No more unreasonable cleaning chores or hidden fees for guests, Airbnb announces

(KTLA) - Airbnb guests won’t have to do strenuous cleaning chores during checkout as the company aims to revamp its pricing strategies and the guest checkout experience.

The vacation and short-term rental company announced Monday the changes as it tries to make pricing more transparent after customers complained about hidden fees.

Starting in December, a new filter option will allow Airbnb users to see the total price of a rental, before taxes, instead of the nightly rate. Renters will also notice a change to their searches on Airbnb.

"The highest quality homes with the best total prices will rank higher in search results," Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky added on Twitter.

New changes will also come to the guest checkout experience, Airbnb announced. Hosts won’t be able to require guests to do labor-intense chores, like vacuuming or doing laundry, but can direct them to do light cleaning and housekeeping tasks, like throwing food away or turning off the lights.

Chesky called those smaller tasks reasonable on Twitter, noting they're things you would do "when leaving your own home."

Airbnb hosts will be given new pricing and discounting tools starting in early 2023 to help them understand what guests would be paying for and how they can set competitive prices for their rentals, a company press release said.

Airbnb will release more information about the new updates as they roll out.

Earlier this month, Airbnb reported a record $1.21 billion profit for the third quarter as bookings and average daily rates increased. The company said that demand for short-term rentals remains strong despite uncertainty over the economy.

The profit and bookings were both less than Wall Street expected, however. The company said bookings growth will slow in the fourth quarter while average daily rates will also be pressured.

Perhaps one of Airbnb's largest fundamental threats is the perception among many guests that bookings on the site are no longer a bargain because of high cleaning fees and misleading listings.

Some renters have posted photos of detailed lists of chores that hosts demand they perform. The discontent runs both ways, though — hosts are increasingly complaining about problem tenants.

Airbnb is fighting a long-running battle to crack down on unauthorized parties, a few of which have ended with shootings. The company also faces more efforts by local residents and governments to regulate the short-term rental market.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.