbnb’s Host damage protection page says to file a reimbursement request in the Resolution Centre within 14 days of the responsible guest’s checkout. The same page says that to involve Airbnb Support, you must do so, with supporting documentation, within 14 days of the damage or loss. Airbnb’s Resolution Centre page gives up to 60 days after checkout for requests in general.
A note on 30 days. Some guides quote 30 days for a damage protection claim. That figure appears in an archived version of Airbnb’s Host Damage Protection Terms, last updated February 2025. The current Host damage protection page gives 14 days, so we would work to that.

The seven-day figure that appears on Airbnb’s pages is a deadline for refunding or releasing a deposit, not for making a claim, and the deposit page we read does not carry a 20 November date. If you have received a message from Airbnb that states a different window, follow Airbnb’s wording for your account. We will update this guide if Airbnb publishes more.

What to review before 20 November

A practical checklist. The items are our suggestions, based on the policies above.

Gather every rule you give guests. Listing text, house manual, welcome book, pre-arrival messages, check-in emails, signs in the property. For Airbnb bookings, anything that is a rule or request needs to be in the house rules and requests section at the time of booking.
Take out chores, fines and extra charges. Rewrite cleaning requests so they are reasonable, remove fines and penalties, and make sure any fee for an advertised feature is in the price shown at booking.
Check every guest agreement. For each listing, decide whether one of Airbnb’s four contract exceptions applies. If it does, disclose the terms in the designated section and upload the contract in your listing settings. If it does not, plan to stop requiring it for Airbnb bookings made from 20 November.
Audit what you collect. List what you ask Airbnb guests for and when: ID copies, contact details, registration forms, check-in apps, Wi-Fi portals. Keep only what Airbnb’s policy allows, or what an exception genuinely requires, and disclose it before booking.
Check how guests get in. If entry depends on an app that needs registration, make sure there is another way in for a guest who asks.
Review deposits and damage claims. If you are one of the hosts allowed to take a deposit, check it is shown in the fee field and that your team refunds within seven days of checkout. Set up your damage process so inspections, photos and any reimbursement request are done within 14 days of checkout, the deadline on Airbnb’s current Host damage protection page.
Stop off-platform review requests for Airbnb stays. Unless your listing is a hotel.
Brief your team and your software. Cleaners, check-in staff and any messaging automations should follow the same rules as your listing.
Keep each booking under its own rules. These changes are not a reason to collect outside Airbnb what Airbnb says you should not collect from its guests. Follow the rules of the channel each booking came through.
Take advice where the rules meet the law. Licensing or registration duties that require guest information, contracts for longer corporate or insurance stays, and how you handle guest data are questions for a solicitor or compliance adviser, not for a marketing agency.

Direct bookings and Airbnb bookings are different

A booking made on Airbnb is governed by Airbnb’s terms and policies. A booking made on your own website is governed by your own terms and conditions, your privacy notice and the law, and you are responsible for all three. The two can legitimately differ, for example in the guest agreement you use or the deposit you take, but only where the law and your own terms allow it.

UK data protection law applies to the guest information you hold, whichever channel the booking came through. Collect only what you need, tell guests why in a privacy notice, keep it secure and delete it when you no longer need it. The ICO’s guidance for small organisations is a sensible place to start.

That is why it is worth having your direct booking terms, privacy information and payment set-up reviewed properly, separately from your Airbnb listings. It is also why we do not recommend moving any part of an Airbnb booking off the platform to get around these changes.

What a direct booking website can contribute

Policy changes like these are a reminder that each platform sets its own rules, and that they change from time to time for every host on it. Most operators will keep listing on Airbnb and other sites, and that makes sense: they are a strong source of new guests.

What a direct booking channel adds is a route in that you control:

a place, on your own domain, where guests can see your properties and book or enquire with you;
a home for your brand that repeat guests, corporate clients and referrals can come back to;
your own terms, within the law, for the bookings you take there;
a destination for search and paid campaigns, and your own data on which of them work.

It is not a shortcut. A website does not create demand on its own, and results depend on demand where you operate, your pricing, where else you are listed, how well the site performs and the work done to bring people to it. We go into that on our Grow Beyond OTAs page.

Where design, SEO, Google Ads and booking integrations fit

A direct booking channel is several pieces working together.

The website. Property and location pages, a clear path to book or enquire, and trust where guests look for it. See website design for serviced accommodation and direct booking websites.
Booking integration. The website connected to the booking system or channel manager you already run, where it supports it, so availability and rates come from one place.
Search. Pages built around how guests search for a stay, so the website earns visits of its own over time. See SEO for serviced accommodation.
Paid traffic. Google Ads for the searches worth paying for, sent to pages built for them. See Google Ads.
Upkeep. A website that is maintained and improved as the business grows. See website maintenance.

Frequently asked questions

Do the changes apply to bookings I already have?

Not according to Airbnb’s pages. The new policies apply to reservations booked on or after 20 November 2026. Reservations booked before then stay under the previous policy.

Can I still check a guest’s ID?

Airbnb says you may check ID in person at check-in, if the requirement is disclosed in the requests section of your listing. You may not keep a copy, unless one of Airbnb’s exceptions applies, such as a legal requirement. Airbnb also verifies guests’ identity itself where it needs to, and does not share their government ID with hosts.

Can I still ask Airbnb guests to sign a guest agreement?

Only in the cases Airbnb allows: where the law or community association rules require it, for an optional amenity, for monthly stays of 28 nights or more, or for Luxe listings. The terms must be disclosed in the designated section of your listing.

Can I still take a security deposit?

Airbnb says most hosts cannot. Some, including select software-connected hosts, may collect a deposit off the platform if it is disclosed in the fee field before booking, and must refund it within seven days of checkout if there is no damage or incidental charge.

Do these rules apply to bookings on my own website?

Airbnb’s policies are about stays booked through Airbnb. Bookings on your own website follow your own terms and the law. Take advice on your terms, your privacy notice and any deposit you take.

Should I stop using Airbnb?

This guide does not suggest that. For most operators, the listing sites remain an important source of guests. The question is whether they should be the only one.

Where can I read the policies in full?

On Airbnb’s Help Centre: Reasonable house rules and requests, Limiting host-imposed contracts and other requirements and Pricing and payment transparency. Check the version for your country, and any messages Airbnb sends to your account.

Talk to us about the next step

If you would like a second channel alongside your listings, read how we approach it on Grow Beyond OTAs, or book a call to talk through your portfolio, your booking set-up and where you want the business to go.

What if your next landlord is already visiting your website?