10/22/2026
This is a copy of the email I sent to Airbnb about the policy change on 11/20/26. I encourage other hosts to do the same. I have included email addresses for the top 2 at Airbnb. The more of us that do this and the ore of us that turn our listings off on 11/19/26 the better. Please join me in this!
Sent to [email protected] and [email protected]
To the Airbnb Leadership Team,
My name is Terry Lawrence, and I currently have 20 vacation rental units listed on Airbnb. This year alone, my properties have generated approximately $600,000 in revenue through your platform. I am writing to explain why I intend to remove my properties from Airbnb before the new policy takes effect on November 20, 2026.
This is not a decision I have made lightly. Airbnb has been an important source of business for my company, but the direction of these policy changes has made it increasingly difficult to operate my properties in a way that protects my investments, maintains the quality of my units, and holds guests accountable for their actions.
Checkout Responsibilities: A One-Size-Fits-All Approach Does Not Work
I understand that some hosts require guests to complete an excessive number of checkout tasks. I agree that guests should not be expected to perform the work of a professional cleaning crew. However, I also believe hosts should have the ability to establish reasonable checkout requirements, provided those expectations are clearly disclosed before a guest books.
For my properties, I ask guests to complete only three simple tasks:
Load and start the dishwasher.
Dispose of their trash in the trash chute provided on each floor.
Set the thermostat to 72 degrees before departure.
These are not unreasonable demands. They serve specific purposes that help protect the property and maintain a healthy environment for future guests.
Dishes and trash: When a unit does not have a same-day turnover, cleaning teams sometimes prioritize units that must be ready for an incoming guest that day. As a result, there may be a delay before a cleaner reaches the next unit. Leaving dirty dishes, food residue, and trash sitting in a warm, humid coastal environment creates an unnecessary risk of attracting roaches and other pests.
Thermostat settings: My units are directly on the Gulf, where humidity control is critical. Guests sometimes raise the thermostat thinking they are helping conserve energy. Unfortunately, this can prevent the HVAC system from running enough to control indoor humidity, increasing the risk of moisture problems, mold, and damage to the property.
These three small requests help protect the property, reduce preventable maintenance problems, and ensure a better experience for future guests.
People often argue that hotel guests are not required to complete checkout chores. However, a typical hotel room does not have a fully equipped kitchen where dirty dishes and leftover food can sit for extended periods. Vacation rentals have different operating requirements, and their policies should reflect those differences.
Even though I disagree with Airbnb dictating these details, I recognize that it is your platform and that you have the right to establish its rules. If the only issue were checkout tasks, I would adapt. I could increase my cleaning fees to cover the additional cleaning visits needed to compensate for tasks guests would no longer be permitted to perform. That would increase the cost to guests and potentially increase Airbnb's revenue through its service fee, but it would be a business adjustment I could accept.
Rental Agreements, Guest Identification, and Security Deposit Holds Are Non-Negotiable
The issue I cannot accept is being required to rent a million-dollar condominium to a guest without the ability to require three basic safeguards:
A signed rental agreement: I need a legally enforceable agreement that establishes the terms of the stay, communicates property rules, and helps protect my investment.
Guest identification: I need to verify who is staying in my property and maintain the information necessary to identify the responsible party and pursue appropriate legal remedies if a serious issue arises.
A security deposit authorization hold: I need a reasonable means of addressing certain costs and damages that may not be covered by AirCover or a damage waiver.
These are not unreasonable demands for a vacation rental operator. They are fundamental risk-management tools for protecting valuable real estate.
Consider what can happen when a guest violates condominium association rules. A guest might smoke on a prohibited balcony, bring an unauthorized pet onto the property, or commit another violation that results in a substantial HOA fine. Those fines may be charged to the owner, regardless of whether the owner personally caused the violation. There can also be damages, expenses, and other liabilities that are not covered by Airbnb's protection programs or a damage waiver.
Without a signed agreement, verified guest identification, and an appropriate security deposit authorization, I am being asked to accept risks that I cannot responsibly manage.
Airbnb's protection programs are not a substitute for allowing property owners to establish reasonable safeguards of their own. I am ultimately responsible for the property, its condition, its compliance with condominium rules, and the financial consequences when guests violate those rules. I should not be expected to surrender the tools necessary to manage those responsibilities simply to remain on a booking platform.
For me, these three requirements are non-negotiable. I will not compromise the protection of my properties to comply with a policy that prevents me from operating responsibly.
The Balance Between Hosts and Guests Has Become Increasingly One-Sided
Over the past several years, I have watched Airbnb introduce policy after policy that places additional restrictions on hosts while providing more flexibility and fewer responsibilities for guests. I understand that Airbnb must protect the guest experience, and I agree that fair treatment of guests is essential to your business.
However, a successful marketplace requires balance.
Hosts are not simply listing a spare bedroom or an inexpensive rental. Many of us have substantial investments, mortgages, insurance costs, maintenance expenses, employees, cleaning contractors, and legal obligations. We are responsible for keeping our properties safe, clean, compliant, and ready for every reservation.
When policies make it harder for us to protect those investments, the costs do not disappear. They are passed along through higher prices, additional operating expenses, reduced availability, or owners choosing to leave the platform altogether.
If Airbnb prohibits reasonable checkout responsibilities, hosts must find other ways to cover the additional labor. If Airbnb restricts the ability to require agreements, identification, or security deposit holds, owners must decide whether the resulting risks are acceptable. In my case, they are not.
Airbnb may view these changes as improvements to the guest experience, but they come at a real cost to the people who supply the properties that make the platform valuable.
Airbnb's Service Fee Must Be Considered in This Equation
Airbnb charges a host service fee of 15.5% under its current host-fee structure for my business. Although that fee may no longer be presented to guests in the same transparent manner as in the past, the cost does not simply disappear. It is ultimately reflected in the economics of the reservation and the price guests pay.
Meanwhile, after expenses, taxes, maintenance, insurance, HOA fees, utilities, cleaning, and other operating costs, an owner may be fortunate to retain a net profit of approximately 5-10% of revenue.
That means Airbnb can collect a service fee that is substantially larger than the owner's final profit margin, while the owner continues to carry the underlying real estate investment and all of the operational risk.
I understand that Airbnb provides marketing, booking infrastructure, payment processing, and access to a large customer base. I recognize the value of those services, which is why I have continued listing my properties with you and generating substantial business through your platform.
However, a relationship in which the platform collects a significant fee while continually limiting an owner's ability to protect the investment behind each reservation is not sustainable indefinitely.
Airbnb needs to recognize that hosts are business partners in this marketplace, not simply suppliers who can be expected to absorb every new cost, restriction, and risk.
My Decision and My Request to Airbnb
I hope Airbnb will reconsider these policy changes before November 20, 2026. I am not asking Airbnb to abandon reasonable guest protections or to allow hosts to impose excessive checkout requirements. I am asking for a more balanced approach that recognizes the legitimate business needs of property owners.
Hosts should be permitted to establish reasonable, clearly disclosed checkout instructions that protect their properties. More importantly, hosts should retain the ability to use appropriate rental agreements, verify guest identities, and obtain reasonable security deposit authorizations to protect their investments and comply with property rules.
I have invested significant time and money into building my vacation rental business. My 20 units have generated approximately $600,000 in Airbnb revenue this year, and I would prefer to continue that relationship. However, I will not continue listing properties on a platform that requires me to accept risks I consider unacceptable.
Unless Airbnb reconsiders its policy regarding these essential protections, I intend to delist my properties before the new policy takes effect on November 20, 2026.
I encourage Airbnb's leadership to consider the broader consequences of these decisions. Without hosts willing to invest in, maintain, and list their properties, there are no homes available for guests to book. A successful platform depends on both sides of the relationship, and long-term success requires policies that protect the interests of both.
Airbnb has built a valuable business by connecting travelers with property owners. I hope it will remember that those owners are the foundation of the inventory that makes the platform possible.
Thank you for taking the time to consider my concerns. I hope this letter will be taken seriously and that Airbnb will reconsider a policy direction that risks driving experienced hosts away from the platform.
Sincerely,
Terry Lawrence
Owner and Operator
Terrys Vacation Rentals
