You may only use a professional business to clean your home

Debra405
Level 2
Ontario, Canada

You may only use a professional business to clean your home

If your neighbors or a friend cleans for you, that payment will not be considered for any claim you may need to submit. 

 

Note that if you want to submit a claim for extra work caused by an inconsiderate guest that leaves a mess behind, you must meet the requirements stated by the Air bnb Rep, copied below. 

 

"Finally, we appreciate you sharing proof of payment for your cleaning service. However, to meet verification standards, a professionally issued invoice is required. This should include either a business website or a company name card to help us validate the details."

per Jessy on July 16, 2025

9 Replies 9
Lorna170
Top Contributor
Swannanoa, NC

@Debra405   Thank you for your posting.  While I have rarely had to charge (aka chase) a guest for extra cleaning, there have been times where I have paid my housekeeper for additional time spent cleaning the disgusting mess a guest has left.  She is worth her weight in gold, but cleaning is her third "job", and she is not affiliated with a professional service and does not have a website advertising her services.  

 

So many housekeepers are women with families who clean homes for extra money.  AirBnB is certainly not supportive of those persons and their value to hosts if they require professionally issued invoices or business website verification of services rendered.  

Thank you, @Lorna170 .  I'm pleased to see that I'm not the only one who feels this "policy" does not address the real world. 

 

No cleaning service would be so thorough or take such care to clean and restore my home to the beautiful condition we want for our homes.  You are very fortunate to have someone who will do this hard work for you.  I'm fortunate to have wonderful neighbors who are retired and clean my home for extra money.  They go way above and beyond what a company would do. 

 

Thank you for validating my concern.  I also appreciate the hard work that people do and I will continue to pay them well for their efforts. 

 

I'm very disappointed in this policy. It does not reflect the real life issues faced by a Host. 

Marie8425
Top Contributor
Buckeye, AZ

@Debra405 

Actually it is in reference to you paying someone who may not be legally declaring their income to the government, so Airbnb can not present them as a legal expense to a Guest.  Same for the Host, you don't want to pay a Guest's neighbor for a damage claim against you.

@Marie8425   Current tax laws require that I provide a 1099-NEC to my housekeeper, my landscaper, my carpenter/maintenance guy, etc. as they earn more than $600 in a given year performing services for my property.  My accountant files the forms with the IRS and the persons I paid.  None of these individuals meet the requirements that @Debra405 posted.

 

 

@Lorna170 

Great, following the rules means it is easy to show Airbnb that you legitimately declare this expense and therefore that person's income.  You can not share a 1099 you generate because of privacy requirements, It would be acceptable proof when needed to include your filed tax return that displays that  it is declared.  You only need to show when there is an issue.  

@Lorna170 

You can check with your accountant but a 1099 is created when a person is not legally an employee but you use to declare your expenses paid to a contract type employee.  Same reason Airbnb provides all Hosts a 1099 each year.  You make the business decisions they perform the labor to perform your business decisions but you are not legally responsible for taxes, insurance and other legal employee requirements.

 

@Marie8425   The topic under discussion is the inability of a host to be able to submit a request for payment if a neighbor or friend cleaned after an inconsiderate guest because they are unable to give the host a professionally issued invoice for services rendered that can be validated.  

 

"Finally, we appreciate you sharing proof of payment for your cleaning service. However, to meet verification standards, a professionally issued invoice is required. This should include either a business website or a company name card to help us validate the details."  per Jessy on July 16, 2025

 

My housekeeper is not employed by a professional cleaning company.  She does not have a website.  She does not have a company name card.  She does get a 1099, and I know she pays her taxes as we have the same accountant.  So how do you propose that I, a professional business person and host, PROVE to AirBnB that the extra cleaning charges submitted (and probably denied by the inconsiderate guest) are legitimate?   

 

My landscaper is a great guy who cannot read or write.  He is not employed by a professional landscaper.  He does not have a website.  He does not have a company name card.  He gets a 1099, and he has the same accountant.  So what do I send to AirBnB if he has to perform extra work on the property due to another inconsiderate guest?

 

My handyman/carpenter is a great guy, as is the man who repaired the hot tub after a guest sent a washcloth through the motor and the man who got the gas log fireplace working again after a guest broke off the control panel.  BUT NONE of them can produce a professionally issued invoice that would include either a business website or a company name card to help AirBnB validate the details.

@Lorna170 

I was explaining information you can confirm with your accountant that you did have a legal expense paid to a contracted employee in your case a neighbor that you create a 1099 for to legally declare.  You are not hiring a licensed business because you do not creare 1099for every business expense with a business.

The rule is to prohibit bad actors.  You are obviously not a bad actor but I think if you present to Airbnb correctly you don't have an invoice that is normal no matter if my regular or contract performs any service.  That just isn't standard.  You paid your contract employee (regardless of who they may be) xx amount.  You can share only your information to protect privacy.  Your tax return is a legal documento that 1099 forms are generated is proof that you legally hire contract employees.

You are protected just not presented to Airbnb correctly.

Hi, Lorna

 

Yes that's what angers me. I don't need to be policed by Air bnb to decide whether I should issue a 1099. I've been renting properties for over 30 years.  I know who does excellent work and I gladly pay well for it.  And only now to learn that Air bnb won't allow me to contract with whomever I please to run my own business? 

 

I'm so disappointed in these babysitting rules.  I had no idea until I actually wanted to make a claim. It wasn't even a huge claim, but the extra cleaning expense hurts when you're trying to keep your prices low and reasonable.  Tough luck.

 

What good is the million dollar coverage if they have babysitting rules in there to keep from having to cover damages?  I'm learning a lot about it now, that's for sure. 

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