Airbnb’s new house rules (20 November 2026): what changes for your holiday flat in Spain

Airbnb’s new house rules apply to bookings confirmed on or after 20 November 2026. From then on, your flat’s rules are chosen from seven standard ones, everything sits in a single section of the listing, and you can’t ask for cleaning chores, fine guests or require personal details, except those the law demands.

Airbnb announced the change on 20 October 2026 in its hosting resources and set it out in the policy House rules and reasonable requests. If you own a holiday flat in Jerez or around the Bay of Cádiz, and especially if you live abroad and rely on your listing to set expectations, this is what changes and what to do before that date.

What changes on Airbnb on 20 November 2026

Topic	From 20 November 2026
House rules	Seven standard rules in the Listing editor. Checkout instructions no longer have their own tab
Requests	Must be reasonable: nothing that takes significant time or that a cleaner would normally do
Where they go	Only in “House rules and requests”, visible before booking. Nothing new by message, on signs, in person or after booking
Contracts	Generally not allowed, with exceptions (law, community rules, monthly stays, Airbnb Luxe, optional extras)
ID and personal details	Can’t be requested, except where required by law and other limited cases
Fines	Hosts can’t fine or penalise guests
If you don’t comply	Flag in the editor, an email and an appeal option; if unresolved, a notice on the listing and lower visibility

Bookings confirmed before 20 November stay under the previous policy.

The 7 standard house rules

In the Listing editor, House rules and requests brings together seven rules. Under each, an example of clear wording:

1. Maximum overnight guests. Example: “Maximum 4 people staying overnight, the number of places the flat is registered for as a holiday rental.” In Andalusia, don’t set more than your registration allows.
2. Quiet hours. Example: “Quiet hours 11 pm to 8 am. This is a residential building and the neighbours start early.”
3. Events. Example: “No parties or events, including on the terrace.”
4. Pets, including how many. Example: “One small pet welcome. Please keep it off the bed and sofa.”
5. Smoking, vaping and e-cigarettes. Example: “No smoking or vaping indoors. Smoking is fine on the balcony with the door closed.”
6. Commercial photography and filming. Example: “No commercial photo shoots or filming without prior permission.”
7. Lock up at checkout, with optional key details. Example: “When you leave, lock the door and drop the keys in the letterbox downstairs.”

Write rules in a friendly tone and give the reason where it helps. A guest follows a rule more readily when they understand it.

Reasonable requests: what you can and can’t ask

On top of the rules you can add requests: instructions for the stay or for before checkout. Guests must follow rules; requests are something Airbnb encourages them to respect. They must be reasonable, and the policy gives examples:

You can ask	You can’t ask
Put used dishes in the sink	Wash and put them away
Gather used towels	Strip the beds or start the washing machine
Separate rubbish and recycling into the indoor bins	Take the rubbish out of the flat
Turn off the air conditioning when leaving	Avoid using it during the stay

The principle is simple: what a cleaner would do isn’t asked of the guest. For the cleaning side in more detail, Hola Limpio covers it in this article on the new rules and cleaning (in Spanish).

Where the rules go: only in the listing (no more signs or messages)

Every rule and request must be in House rules and requests before booking, so guests can decide whether the flat suits them. New rules can’t be added:

• in other parts of the listing (the description, for example),
• by message, before or after booking,
• on signs in the flat,
• or in person at key handover.

They must also match the rest of the listing: if you advertise air conditioning or a pool, you can’t restrict its use.

This doesn’t mean removing your house manual. Explaining how the hob works is not a new rule. What no longer works is a sign that says something the guest didn’t accept when booking. In return, Airbnb shows house rules more prominently on the listing, in the guest’s Trips tab and in booking reminders.

Contracts: when they’re still allowed

Generally, you can no longer ask a guest to sign a separate contract. According to Airbnb’s article on these cases, the exceptions are:

• when the law or community association rules require it (building security requirements, for example),
• to use an optional amenity,
• monthly stays of 28 nights or more,
• Airbnb Luxe listings.

The contract is uploaded in the contracts section of the listing settings, must relate to the stay and shouldn’t contain personal details, because it is publicly visible. Airbnb doesn’t require guests to sign it or help enforce it.

Guest ID and personal details: what changes and what Spanish law still requires

Airbnb’s policy says you can’t ask for personal details such as an ID document except where required by law and in other limited cases. In Spain, the law does require it.

Royal Decree 933/2021 obliges anyone who accommodates travellers for payment to register each one and report their details to the Ministry of the Interior through SES.HOSPEDAJES. Among them: full name, sex, document type and number, nationality, date of birth, home address, phone, email and number of travellers. Records are kept for three years. This applies even if you live in another country: the duty belongs to the flat.

So collecting those details is still allowed, with three conditions from Airbnb:

1. Explain it before booking, under Requests: which details you need and why. Example: “By Spanish law (Royal Decree 933/2021), before arrival we need each guest’s ID details for the Ministry of the Interior’s guest register.”
2. Ask for no more than the law requires. The decree asks for the document number, not a photocopy.
3. Store the details securely and dispose of them once you no longer need to keep them.

You can also check the document in person at check-in, if you say so under Requests. If you use an online check-in app or form, keep it optional or justified by the law and explain it in the listing. Keyless entry apps are allowed, but you must offer another way in if the guest asks, and Wi-Fi portals that ask for an email or other personal details are not allowed. If in doubt, check Airbnb’s Help Centre.

We explain this alongside the other legal duties on our page about the tourist licence in Andalusia.

Fines and fees: what you can no longer charge

• No fines or penalties for guests: not for smoking, not for a late checkout. For damage, Airbnb points hosts to AirCover.
• Fees for advertised features go in the price. If you advertise a parking space, for example, you can’t charge for it separately.
• Optional extras (breakfast, for example) can be described under Requests.
• Fines from the owners’ association or the town hall: if they could fine you for something a guest does, you can warn guests under Requests, explaining the rule, who sets it and the amount. If you are fined because of a guest, you can ask for reimbursement through the Resolution Centre; Airbnb doesn’t collect those fines for you.

What happens if you break Airbnb’s rules

If a request doesn’t meet the policy, the Listing editor flags it and you get an email with tips and an option to appeal. If it isn’t fixed, guests may see an alert such as “includes cleaning requests”. If the problem continues, Airbnb can add a notice to the listing, lower its visibility in search and, for repeated cases, suspend it.

What if the guest breaks the rules? House rules are binding on guests. If a guest breaks one during the stay, or says before check-in that they will, you can cancel without fees or other consequences. That covers, for example, more people turning up than allowed, or a party in a flat where events aren’t allowed. Contact Airbnb before cancelling and keep the messages. Guests who commit serious or repeated violations can be suspended or removed from the platform.

For an owner abroad, this is the practical point: a clear rule in the listing is what gives whoever is on the ground the right to act.

Checklist: update your listing before 20 November

1. Open House rules and requests and set the seven standard rules.
2. Set maximum overnight guests in line with your registration.
3. Move anything from the old checkout tab into Requests and drop cleaning-type chores.
4. Check the description, house manual, automated messages and signs: none should add new rules.
5. Add the guest register request, saying which details and why.
6. If your building has its own rules (pool hours, noise, rubbish), summarise them under Requests.
7. Remove any mention of fines or of fees not included in the price.
8. Check that your registration number in the Andalusian Tourism Register appears in the listing.

What it means for your flat in Jerez, El Puerto, Rota, Puerto Real and Cádiz

Airbnb’s rules are the same worldwide, but here they sit on top of local ones:

• Licence and places. In Jerez, El Puerto de Santa María, Rota, Puerto Real and Cádiz, the flat must be in the Andalusian Tourism Register and show its number in every listing. Airbnb’s maximum guests should match that registration. In Cádiz and El Puerto, some areas also have a freeze on new licences.
• Guest register. Everyone who stays overnight is reported on SES.HOSPEDAJES. The new policy allows it, as long as the listing explains it.
• High-demand dates. Around Holy Week, the MotoGP at the Circuito de Jerez and the Horse Fair, the risk of bigger groups or parties goes up. With the guest and events rules set properly, you can cancel without penalty if someone breaks them.
• Your owners’ association. Since April 2025, a building can limit or ban new holiday flats with a three-fifths majority. Clear quiet hours and the building’s rules under Requests help keep the peace with the neighbours. More on our page for owners.

If you want to know what your flat could earn with everything in order, we looked at the figures in how much a holiday flat earns in Jerez.

We update your listing and manage it for you

With Orilla Completa we review your rules and requests, set up the listing, register every guest on SES.HOSPEDAJES and answer guests’ messages in Spanish or English. You get one named contact on WhatsApp and a monthly report, wherever you live. The details are on our services page.

To start with the numbers, try the income calculator or ask us for a free study of your flat.

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This article is general information, not legal advice. Airbnb’s policy may change: always check the official version.