Airbnb emailed hosts on Wednesday to announce that, for all bookings made on or after November 20, they may no longer require guests to complete tasks 'that would typically be performed by a cleaner,' such as stripping the bed, taking trash offsite, or washing and putting away dishes.

According to WIRED, Airbnb spokesperson Simon Letouze says hosts can still make 'reasonable' requests, like putting dirty dishes in the sink, taking short showers during drought-related water restrictions, or placing trash in bear-proof containers.

The platform is also blocking workarounds: WIRED reports that hosts who tried to move chore lists into their listings' 'Requests' section saw them flagged in red with a pop-up reading 'Guests shouldn't be asked to do this task,' and printed checkout lists are barred too.

The move strikes at one of travel's longest-running irritations: guests paying hefty cleaning fees and still facing a chore list before checkout.

Futurism frames the update as ending the 'reign of tyrannical Airbnb hosts,' noting travelers have begged for these changes for years, and VICE argues Airbnbs are finally learning the lesson hotels learned long ago — people don't want to work on vacation.

The surprise is not the policy direction, which CEO Brian Chesky had hinted at when he noted vacationers shouldn't be throwing linens in the wash, per VICE, but the intensity of the host revolt that followed within hours.

Host forums turned into open rebellion. WIRED documented hosts calling Airbnb 'like an abusive partner' on Reddit, threatening to strip kitchens down to bare essentials, and circulating a letter demanding the right to set 'common-sense expectations.'

One Facebook poster urged a platform-wide strike: 'Even if we all unlist our properties for just a day or two, we can send a powerful message. Airbnb built its empire on OUR properties.'

Mashable reports a change.org petition with over 11,000 signatures arguing that washing dishes is 'not professional cleaning duty' but 'an ordinary aspect of living responsibly in somebody else's property,' and warns the added cleaning costs could eventually push prices up for guests.

The backlash is not unanimous. Mashable reports that a self-described super host posted that 'any hosts complaining should leave AirBnB,' while another agreed: 'I cannot imagine asking a guest to strip the bed, take the garbage out, wash the dishes, or start laundry.

To me, that's insane.' Others told Mashable they already offered easy checkouts and now fear losing that differentiator, or argued that considerate guests tidy up anyway, so chore lists only frustrate people who were going to clean regardless.

Futurism notes one vengeful host promised to raise cleaning fees 'to cover the additional cleaner,' while another on Mashable's account said hotels don't ask these things and 'neither should we.'

The chore ban does not license trashing a rental. Airbnb's existing ground rules require guests to treat a host's home like their own — trash in the can, no moldy dishes — and hosts can still leave cleanliness-based reviews, WIRED reports.

WIRED also notes hosts cannot charge fees for skipped checkout tasks, since cleaning fees are meant to cover turnover work like laundry and vacuuming, while the AirCover program reimburses up to $3 million for certain guest-caused damage, including smoke odor removal and pet accidents.

Separately, from November 20 hosts can't force guests to sign separate contracts, with limited exceptions for local legal requirements, longer stays, or optional amenities like golf cart rentals, per The Times of India.

Enforcement begins with bookings made on or after November 20, and Airbnb warns that violators may receive warnings or, in severe cases, have listings removed or be banned from the platform entirely, according to WIRED and The Times of India.

The escape attempts are already underway: WIRED found hosts planning to relocate rules to 'Guest Access,' hand out a 'house manual' with a codeword, or simply reword the Requests section — moves that are unenforceable or against current policy.

Mashable adds that Ryan Robbins, a host in Searsport, Maine, told NEWS CENTER Maine the change 'doesn't allow us to manage our properties the way we should be able to,' leaving some hosts weighing whether to stay on the platform at all.