Table of Contents
- ⚡️ The 3-minute version
- 1. What changes, and when: a side-by-side comparison
- 2. The seven standard rules and "Requests": what you can and can't ask
- 3. Three things you can no longer do
- 4. For hosts in Japan: what happens to the guest register and passport copies?
- 5. How to square this with Japan's explanation duties
- 6. Checklist: what to fix before November 20
- 7. For operators: take the guest register, check-in, and cleaning off your plate with AirHost
- Frequently asked questions
- Summary
- Related reading
- References
Airbnb's New House Rules from Nov 20, 2026: What Hosts in Japan Must Change
Last updated: October 27, 2026
Airbnb's new house rules policy applies to reservations booked on or after November 20, 2026. Only rules written in your listing's house rules and requests section before booking count. Rules added after booking, fines, and cleaning-type chores are no longer allowed. For hosts in Japan, the guest register and passport copies required by Japanese law can still be collected, as long as you disclose them in "Requests" before booking and collect no more than the law requires.
"Can I still ask guests to wash the dishes or strip the beds at checkout?"
"I've heard hosts can't keep ID copies anymore. But Japanese law requires passport copies. Which one wins?"
"My house rules sheet is posted inside the apartment. Is that still allowed?"
Hello. This is the Digital Marketing team at AirHost. On October 20, 2026, Airbnb announced a major change to how house rules work. There is plenty of coverage aimed at hosts in the US and Europe, but very little on the questions that matter specifically in Japan: the guest register, passport copies, and the explanation duties under the Housing Accommodation Business Act.
This guide is based on Airbnb's official Help Center and Resource Center. It covers what changes, what hosts operating in Japan need to watch, and what to fix before November 20.
⚡️ The 3-minute version
The new policy applies to reservations booked on or after November 20, 2026. The booking date counts, not the stay date.
House rules now consist of seven standard rules plus "Requests." Only what is in your listing before booking applies.
Rules added after booking (by message, sign, or in person), fines, and chores a cleaner would do are generally not allowed.
Collecting ID copies and other personal data is generally prohibited, with an exception when the law requires it. Japan's guest register and passport copies fall under that exception if you disclose them in "Requests" and collect only what the law requires.
The rule of thumb: "Rules before booking, requests short of cleaning, guest data only as the law requires."
What are Airbnb house rules?
Airbnb house rules are the rules hosts set in their listing for guests to follow during a stay. From October 20, 2026, they consist of seven standard rules (maximum overnight guests, quiet hours, events, pets, smoking, commercial photography and filming, and lock up at checkout) plus reasonable "Requests" that hosts can add.
1. What changes, and when: a side-by-side comparison
Airbnb changed the house rules tools in the Listing editor on October 20, 2026, and is introducing a new house rules policy that takes effect on November 20, 2026 (Airbnb Resource Center, "Important changes to house rules").
Item | Before | Reservations booked on or after Nov 20, 2026 |
How rules are written | Largely free text | Seven standard rules + "Requests" |
Where rules are communicated | Listing, messages, in-home signs | Only the listing's "House rules and requests" section |
Adding rules after booking | Some hosts did this via messages or signs | Not allowed (no messages, signs, or in-person additions) |
Checkout tasks | Up to the host | Cleaner-type tasks are "unreasonable" |
Fines | Some hosts set them | Not allowed |
ID copies and personal data | Some hosts required them | Generally not allowed, with exceptions such as legal requirements |
The key detail is the booking date. The updated policy applies to reservations booked on or after November 20, 2026 (Airbnb Help, "Limiting host-imposed contracts and other requirements"). A reservation confirmed on November 19 stays under the previous policy, even if the stay is in December or later.
2. The seven standard rules and "Requests": what you can and can't ask
In the new Listing editor, house rules are chosen from seven standard rules (Airbnb Resource Center):
Maximum overnight guests
Quiet hours
Events
Pets
Smoking, including vaping and e-cigarettes
Commercial photography and filming
Lock up at checkout
Anything else goes under "Requests," and requests must be reasonable. Airbnb gives these examples:
Area | Reasonable to ask | Not reasonable to ask |
Dishes | Put used dishes in the sink | Wash and put away dishes |
Linens and towels | Gather used towels | Strip the beds or start laundry |
Trash | Separate trash and recycling into indoor bins | Take garbage off-site |
Utilities | Turn off the air conditioning when leaving | Avoid using a listed amenity such as air conditioning |
Source: Airbnb Resource Center, "Important changes to house rules"
In short: you can ask for anything short of cleaning, but not for the cleaning itself.
Reasonableness also depends on the listing type and local conditions. Airbnb's policy notes, for example, that limiting shower time during drought restrictions may be reasonable (Airbnb Help, "Reasonable house rules and requests").
Good news for hosts in Japan: trash sorting. Asking guests to separate trash and recycling into indoor bins is still allowed. Japanese law requires minpaku hosts to explain how waste must be disposed of (see section 5), so this is one area you can keep as it is.
3. Three things you can no longer do
These three changes have the biggest impact. All are set out in Airbnb Help, "Reasonable house rules and requests".
1) Add new rules after booking
House rules and requests must appear in the designated section of the listing at the time of booking. You cannot introduce new rules after booking by message, by signs in the home, or in person.
If your check-in guide includes rules that are not in your listing, move them into the listing before guests book.
2) Impose fines or penalties
Hosts may not impose fines or penalties on guests. However, if a community association or local government might fine the property, you can tell guests about that in the designated section of the listing.
3) Ask for cleaner-type tasks
Requests that require significant effort or tasks a cleaner would do, such as stripping the bed, taking trash off-site, or washing dishes, are generally considered unreasonable.
In exchange, rules have real teeth. If a guest breaks a house rule during the stay, or says before check-in that they intend to, the host can cancel the reservation without fees or other consequences (Airbnb Resource Center).
4. For hosts in Japan: what happens to the guest register and passport copies?
This is the section that matters most if you operate in Japan.
Airbnb's default: no personal data collection
Under the new policy, with limited exceptions, hosts can't ask for personal data at any point during booking or the stay. This includes contact details, ID documents, financial data, background check information, and biometric or health data. Hosts may check a guest's ID in person at check-in if they disclose this in the listing's requests section, but they generally can't keep a copy (Airbnb Help, "Limiting host-imposed contracts and other requirements").
Japanese law: a guest register and passport copies are required
Under Japan's Housing Accommodation Business Act, minpaku operators must record the name, address, occupation, and dates of stay of every guest in a guest register. For foreign guests with no address in Japan, nationality and passport number must also be recorded. Operators ask to see the passport and keep a copy of it with the register, which is kept for three years. Each guest's identity must also be verified before the stay begins (Japan Tourism Agency minpaku portal, "Duties of housing accommodation business operators", in Japanese).
Where they meet: the "required by law" exception
Airbnb's policy allows personal data collection when necessary to comply with applicable law, under four conditions (Airbnb Help, "Limiting host-imposed contracts and other requirements"):
Condition | What a host in Japan should do |
1. Disclose what is required and why in "Requests" before booking | State which items you collect and that the Housing Accommodation Business Act requires them |
2. Collect no more than the law or rule requires | Limit the register to the legally required items (plus anything your municipality's ordinance requires) |
3. Store and dispose of sensitive data securely | Decide where registers and passport copies are kept, who can see them, and how they are disposed of after three years |
4. Provide evidence of the exception if Airbnb asks | Keep your notification number and the relevant legal or municipal guidance on hand |
So you are not losing the ability to collect passport copies in Japan. What changes is that you must disclose it, with the reason, in your listing before booking, rather than asking for it unannounced at check-in.
Here is an example of wording for the "Requests" section (an example only; adjust it to your license type and local ordinance):
Under Japan's Housing Accommodation Business Act, we are required to record each guest's name, address, occupation, and dates of stay in a guest register. Guests without an address in Japan must also provide their nationality and passport number, show their passport, and allow us to keep a copy. We verify each guest's identity before check-in.
Check local ordinances and your license type
Some municipalities add items to the register by ordinance. Whether those extra items count as "required by law" should be confirmed with your local public health center or municipality. Properties licensed under the Hotel Business Act have different register requirements from those under the Housing Accommodation Business Act.
Airbnb makes the final decision on whether an exception applies. If you are unsure, check with Airbnb's Help Center and your local authority.
5. How to square this with Japan's explanation duties
There is one more Japan-specific issue. Under the Housing Accommodation Business Act, operators must explain to guests how to prevent noise, dispose of waste, and prevent fires. Foreign guests must be given this in a foreign language, and the information must be available at any time during the stay, for example as a written guide kept in the room (Japan Tourism Agency minpaku portal, in Japanese).
Meanwhile, Airbnb does not allow new rules introduced through signs in the home.
To satisfy both, the AirHost editorial team suggests the following (this is our interpretation, not Airbnb's official position):
What to do | Why |
Put noise, waste, and fire rules in your listing before booking | Quiet hours are a standard rule; trash sorting can be a request |
Make your in-room guide a restatement of what is in the listing | Include the legally required explanations, but do not add new rules |
Keep safety information such as extinguisher use and evacuation routes posted in the home | This is legally required safety information, not a new rule |
A quick test: does your in-room guide contain any "please do this" that is not already in your listing?
6. Checklist: what to fix before November 20
Bookings keep coming in, and reservations confirmed from November 20 onward fall under the new policy. Review the following early:
# | Task | What to check |
1 | Set the seven standard rules | Re-select maximum guests, quiet hours, and the rest in the Listing editor |
2 | Audit your existing house rules text | Sort each line into standard rule, request, or delete |
3 | Review checkout requests | Remove dishwashing, bed stripping, and trash removal; replace them with "dishes in the sink" or "gather used towels" |
4 | Add guest register wording to "Requests" | State the items and the legal reason, and limit the items to what the law requires |
5 | Review in-room guides and automated messages | Make sure they don't add rules that aren't in the listing |
6 | Review your cleaning setup | Move the tasks guests no longer do into your cleaners' scope of work |
Items 3 and 6 directly affect cleaning workload and cost. If you use cleaning staff or a cleaning company, talk to them early about whether the scope of work needs to change.
7. For operators: take the guest register, check-in, and cleaning off your plate with AirHost
This change pushes work from guests back to the operator: guest registers, identity checks, and cleaning arrangements, all repeated with every booking.
Follow Airbnb's rules; let the system handle the work. AirHost is a cloud system that brings this daily work into one place, and AirHost has been named a 2026 Airbnb Preferred+ Software Partner (AirHost is a 2026 Airbnb Preferred/Preferred+ Software Partner).
Guest form (guest register) set per property: separate forms for local and foreign guests. With the check-in option, guests can enter their details in advance through a check-in URL (AirHost Help, "Guest form")
Guest data export: guest information collected at pre-check-in or check-in can be downloaded as CSV and image files, including for maintaining guest registers for legal compliance (AirHost Help, "Export guest data")
Channel manager and cleaning management: manage rates and availability across Airbnb and other booking sites alongside cleaning coordination
Because guest form fields are configured per property, AirHost suits an operation where the register is limited to what the law requires. If you are reworking your listings for Airbnb's new policy, it is a good moment to review your check-in and guest register setup as well.
For pricing, see the pricing page or ask us for a quote for your property.
▶ Talk to AirHost about your property
Airbnb makes the final decision on whether a listing complies with its policies. Check Airbnb's Help Center for the latest information.
Frequently asked questions
Q. When does Airbnb's new house rules policy take effect?
It applies to reservations booked on or after November 20, 2026. The booking date counts, not the stay date. The house rules tools in the Listing editor changed on October 20, 2026.
Q. Can I still ask guests to wash dishes or strip the beds at checkout?
No. Tasks a cleaner would do are considered unreasonable requests. You can still ask guests to put used dishes in the sink or gather used towels.
Q. Can hosts in Japan still keep passport copies of Airbnb guests?
Yes, where Japanese law requires it. Airbnb's policy allows personal data collection when necessary to comply with applicable law. Japan's Housing Accommodation Business Act requires operators to keep a copy of the passport of foreign guests with no address in Japan, so you can collect it if you disclose the items and the reason in "Requests" before booking and collect only what the law requires.
Q. Can I keep a house rules sign inside the property?
You can't use signs to add new rules that aren't in your listing. Restating what is already in the listing, and posting safety information such as extinguisher use and evacuation routes, should still be fine.
Q. Can I charge guests a fine for breaking the rules?
No. Hosts may not impose fines or penalties on guests. If a community association or local government might fine the property, you can tell guests about it in the listing.
Q. What happens if a guest breaks the house rules?
If a guest breaks a house rule during the stay, or says before check-in that they intend to, the host can cancel the reservation without fees or other consequences. Repeated or severe violations may also lead to consequences for the guest.
Summary
Airbnb's house rules change applies to reservations booked on or after November 20, 2026.
Only rules in your listing before booking count. No rules added after booking, and no fines
Requests stop short of cleaning. No dishwashing, bed stripping, or trash removal
Japan's guest register and passport copies fall under the legal-requirement exception when disclosed in advance
Japan's explanation duties are met by restating the listing's rules in the home, not by adding new ones
The rule of thumb: "Rules before booking, requests short of cleaning, guest data only as the law requires." Before November 20, review four things: your listing text, checkout requests, how you collect the guest register, and your cleaning setup.
Related reading
References
Airbnb Resource Center, "Important changes to house rules" (October 20, 2026)
Airbnb Help, "Limiting host-imposed contracts and other requirements"
This article reflects Airbnb's official information and Japanese government material published as of October 27, 2026. Airbnb's policies may change, and Airbnb makes the final decision on matters such as whether an exception applies. Guest register requirements differ depending on the law under which a property operates and on municipal ordinances. Check Airbnb's Help Center and your local authority for the latest information.
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