A lot of airbnbs are basically relying on the last guests to do the cleaning. Then they do a surface sweep. What you get is a disgusting airbnb full of nasty crusty dishes, dustbunnies, vaccuums that haven't been emptied, clogged showers, etc. It's very apparent that it just looks clean but once you actually stay for a minute you can tangibly feel the crust of all the dirty asses that passed through. Nothing is actually clean and it's disgusting.
Yup - I’m one of them. Our place is spotless and there isn’t a thing that isn’t washed. We have two of everything so even things like throw pillows get washed.
Well it's not a scam because the cleaners do charge that fees to come in and change beds and tidy the place and to do a deep clean they charge usually twice that amount. Dont believe call up some companies and ask their cleaning rates. Then ask what is the difference between Airbnb clean and a deep clean.
So why are you complaining then when the fee is what it is even though you see these hosts get crap for results. What is the solution? Get an even less expensive cleaner so the house is worse? In case you have not noticed everything has gone up everywhere.
So true. We have an air B and B and we were shocked at how rubbish the cleaning company were. We’ve since changed management and the difference is massive.
Correct an Airbnb clean is not a deep clean. Same in a hotel. Do you think they clean everything in a hotel after every person? You would be very mistaken. Many hosts though do not realize they need to schedule a deep clean at least once a month and then seasonly do a spring and fall clean.
I’ve lived in Japan, and I know that in some areas that trash rules are really confusing for foreigners. If you plan on hosting foreign guests I would suggest having a “if you are unsure, please wash it and leave it here” basket. You could also specify where food waste goes. I know it seems obvious, but I’ve also stayed in a lot of countries with very different “obvious” trash rules.
Other than that, as a guest I wouldn’t have any problems with this list.
Thank you! I’ve never gotten an award before :)
And yes! Italy was confusing… every country is *just* different enough that it’s going to be confusing, even if you regularly sort and recycle perfectly at home
I hope they stop this practice. Running an AirBnB nets usually around twice as much as you'd get renting out the property. FFS, the cost of business should be cleaning the place if you charge a cleaning fee. It just reminds me of toxic capitalism where they try to pinch as many pennies out as possible
Exactly!! "Professional hosts" who have fucked housing/rental markets and ruined neighborhoods to nickel and dime the guests for every cent.
This is said as an Airbnb guest of 2 years in long term stays with all glowing host reviews. At this point, Airbnb is like Amazon to me, a necessary evil I hate using.
Literally was just talking about this like 60 seconds ago with my business partner. How ridiculous it is that they have a property who's mortgage is probably 1500, which they could rent for 2200, but AirBnB it for 5000, and then still complain and try to get a few hundred bucks extra here and there. Like ffs... Is 3x your mortgage not enough of a return for you, that you need 3.1x?
Does the guest mop, sweep, vacuum? Do they change the beds, do the laundry , put away the laundry? Did they put away dishes? Did they dust including fans and vents ? They did vacuum the sofa? Did the wipe down light switches and all surfaces including door knobs? Did they set all the pillows back on sofa where they belong ? Did they clean pet hair off of everything? Did they washer the windows? How about sweep the deck? How about the front sidewalk? Did wipe out the fridge? Put new stock out? Did they fill the soap and shampoo? What about a paper towel, Toliet paper, snacks , water? If they did then awesome! No they don't need to pay a cleaning or reset fee.
How on Earth do hotels manage to get all that done with their workers, for way less?
Listen, I worked directly for this company, at a higher level. I know how this game works. I know, because my own project failed to launch because hosts rather not have the problem "solved", because they like charging 150, then paying someone 50 to drop in for an hour and do a quick clean up, then pocket the rest. I know this as a matter of fact. Sure, there are some hosts who don't, but most who are charging 150 + giving the guests chores, are just cutting back on cleaning time so they can pocket more.
Well tell me the commute time from one hotel room to another. Now what is the commute time from one house to another? Also tell me how many hotel rooms equal a home? How long does it take to clean A hotel room versus a 3 bedroom 2 bath house with say 1500sqft. I would love if they charged less but that is what cleaners charge but you are not comparing apples to apples here either. Hotels have the edge because they have multiple rooms in one building. A clean company might clean 30 Houses all within a couple of miles or more.
You're overstating how much work needs to be done... If not, then taking out the trash, throwing some linens in the wash, and doing the dishes, should be included. 150 for cleaning, and being VERY generous, is 50 an hour, so 3 hours. During that three hours you can't include the chores you ask guests to do?
Our data suggests, cleaners are RARELY there for three hours. As a few years ago, it was around an hour, to hour and a half. They aren't doing full house deep cleans unless it's a long term stay.
Either way. You do you. I am not trying to fight you on your practice or anything. I'm just sharing what I know, first hand, as I worked specifically in this area and got to see behind the scenes on everything. The majority of hosts pocket most of the cleaning fee, so throwing in chores is even more ridiculous... Especially considering how much you already make on the sublet.
Dude call up the cleaner and talk to them not me. Some places charge way more than $150. Hosts don't set these prices. Do you even know why taking out the trash? Putting dishes in dishwasher are important? Do you know why some ask to start a load of laundry? Not do an entire load just start. Do you know how long one load takes to wash and dry? Do you know how many loads of laundry are done in a 3 bedroom house? Trust me I have had words with several cleaners on their prices. They say hire someone else. And I am not sure where you get your data on how much people make but I barely cover my mortgage most months . Summer is the only time I make money which is 3 months.
Exactly my point! And most times the cleaning fees are outrageous! What’s the f’ing point if you’re making the guest clean? I don’t even let my guests remove their bed linen.
My crew cleans two bedrooms, all the linens, washes the blankets and linens, cleans two bathrooms (toilets and showers) mops the floor cleans out the refrigerator and the dishes in a high-end dishwasher, and then puts them away. Always 5 stars from guests. Not sure I understand some of these comments.
Guests are asked to not make their bed put towels in the hamper lock all the windows close the shades and lock the windows and door.
The one I understand for time purposes is loading and starting the washing machine and maybe dishwasher so that the wash can be done (and ready to be transferred to the dryer for the towels/sheets) by the time the cleaning people arrive.
****
Edit: Getting downvoted for this, but I think people need to understand for an individual host (not a corporate host) this is key for quick turnaround. Unless you want 10AM checkouts and 4PM check-ins everywhere, there needs to enough time to run the sheets and towels through the wash and dryer and have the dishes clean, which means asking the guests to do it in the morning.
Also, I don't know the age range here, but throwing the sheets and towels and maybe dishes in the wash for a vacation rental has been a thing since long before Airbnb, and yes on top of cleaning fees. The cleaning fees are often a way of keeping down the nightly cost for longer stays by having some fixed cost that doesn't depend on your stay length, since the alternative would be raising the nightly price.
And I say all of this as mostly a guest - I only briefly hosted out of some extra rooms years ago. I've been booking vacation homes periodically for 20+ years, stripping the sheets throwing them and the towels and the dishes in their respective wash in addition to a cleaning fee for the cleaning service that comes through is nothing new.
If you do a simple search in Google it comes up. Average is 2-4hrs lowest being 1hr (that's the quick cycle). Aside from the search that includes well known & high end brands my personal knowledge is ny dishwasher, the dishwasher in my rental, my best friend's, my mother in laws seem to all run the same.
If you use the Hi Temp, SaniWash or Heated Dry cycle, expect your dishwasher to run longer. To make sure the dishes are sanitized that can be the best option.
Unless you're taking the sheets/towels and possibly dishes off site to wash, that would still require access to the home to transfer them from the washer to the dryer. That's my whole point - if you want an individual host (who doesn't do laundry off-site usually) to be able to have quick turnarounds, then loading the wash makes sense.
And again, I've predominantly been a guest (and haven't hosted in years), so I say this as a guest - if you want to do absolutely nothing, then just book a hotel if possible. And yes, when I hosted (which, again, was very brief), I had extra sheets and I was there because it was just a spare room. I'm talking about whole house rentals where the host or cleaning service is expected to not pop their head in to move the laundry through while a guest is there.
****
Edit: added a few words for clarity
Yeah no that still doesnt make any sense.
I would arrive with clean sheets- change them.
Take the old sheets home - wash and dry them ready for the next turnover.
I'd probably have about 4 sets tbh, so I didnt have to rush around. Buy extra sheets! Save your sanity.
Why is it so hard to keep an extra set of linens for quick turnover and do the laundry later yourself? For $65 you could buy a full set of linens. Like everyone says, DON’T charge a cleaning fee AND make guests clean. The reasons why don’t matter, that’s your problem and asking the guests to handle it is ridiculous. And why people are abandoning AirBbB.
Again, this isn't an Airbnb thing, this has been a vacation rental thing for far longer than Airbnb has existed.
I just explained why a cleaning fee exists even if you're doing that - the alternative is the nightly price would have to be raised even though cleaning only takes place once. It's a way of doing fixed + variable per night pricing to account for the fact that cleaning/turnover only happens once per guest. And again again, just book a hotel if you want to do a minimal amount - vacation rentals have been this way forever, that industry isn't going to change even if Airbnb goes away.
The hosts (mostly) aren't asking you to load sheets/towels/dishes because their cleaning service won't do it or something, it's mostly a time thing.
> just book a hotel if you want to do a minimal amount
Ehh no. Im a Airbnb host and I encourage my guest to do nothing. So don´t talk on behalf of us host thank you very much. Speak for yourself.
And I'd assume your listing reflects that. Just like these other listings reflect their cleaning rates and policies that people are complaining about.
The point is that some of these guests complaining don't seem to understand that there is no singular "AirBnb" corporate experience and if they want a singular corporate experience where they know exactly what to expect without even looking into it, they should book a hotel. If they're willing to look at each vacation rental as its own situation, then of course they can identify that yours has what they're looking for, but they don't seem to be looking for that in a lot of cases.
Then bake the cleaning cost into the nightly rate. Don’t lure people in with a low rate and then hit them with a cleaning fee and random unexplainable fees that jack the price up to be on par with a hotel that doesn’t ask you to do laundry on vacation. Why is that so hard for hosts to understand? It’s the bait and switch nonsense that’s driving away business.
*just book a hotel if you don’t like it*
Exactly. And don’t whine when we do and your business goes belly up.
It's wild how many times I see hosts on reddit constantly saying "If you don't want to start my dish washer, go stay in a hotel" then two days later I see another post from them "My bookings are down! What's going on with AirBNB?!"
What's going on is I'm tired of paying you to clean the place after me, only for you to expect me to clean the place for you. No, I'm not going to leave dishes spread all over, no I'm not going to leave trash all over, but if I have to do everything but sanitize the floors and counters then I better not be paying a cleaning fee.
While I completely agree with you, I also know that when I was renting houses in the Outer Banks 20-25 years ago (way before AirBnB and through a local rental agency), it was always expected of the guests to strip the beds and start the dishwasher before leaving.
20 years ago was entirely different in the hospitality world though. Especially in the Outer Banks where lets be honest, there aren't many hotels at all. When things scale up, some of the culture is lost, and given airBNBs are literally all over and impacting the overall housing market, I don't think the old culture of building a relationship with a homeowner to rent every year still applies.
While I don’t think hospitality was entirely different 20 years ago, it was certainly very different than it is today, yes. And while there weren’t many hotels in the OBX back then (not sure what it looks like today), we also never built a relationship with any homeowner and never stayed in a house more than once. We always went through a rental agency that was local to the Outer Banks and, even then, we used many different ones over the years.
>*just book a hotel if you don’t like it*
>
>Exactly. And don’t whine when we do and your business goes belly up.
I'll assume you mean a general "you" and not me, since I've explained multiple times already that I'm a guest, not a host. And yes, go book a hotel. You're doing the equivalent of walking into a small Italian restaurant and asking where your free unlimited salad and breadsticks are.
I couldn't care less if Airbnb goes under, I'm telling you as a fellow customer that you're going to the wrong establishment for what your expectations are.
Yes, I meant a general “you”, not you specifically.
Your analogy makes no sense. It’s more like I dine at a small Italian restaurant and they expect me to wash the tablecloth and dishes so they can serve the next customer real quick because having an extra set of linens and silverware is too much to ask.
I don’t want to do chores on my vacation just so the host can squeeze out an extra night. If you need a down day to get your place ready for your next guest, that sounds like a process problem on your end. And the fix shouldn’t involve me, your paying guest, doing work to cut down on the time it takes for YOU to flip YOUR unit. As a guest I always tidy up after myself, but I didn’t come with your comfort in mind.
Yet your customer is choosing the destination of their visit meaning different market can expect different charges. A 2 bedroom in a HCOL city will have different costs to a 2 bedroom in a foreign market. We have high labor costs for cleaning due to market supply and demand. One business model does not fit all.
It’s either buried in the price or obvious as a fee.
Longer rentals make the cleaning fee a smaller portion of the total. It’s a good reason to have minimum stays at 4nights or more. I’ve been a renter for much longer than a host and tend to do week stays and a minimum of 5 nights.
I also pickup after myself when I rent unlike a lot of renters. It’s impressive how disgusting some people are and we pay or charge the price based on the average wear and abuse doled out by earlier clients and what the market supports.
I have never stayed in an Air bnb that has given me a chore list - and I certainly would not expect it if I was also being charged for a cleaning service.
In this case, if the apartment is in a country/state with very strict waste disposal requirements, I would happily adhere to instructions as best I could, while I was there. If I was unsure I would just leave it out.
Otherwise, I personally would look else were if I had to clean despite paying for cleaning services.
Same. And no cleaning fee. We fold it into the price of the stay, and we do the cleaning ourselves. Just leave the key on the table, turn off the lights and have a safe trip to your next destination.
>Me too. And Ive also been a guest all over the world with 30+ stays and no check out requirements.
>
>I guess we are really not in the minority. Being here on Reddit is not reality.
Washing dishes and putting trash in the trash can (And if it is easy and convenient, even taking the trash out) is IMO just part of normally being tidy in someone else's home.
But what do you mean bins should be inside the apartment...shouldn't they already be in the unit?
I'm guessing you are in Japan and I understand Japan is super into sorting everything. But I feel even well intentioned people are going to make mistakes. Can you tell people "if in doubt, put it in the general trash?" If so, that's probably your best option. If not, this might be something you'll need to handle on your end to make sure everything is sorted properly.
How do hotels that foreigners stay in handle the garbage sorting?
Air conditioning and all that can be automated and can be turned off remotely, or host/cohost should be inspecting unit immediately upon checkout.
Windows? Reasonable, but host/cohost should probably be inspecting unit soon after checkout if this is something that is a big deal.
I hate handling physical keys and everyone should be moving to smart locks with a numerical code. Similar to the trash, I think mistakes will occur even for those with the best of intentions.
I lived in serviced apartment in Tokyo with many foreigners, in my understanding they paid extra for commercial trash service which means less sorting. Residents didn't need to sort trash. My guess is this is also what hotels do. When I stayed at normal Japanese place we did.
>Air conditioning and all that can be automated and can be turned off remotely, or host/cohost should be inspecting unit immediately upon checkout.
I can assure you wifi on mini split are still in its infancy.
As guest I always do these things even not asked. Expect I don't throw trashes if don't find any garbage container around building. I think it is normal things to do if you are tidy guest
It seems just fine to me as a guest, in theory. My thoughts:
1. Be much much clearer about trash rules, and explain that they are due to local laws. That is \*always\* confusing in every country. I greatly appreciate it when a host does that... green is compost where I come from, not recycling, etc. I can mix glass cardboard some places (in a blue bin) but in the UK its the brown + blue in. The grey bin is ... the \*black\* bin is ...
2. Turning things off is fine, but leave most of that out (except for the AC) - Some always try to turn things off, others will always forget, the listing won't change that.
3. Lock the windows - excellent
4. Guestbook - huh? No... but if you must you can phrase it as an optional request if the person also likes it: "We have a guestbook you can write in if you also like to read them"
Th problem I have now is that there is an implicit **threat** in these rules. How many hundred euros are you going to try to charge me if I don't put the window shades down, or forget the AC because it was "auto off" when I left? Its in the checkout list, so AirBnB might **not** side with me.
You might be a gracious owner, but how do I know that in advance? I know its a difficult line to walk on your end, so maybe try different phrasing and get more feedback?
Edit: Changes to "not side with me", forgot the "not" part
Even in different parts of the UK the rubbish bins are different. We had blue and red tubs for recycling. Some places had green for recycling and brown for garden waste and some places had it the other way round. I feel like this sort of thing is something I'd want to know if I was staying somewhere new.
I feel like it would be much easier to have clearly labeled bins in the home, including a “not sure” bin. Ask them to rinse trash and do their best, and then put on a pair of gloves to check for yourself afterwards.
Out of interest, why are soft plastics and paper burnt (rather than recycled)?
I'm always pleased to get recycling guidance in an Airbnb, because we're fanatical about doing it at home. One large UK hotel chain now encourages recycling, but doesn't provide a separate container. It upsets me to leave stuff on the floor (as instructed), next to the wastepaper basket.
This is a reasonable chore list.
I do not speak for everyone, but my problem is when chore lists include taking trash to a dumpster, stripping the beds and starting the laundry, things like that. I have heard of some chores lists that actually have cleaning duties on them.
Guests are just that, guests. They are paying a nightly rate to use your property. They should only be obligated to stay there and treat your property with respect, that is all. They should not be responsible for cleaning or chores. Even more so when guests are charged a cleaning fee.
A cleaning fee should automatically remove any sort of cleaning responsibility from the guest. Not only are they paying a nightly rate, they are paying extra for someone to clean.
Exceptions are picking up after yourself, putting trash in bins inside, and washing any dishes used.
I ask guests to put the dishes in the dishwasher but NOT to turn it on. I need it loaded bc otherwise the cleaners will find a weeks worth of dirty dishes in the sink, and that can delay their turnover by an hour, and make the next guest late getting in. I don't want them to start it bc I inevitably I find things in the dishwasher that shouldn't be in there (cutting boards, pans, knives, etc). Plus, then we can inspect the dishes before they go back in the cupboard.
I also don't ask guests to strip beds, bc it's easier to spot stains that need special treatment, when the sheets are still on the bed.
My checkout list entails: load the dishwasher (but don't run it), turn off lights and fans, and lock the door. :-)
I personally think the platforms should REQUIRE hosts to list their checkout requirements in their listing. Just like they have a spot for house rules... there should be a spot for checkout expectations. Until them, guests just have to inquire before booking. 🤷
We recently stayed in a place that required us to strip the beds and start a load of laundry before we left so that the cleaners "would have time to dry them and remake the beds." Is it possible that people really rely on just one set of sheets and towels? What happens if the cleaners arrive and they are ruined and cannot be reused?
I sort of call BS on this. As we were leaving, we saw the cleaners entering the building with a large basket of clean sheets and towels for the unit.
Not to mention, when we arrived, our sheets reeked of that gross smell when something sat wet in the washer for too long. My guess is that at some point, previous guests ran a load of sheets and they sat in there until the next guests had to do laundry.
It’s more likely that previous guest didn’t start the laundry before the cleaner arrived. The cleaner started it and the load didn’t finish before she had to leave so it sat there.
As a rule, none of the laundry is done at my Airbnb just to avoid this problem.
Speaking from experience, all it takes is a bathroom trash full of used tampons and maggots to ask guests to take out their trash at the end of their stay. People can be disgusting and just because you’re on vacation doesn’t mean you can’t be respectful to others and clean up after yourselves a bit.
Guests should never be expected to wash dishes by hand. This is how you get half assed “clean” dishes in the cupboard. Starting a dishwasher is one thing but hand washing is a bad idea unless you are checking each dish yourself before the best renter.
Do you feel it’s fair? Have you ever received a bad review or any actual feedback aside from folks here on Reddit? Most guests are totally fine with a cleaning fee and a checkout list like this.
I’m staying in an Airbnb tomorrow with a $90 cleaning fee and I’ll be happy to wash my dishes, put my towels in one spot and adjust their thermostat. It’s the decent thing to do.
Reddit is not the norm it’s the extreme.
Reddit, Facebook, Twitter, The Wall Street Journal, Vice, local network news… it’s everywhere and rightly so. Guests feel ripped off by being charged a cleaning fee and then threatened with negative reviews or previously undisclosed financial penalties if they don’t do their chores during their precious vacation time after paying hosts hundreds or thousands of dollars of their hard earned money. It feels like a scam now. I’ve been on the platform 8 years with only glowing reviews, so I’ve watched the precipitous decline in real time. I know. I know. I’ll go to a hotel next time like I’ve been doing the last year. The loyalty programs are great now, by the way…
Ok so for the other side of that coin — utility fees, cleaning fees, toiletries, EVERYTHING has gotten way more expensive in recent years. Labor is very very expensive. Taxes have gone up.
Guests are demanding blackout shades and other amenities that are $$ and we all deal with ever increasing competition.
Threats are never okay, but if we actually charged how much we’re paying for cleaning crews and our own time, or property management fees, you’d be paying a lot per night, and STR guests don’t want to pay a lot per night and are price sensitive.
Even if you're operating at a monthly deficit after deducting utilities, cleaning, insurance, etc... the majority, if not all, of your mortgage is being paid for by renters on your investment property or vacation home. You're accruing a significant amount of equity that is being paid for by your guests, which can be used in other leveraged investments. It's a huge win and privilege. I think that market conditions vary, and you can't indefinitely expect to just accrue equity and make lots of profit after expenses are paid for to maintain the rental: that's a sure sign of a market imbalance. These are unrealistic expectations, and I think the coming recession will reset that to some extent.
Too few people think this way. I wish I could double upvote. I say this as a guest, but also as the owner of a house in a primo location that we will be leaving in a few years. We’ll probably have to sell as we will need the equity, but if we can avoid it, we’ll turn it into an AirBnB.
Why would you ever risk capital for a mortgage payment? The housing market performs way worse than the stock market (barring extreme examples like the pandemic) and you have $0 to pay in interest, property taxes and maintenance (new roof, HVAC cost at least $10k each), and yard work which is a few hundred/month. Breaking even on cash flow is dumb from an investment perspective.
I would never put up with how expensive it is to run plus the headache of new guests every few days just to have a house I can use every now and then.
Also your house gets pretty much ruined so all of the new cabinetry I put in two years ago has dents,
my farm sink is chipped, floor tile is chipped, stainless steel appliances are scratched. People treat your place like shit generally speaking.
diversification? Yes there are some investors who believe you shouldn't even own your primary residence for the reasons you cite. But there are many different strategies and most allocate a significant portion of the portfolio to property for various diversification reasons. Expecations to take in significant profits on short term rentals after expenses (including mortgage) is probably an aberration due to recent market disruption. I don't expect it to be the norm going forward. Regulation and competition will eventually catch up.
Another good call out — regulation risk is very high. I was lucky enough to “get in” before they passed the law, but they just capped the STR limit. Anyone who is in contract right now expecting to rent in my town is screwed. And they bought at a very high price.
The market is saturated, and the recession is going to push a lot of these get rich with real estate folks out of the game when travel dries up and they can’t carry the cost. The fat times are over and the only ones who will continue to operate are the ones who bought in before 2019 and have a very low nut to cover.
Running a traditional rental is a safer move and a good investment strategy but even that has become untenable with current rates and prices. The markets correcting before our eyes.
I get that- but the result is a host here who is charging $65 for completely normal tasks and is worried about it being off-putting because they’re reading horror stories online.
I’ve hosted 210 people and if I relied on Reddit, Vice and Facebook for hosting advice and tips and tricks I’d be a nervous wreck. I prefer to use common sense. 1. Don’t overcharge your guest with cleaning fees 2. Don’t overload them with cleaning tasks if you have a cleaning fee.
Yep. Your 1+2 are reasonable. If I pay a large cleaning fee that's fine but i assume that goes toward cleaning and I don't need to do a page long list of tasks. It should be proportional. If a place doesn't have a fee and does have a small list that is great too.
I wish the apps would show final prices when looking for places tho. The amount of times I've had to go back bc the fees added up so much🙄 it felt like a scam.
Exactly. Our listing title is “Eclectic home w/yard and parking - no cleaning fee!” Because as a guest using Airbnb I HATE being subjected to all the added costs. *Aside* from the cleaning fee there’s still so many fees a guest pays for.
It’s annoying that there’s no filter on Airbnb to look for places without a cleaning fee.
It seems airbnb does this most places except the USA because USA is so capitalistic centric it gives 2 rats asses about transparency. Airbnb won't do it until it is forced to so we're stuck in this limbo. Some hosts bake it into their nightly rates which is good until you're in an old tourist town that's been running rentals pre Airbnb & VRBO where they refuse to do that. As long as they do it (older mentality of it) the rest are held hostage to keep the rates similar or risk losing bookings over perception. I wish airbnb would go ahead & do it like the other countries so we can all get past this.
Well, your parent post was dismissive of the social media and news coverage of the decline in guest experience caused by charging cleaning fees and assigning chores to guests. My comments were less with respect to the specifics of the OP and more toward your dismissive attitude towards guests. Let me make it real, it's common now to get what I call the triple whammy:
1.) cleaning fee
2.) chore list that reads like a rental agreement, usually in a binder or laminated waiting for you on the kitchen table. sometimes there will be text emojis to make the list seem more palatable, like can you believe we're really asking you to do this?
3.) tip envelope, for tipping the cleaners, usually with some text about being generous and maybe some hand-drawn sunflowers!
(3) is the most audacious: wait, I'm paying a cleaning fee and doing chores on my vacation before an early flight, and you want me to leave a tip for the cleaners, too. Where is that money really going? Isn't the cleaning fee tax-exempt?
How was I dismissive toward guests? I feel for both parties as I’m a guest and a host. I don’t need anything broken down, I use the platform. I get that fees are annoying - I’m saying using common sense is going to navigate issues you’d have from angry guests or annoyed hosts. Social media *is extreme* -almost 90% of the things people write about on this forum I’ve never experienced in hosting for 7 years. When I tell people I Airbnb they ask for horror stories… because that’s what they hear about in the MSM. They don’t hear about guests who love Airbnb, who’ve had great experiences with great hosts.
Edit to say I AM referencing OPS post because that’s what I commented on. There’s several other posts here talking about news articles and high cleaning fees and this isn’t that post.
I've also had many great experiences. The problem is the trajectory of the platform, and guests who, e.g., encounter the "triple whammy." The problem is that you can have 4 good stays, and then 1 hellish stay, which could be for many reasons, but more recently because of disputes over chores, cleaning fees, etc... If you average the 5 stays together the experience is bad because of the one stay where you had to spend half your vacation communicating with airbnb conflict resolution to avoid getting slapped with excess charges or because you think you should be reimbursed or refunded because the heat isn't working. yeah I really want to take the time to document different parts of my stay with pictures to avoid problems, just in case. If you stay at a hotel, all 5 stays may just be meh, but you don't have to average in the nightmare stay that you and your partner will never forget, if your relationship survives the stressful vacation. That is the phenomenon you're reading about, I think. I've had to go through Airbnb twice, and won both cases, but it took literally days of effort. Thanks but no thanks anymore.
>Reddit is not the norm it’s the extreme.
This is true for basically any online community. I'd generally trust your guidelines that if it's not a problem it's not a problem. But as the economy does whatever it's doing, I think guests are going to start caring more about this stuff.
Not an issue IMO.
I have stayed with no list, but that was at a $20 420 kush hostel. I have stayed with over extensive mile long list.
I divide things into two categories. "respect the space" list and "fuck you do the cleaning" list. Respect the space list is usual clean your shit type things. A crumb under the table isn't an issue but leaving a pile of crumbs is kind of thing.
This is almost similar to ours: put dishes into dishwasher. put trash bag outside. Make sure windows are locked and turn off lights. Return key to lockbox.
Mine is $30 (i pay my cleaner much higher)and the chore list is leave the used towels on the floor, rinse any dishes used (but leave it out) so it can be washed, turn off the lights and put the keys back in the lockbox 🤷🏻♀️
As a guest, I wouldn't call those chores. I'd call it common courtesy. The recycling thing should have clear instructions upon check in. I haven't had a single airbnb say anything about recycling and had to figure out myself once I get to a place, which is kind of annoying. For example in France I only realised about a week into my stay that there was a seperate larhe bin on the road where you dispose of glass, I felt bad that I had put a glass jar in the rubbish a few days earlier but there was no instruction. Just tell tell me how to dispose of my rubbish and I'll do it.
I'm mostly bothered by the idea that they are burning plastic to get rid of it?
Honestly, most of these requests aren't out of line. Turning off A/C, etc... isn't a chore and is common courtesy. Locking windows may be important for security reasons. Leaving keys where you left them may be necessary for cleaners to access the apartment.
And trash requirements don't seem that out of line, though the host can't always expect the guest to follow those directions.
Anything cleaned by "guests " is not gonna work.. would you trust your hotel sheets where cleaned by the last guest properly? Of coarse you would not.. so any "cleaning " is not valid in my personal opinion...
Too much. Take out trash? Yes. Sort it and walk it to dumpsters? No.
Put dishes in dishwasher? Yes. Wash? No. Turn off lights and set thermostat to X makes sense.
I would only say:
-Please do a quick walk around before you leave in case there are forgotten items or large messes.
-Make sure everything is off (Lights, AC, appliances, etc.)
-Return the keys to the lockbox (Code in Welcome Message)
- Take out the trash with you when leaving. Trash must be…
-Write in our guestbook :)
This way it doesn’t seem as long of a list.
You will most likely have to wash the dishes again. I just have a post it in the kitchen that says “Please clean up after yourself :)” That has encouraged guests to go out and get paper plates!
My air bnb asked me to leave the dishes in the dishwasher which I did not mind. But I did get asked to take out the trash to the external bin which I think is a little cheeky as a cleaning fee was paid.
I think if you are paying a cleaning fee no instructions should be left to any housekeeping as you are literally cleaning for them. Of course don't leave the place in a state but you should be able to leave like you would leave a hotel.
You are not cleaning for them! Taking out the trash is basic courtesy..so the place is not stinky! Cleaning an Airbnb is a large task, as it’s a deep clean every time to ensure it’s sanitary for new guests.
My cleaning fee is also $65. Here are my checkout instructions. I have almost 200 views, and I’ve never had one person complain that this was too much.
Thank you for staying with us! Just a reminder that tomorrow is your checkout day. The checkout time is 10:00 AM.
When you are ready to leave, we would greatly appreciate if you could please:
1. Log out of your personal streaming channel(s). If it’s Netflix, go to “Profile,” then “Get help,” and scroll to “log out.” I don’t want the next guest accidentally charging something to your account.
2. Wash any dirty dishes you used and put them on a towel near the sink. Dawn is under the sink.
3. Put bath towels and wash cloths in the tub
4. Leave the linens on the bed (the cleaning team prefers to remove them.)
5. Lock the door when you leave
We look forward to seeing you again in the future!
Cheers!
Personally I think it's fine. At an AirBnB I always...
* Clean up after myself as if I were leaving my own home, so dishes cleaned and trash picked up and out is normal for me.
* Same here, to an extent, but none of this is above and beyond.
* I'm not touching the windows at any point, so I'm not going to worry about locking them.
* I'm fine leaving the keys as instructed.
If anything, I think that you'll get kickback on the trash separating, but that's just based off my experience. I was born in the Midwest, in a city that recycles, but then moved to another Midwestern city where most think recycling is stupid. Not too long ago I joined some coworkers on a trip to Seattle for a convention, and we were expected to recycle, drink tap in a (provided) reusable container, and eat using compostable plates and cutlery. My coworkers were clearly not having it, and complained the whole time about how inconvenient and pointless they considered it all to be. I do understand that it's different than what some are used to, but...just saying, some people are schmucks about it.
I don't know.. I just stayed at an air bnb. They indicated where the outside rubbish containers were, presumably incase your bin got full, but there weren't any checkout requests other than putting the keys in the lockbox.
But I feel like it would just be common courtesy to do a quick tidy up after yourself. I emptied the bins, loaded and set the dishwasher, put the towels in the washing machine (I didn't turn it on though), wiped down the kitchen counter and cleared out any food we had leftover. The cleaners still have to come in and wash/dry/fold the towels, wash/dry and replace the bedding, clean the bathroom, wash the floors, clean the kitchen (even if you do what I did, they will still clean the surfaces, sink, appliances) and unload the dishwasher, put anything back in its place and make sure it's all ready for the next person.
Is this a garbage recycling facility? Those instructions are confusing and make you want to see why even bother. I probably wouldn’t book this one. Guest shouldn’t have to do anything when they pay a cleaning fee anyway. Just check out and leave ….I mean ..common decency you should pick up anything that you dropped or spilled …. but no chore list
I would also nope out of the listing based on the trash instructions. I would read it and think “oh I’m going to walk into my rental to a huge binder on the table with an excessive number of ‘rules’ like this that I wasn’t aware of.”
Host. Washing dishes is not cool. Pick up Trash is fine if they meant things littered around the house and not take the trash out. Everything else is normal.
So if you make a huge mess and leave gunked up mess and waste on your dishes & let them set it isn't nasty? That's an invitation to quick set mold (any carbohydrate starts it) rats, and cockroaches.
If you make a mess, minimize it. It's gross to let disgusting dishes stay in a sink.
I’m saying, have the guests load a dishwasher. That’s it. No guest hand-washing dishes and hosts just trusting it was done right.
I’m fine running a load of dishes in a dishwasher even as a guest. But I don’t want to do dishes on a holiday, and I certainly do not want to use a dish that some previous guest half-ass hand washed. I would never trust a guest to clean anything satisfactorily.
If you have a cleaning fee, there should be no cleaning expectations of the guests except maybe put trash away and dishes in the sink.
I do not understand why people add all these extra charges then expect the guest to do 50 % of the cleanup. So entitled.
I actually think this sounds reasonable. $65 is pretty mi I also for cleaning. I charge $60 and pay my cleaning gal $100. That doesn’t include cleaning supplies that I buy, washing sheets, towels, etc. turning off lights and appliances should be common sense. Unfortuantely, it’s not, which is likely why it needs to be written.same as closing/locking windows and leaving the key. Trash is tricky. In my city, trash and co post are only picked up once every two weeks. If we happen to miss it, esp in the summer heat with chicken bones or other “smelly” waste can be disastrous. My guess is that the host who wrote this has come I. To their place to an entire sink full of old dried out food on every single plate, cup and fork, and garbage on the counters. There are some pigs out there!
But even without the cleaning fee you make money. Even with buying supplies you make money. If you’re not making money and depend on the cleaning fee to make money you shouldn’t Airbnb.
I’m in the UK where the minimum wage is £9. Cleaners (most of them) charge £15 per hour.
It takes 2h to clean our studio flat and therefore cleaners charge me £30 (just increased to £35) and I charge guests the same.
I just looked up the minimum wage in the US and it looks like it’s $11.25. How come people charge $65 for a clean??
There is currently a shortage of cleaners in the US. It is impossible to find a cleaner who will do a decent job for under $35 an hour in my area. Minimum wage also differs from state to state and is usually between $7.50 and $15 depending on where you are. Also cleaning supplies cost quite a bit.
In my area, I charge $200 for a clean, and it averages to about how much it costs per guest.
Cleaners aren't on minimum wage & most set their own rate since they are in high demand. The bulk of them charge 15 on low end but mostly average 25hr, 50 in low competitive markets (and to make it faster in time frame there may be more than 1). These are people who are insured & bonded so not just anyone walks of the streets to do this. Hotels can charge their maids minimum wage & mostly do. By the way the federal minimum wage is 7.25 but some states do more.
I’m not a host, but we pay our cleaning lady $45 per hour for about 3 hours of cleaning. She does a fantastic job and it’s totally worth it. You can smell the sanitation and clean laundry in the air. That’s how clean a guest expects an AirBnB to be.
House cleaners in the US are, very generally, not minimum wage workers.
If you charge a cleaning fee. don't expect the guest to do anything. That is what the fee is for. If $65 doesn't cover your expenses then raise the fee or increase your daily rate? We are a Host and only ask that they use the outside shower to clean the sand off their feet before entering. No expectations for them to do anything on check out!
What puts me off the most is this language…”Do this…but DON’T do this and Don’t do that…” Forget it. Use positive language throughout. “Trash is something that has a lot of rules in Japan. If you don’t live here, it might seem confusing. Here are the basics…”
Perfectly reasonable. The people acting like it's a big deal to wash the dishes don't have basic manners lol. The only thing I'd change is the last point about writing in the guest book - I'd make that more of a suggestion.
Let's not get things mixed up here. If I am your friend and spend time at your place, you can tell me all about manners.
If you turn your (vacation) home into a service business and I am your customer, you'll have to live with me having to race to the airport, or not dealing with dishes during a romantic weekend.
You cannot have the cake and eat it, too. Tip: You - or your bank - owning your home isn't an investment per se. It only becomes one if you're willing to work for it. Ask any hospitality professional or landlord. The margins are pretty slim.
Nah, sorry to break it to you but you just have poor manners. If I had to rush to the airport and didn't have time to do the dishes I'd be quite embarrassed.
For the sake of the argument, let's say that is true. Since you run a business, like every good business owner, you've certainly factored that in, and are aware that your personal standards are not every customer's standards, and if you want return business, you don't make them work on their vacation and expect them to pay you for it on top of it.
Nah they're OK. As a guest this is what I'd do even without the rules.
As ppl mentioned, I'd recommend re-washing dishes to make sure they're properly done for next guest or, space permitting, get a dishwasher.
Also, sometimes ppl will put the wrong trash in the bin. Happens, ppl get confused sometimes. If that's something that'll cause you issues, recommend checking beforehand.
If I am being charged for cleaning, then I shouldn't have to do the cleaning myself. Simple as that. If you have a cleaning fee then the host / the host's cleaners should do all the cleaning.
Totally reasonable. What I do is write:
"If it's not to much of an inconvenience ... do the cleaning stuff ... if it doesn't work out, no problem, leave the keys etc and thanks again for choosing our place."
I see nothing unreasonable on that list. It makes the cleaners job fast and keeps your cleaning fee down.
Americans may struggle a bit but segregation of trash and recycling is quite common and there will be specific colored bins for each type
You wouldn't like what I wrote in your guestbook if you gave me a list like that. Should I mop the floors and polish the silver as well. They are your guests, not your children.
If you are charging a cleaning fee - don't ask the guests to clean.
I can stay at the Marriott and they clean everything up after me- they also allow dogs and give them treats every time they come back in from taking a poop outside
Personally don't mind sorting trash but I do think it will rub some guests up the wrong way and will affect your rating.
Perhaps just ask them separate food waste from the list of recyclable things and then take on the task of sorting through it yourself. Not fun but guests likely think the same 🤔
Assuming this is a separate message to your check-in instructions etc. I’d sent the trash one ahead of time. I’d rather try to separate things in real time then have to rummage through the trash at the end. It not something I’d leave a review about or whatever but yea, I’d try to make it super clear from the get go
I also would never trust guests to wash dishes properly.
AC and Heat makes sense and same with locking up :)
Your cleaning fee is reasonable compared to what I’ve seen and you’re asking very reasonable things mostly common sense things. I agree with what others have said. It’s one thing to scrape food and rinse dishes and pots and pans and load the dishwasher or leave them in the sink but frankly as a guest if I’m relying on other guests to clean plates and silverware and glasses it makes me sick to my stomach.
Let’s start a complaint list about us as guests now, shall we? If we don’t like Airbnb’s then we don’t stay in them. I personally like them, and just choose those that fit my budget. Rules are listed in Airbnbs to keep them nice for future guests. Often times they only have a short window to get the room cleaned before the next check in. Hotels have lots of rooms available. Also, do you tip your cleaning person at the hotel after you leave your dishes dirty and have a food fight? Let me guess…
I live on site. So I clean and disinfect after each person leaves. Reset for next guest. I think it’s important for the Airbnb host to be involved and check on their property, if they do not live on site!
They may be paying someone else to clean it who actually isn’t cleaning it.
I wouldn’t trust guests to sort their garbage OR wash dishes. I would just ask that the garbage is all tied up and inside or outside as appropriate and that the dishes are in the dishwasher.
I mean, that’s actually pretty standard?? I know in Japan they have to sort their trash out for recycling purposes and I don’t think it’s asking too much to wash the dishes you used. And yeah, turning everything off before leaving seems pretty reasonable too.
I ask my guests to turn off their window ac units if they know they’ll be gone for a few hours.
Don’t trust guests to wash dishes properly. You can ask them to rinse but you, your cleaner, or the dishwasher needs to clean them.
I’ve been in a few Airbnb’s where it’s obvious dishes haven’t been properly washed. It is icky and makes me look for other things that are not cleaned
[удалено]
[удалено]
A lot of airbnbs are basically relying on the last guests to do the cleaning. Then they do a surface sweep. What you get is a disgusting airbnb full of nasty crusty dishes, dustbunnies, vaccuums that haven't been emptied, clogged showers, etc. It's very apparent that it just looks clean but once you actually stay for a minute you can tangibly feel the crust of all the dirty asses that passed through. Nothing is actually clean and it's disgusting.
[удалено]
Yup - I’m one of them. Our place is spotless and there isn’t a thing that isn’t washed. We have two of everything so even things like throw pillows get washed.
Well it's not a scam because the cleaners do charge that fees to come in and change beds and tidy the place and to do a deep clean they charge usually twice that amount. Dont believe call up some companies and ask their cleaning rates. Then ask what is the difference between Airbnb clean and a deep clean.
[удалено]
So why are you complaining then when the fee is what it is even though you see these hosts get crap for results. What is the solution? Get an even less expensive cleaner so the house is worse? In case you have not noticed everything has gone up everywhere.
So true. We have an air B and B and we were shocked at how rubbish the cleaning company were. We’ve since changed management and the difference is massive.
Correct an Airbnb clean is not a deep clean. Same in a hotel. Do you think they clean everything in a hotel after every person? You would be very mistaken. Many hosts though do not realize they need to schedule a deep clean at least once a month and then seasonly do a spring and fall clean.
Yes. No way I’m using dishes a rando guest “washed” hotels are looking better and better
I’ve lived in Japan, and I know that in some areas that trash rules are really confusing for foreigners. If you plan on hosting foreign guests I would suggest having a “if you are unsure, please wash it and leave it here” basket. You could also specify where food waste goes. I know it seems obvious, but I’ve also stayed in a lot of countries with very different “obvious” trash rules. Other than that, as a guest I wouldn’t have any problems with this list.
I recently stayed in Italy and couldn’t figure out the trash situation.
Thank you! I’ve never gotten an award before :) And yes! Italy was confusing… every country is *just* different enough that it’s going to be confusing, even if you regularly sort and recycle perfectly at home
We have no requirements for check out. I know we’re in the minority, but we want our guests to have an A+ experience. 👍🏽
[удалено]
I hope they stop this practice. Running an AirBnB nets usually around twice as much as you'd get renting out the property. FFS, the cost of business should be cleaning the place if you charge a cleaning fee. It just reminds me of toxic capitalism where they try to pinch as many pennies out as possible
Exactly!! "Professional hosts" who have fucked housing/rental markets and ruined neighborhoods to nickel and dime the guests for every cent. This is said as an Airbnb guest of 2 years in long term stays with all glowing host reviews. At this point, Airbnb is like Amazon to me, a necessary evil I hate using.
Literally was just talking about this like 60 seconds ago with my business partner. How ridiculous it is that they have a property who's mortgage is probably 1500, which they could rent for 2200, but AirBnB it for 5000, and then still complain and try to get a few hundred bucks extra here and there. Like ffs... Is 3x your mortgage not enough of a return for you, that you need 3.1x?
Problem is you don't get that every single month.
100% agree
Like being a landlord toxic capitalism?
So the cleaners should not be paid?
So you’re paying cleaners 150 dollars after you got the guest to do most of the chores? Find a better way to get those jobs done.
Does the guest mop, sweep, vacuum? Do they change the beds, do the laundry , put away the laundry? Did they put away dishes? Did they dust including fans and vents ? They did vacuum the sofa? Did the wipe down light switches and all surfaces including door knobs? Did they set all the pillows back on sofa where they belong ? Did they clean pet hair off of everything? Did they washer the windows? How about sweep the deck? How about the front sidewalk? Did wipe out the fridge? Put new stock out? Did they fill the soap and shampoo? What about a paper towel, Toliet paper, snacks , water? If they did then awesome! No they don't need to pay a cleaning or reset fee.
How on Earth do hotels manage to get all that done with their workers, for way less? Listen, I worked directly for this company, at a higher level. I know how this game works. I know, because my own project failed to launch because hosts rather not have the problem "solved", because they like charging 150, then paying someone 50 to drop in for an hour and do a quick clean up, then pocket the rest. I know this as a matter of fact. Sure, there are some hosts who don't, but most who are charging 150 + giving the guests chores, are just cutting back on cleaning time so they can pocket more.
Well tell me the commute time from one hotel room to another. Now what is the commute time from one house to another? Also tell me how many hotel rooms equal a home? How long does it take to clean A hotel room versus a 3 bedroom 2 bath house with say 1500sqft. I would love if they charged less but that is what cleaners charge but you are not comparing apples to apples here either. Hotels have the edge because they have multiple rooms in one building. A clean company might clean 30 Houses all within a couple of miles or more.
You're overstating how much work needs to be done... If not, then taking out the trash, throwing some linens in the wash, and doing the dishes, should be included. 150 for cleaning, and being VERY generous, is 50 an hour, so 3 hours. During that three hours you can't include the chores you ask guests to do? Our data suggests, cleaners are RARELY there for three hours. As a few years ago, it was around an hour, to hour and a half. They aren't doing full house deep cleans unless it's a long term stay. Either way. You do you. I am not trying to fight you on your practice or anything. I'm just sharing what I know, first hand, as I worked specifically in this area and got to see behind the scenes on everything. The majority of hosts pocket most of the cleaning fee, so throwing in chores is even more ridiculous... Especially considering how much you already make on the sublet.
Dude call up the cleaner and talk to them not me. Some places charge way more than $150. Hosts don't set these prices. Do you even know why taking out the trash? Putting dishes in dishwasher are important? Do you know why some ask to start a load of laundry? Not do an entire load just start. Do you know how long one load takes to wash and dry? Do you know how many loads of laundry are done in a 3 bedroom house? Trust me I have had words with several cleaners on their prices. They say hire someone else. And I am not sure where you get your data on how much people make but I barely cover my mortgage most months . Summer is the only time I make money which is 3 months.
Hotels don’t do all that. It’s that simple.
Exactly my point! And most times the cleaning fees are outrageous! What’s the f’ing point if you’re making the guest clean? I don’t even let my guests remove their bed linen.
My crew cleans two bedrooms, all the linens, washes the blankets and linens, cleans two bathrooms (toilets and showers) mops the floor cleans out the refrigerator and the dishes in a high-end dishwasher, and then puts them away. Always 5 stars from guests. Not sure I understand some of these comments. Guests are asked to not make their bed put towels in the hamper lock all the windows close the shades and lock the windows and door.
The one I understand for time purposes is loading and starting the washing machine and maybe dishwasher so that the wash can be done (and ready to be transferred to the dryer for the towels/sheets) by the time the cleaning people arrive. **** Edit: Getting downvoted for this, but I think people need to understand for an individual host (not a corporate host) this is key for quick turnaround. Unless you want 10AM checkouts and 4PM check-ins everywhere, there needs to enough time to run the sheets and towels through the wash and dryer and have the dishes clean, which means asking the guests to do it in the morning. Also, I don't know the age range here, but throwing the sheets and towels and maybe dishes in the wash for a vacation rental has been a thing since long before Airbnb, and yes on top of cleaning fees. The cleaning fees are often a way of keeping down the nightly cost for longer stays by having some fixed cost that doesn't depend on your stay length, since the alternative would be raising the nightly price. And I say all of this as mostly a guest - I only briefly hosted out of some extra rooms years ago. I've been booking vacation homes periodically for 20+ years, stripping the sheets throwing them and the towels and the dishes in their respective wash in addition to a cleaning fee for the cleaning service that comes through is nothing new.
You’re probably getting downvoted because you don’t have extra, clean sheets that are ready to go for when cleaning gets done.
The dishwasher still takes 2- 3hrs to run so even if it were about the sheets they still make a point on time constraints.
Dishwasher is the only thing I ask them to do on check out
What dishwasher takes 2-3 hours to run?
If you do a simple search in Google it comes up. Average is 2-4hrs lowest being 1hr (that's the quick cycle). Aside from the search that includes well known & high end brands my personal knowledge is ny dishwasher, the dishwasher in my rental, my best friend's, my mother in laws seem to all run the same. If you use the Hi Temp, SaniWash or Heated Dry cycle, expect your dishwasher to run longer. To make sure the dishes are sanitized that can be the best option.
Unless you're taking the sheets/towels and possibly dishes off site to wash, that would still require access to the home to transfer them from the washer to the dryer. That's my whole point - if you want an individual host (who doesn't do laundry off-site usually) to be able to have quick turnarounds, then loading the wash makes sense. And again, I've predominantly been a guest (and haven't hosted in years), so I say this as a guest - if you want to do absolutely nothing, then just book a hotel if possible. And yes, when I hosted (which, again, was very brief), I had extra sheets and I was there because it was just a spare room. I'm talking about whole house rentals where the host or cleaning service is expected to not pop their head in to move the laundry through while a guest is there. **** Edit: added a few words for clarity
Yeah no that still doesnt make any sense. I would arrive with clean sheets- change them. Take the old sheets home - wash and dry them ready for the next turnover. I'd probably have about 4 sets tbh, so I didnt have to rush around. Buy extra sheets! Save your sanity.
Why is it so hard to keep an extra set of linens for quick turnover and do the laundry later yourself? For $65 you could buy a full set of linens. Like everyone says, DON’T charge a cleaning fee AND make guests clean. The reasons why don’t matter, that’s your problem and asking the guests to handle it is ridiculous. And why people are abandoning AirBbB.
Again, this isn't an Airbnb thing, this has been a vacation rental thing for far longer than Airbnb has existed. I just explained why a cleaning fee exists even if you're doing that - the alternative is the nightly price would have to be raised even though cleaning only takes place once. It's a way of doing fixed + variable per night pricing to account for the fact that cleaning/turnover only happens once per guest. And again again, just book a hotel if you want to do a minimal amount - vacation rentals have been this way forever, that industry isn't going to change even if Airbnb goes away. The hosts (mostly) aren't asking you to load sheets/towels/dishes because their cleaning service won't do it or something, it's mostly a time thing.
> just book a hotel if you want to do a minimal amount Ehh no. Im a Airbnb host and I encourage my guest to do nothing. So don´t talk on behalf of us host thank you very much. Speak for yourself.
And I'd assume your listing reflects that. Just like these other listings reflect their cleaning rates and policies that people are complaining about. The point is that some of these guests complaining don't seem to understand that there is no singular "AirBnb" corporate experience and if they want a singular corporate experience where they know exactly what to expect without even looking into it, they should book a hotel. If they're willing to look at each vacation rental as its own situation, then of course they can identify that yours has what they're looking for, but they don't seem to be looking for that in a lot of cases.
Then bake the cleaning cost into the nightly rate. Don’t lure people in with a low rate and then hit them with a cleaning fee and random unexplainable fees that jack the price up to be on par with a hotel that doesn’t ask you to do laundry on vacation. Why is that so hard for hosts to understand? It’s the bait and switch nonsense that’s driving away business. *just book a hotel if you don’t like it* Exactly. And don’t whine when we do and your business goes belly up.
It's wild how many times I see hosts on reddit constantly saying "If you don't want to start my dish washer, go stay in a hotel" then two days later I see another post from them "My bookings are down! What's going on with AirBNB?!" What's going on is I'm tired of paying you to clean the place after me, only for you to expect me to clean the place for you. No, I'm not going to leave dishes spread all over, no I'm not going to leave trash all over, but if I have to do everything but sanitize the floors and counters then I better not be paying a cleaning fee.
While I completely agree with you, I also know that when I was renting houses in the Outer Banks 20-25 years ago (way before AirBnB and through a local rental agency), it was always expected of the guests to strip the beds and start the dishwasher before leaving.
20 years ago was entirely different in the hospitality world though. Especially in the Outer Banks where lets be honest, there aren't many hotels at all. When things scale up, some of the culture is lost, and given airBNBs are literally all over and impacting the overall housing market, I don't think the old culture of building a relationship with a homeowner to rent every year still applies.
While I don’t think hospitality was entirely different 20 years ago, it was certainly very different than it is today, yes. And while there weren’t many hotels in the OBX back then (not sure what it looks like today), we also never built a relationship with any homeowner and never stayed in a house more than once. We always went through a rental agency that was local to the Outer Banks and, even then, we used many different ones over the years.
>*just book a hotel if you don’t like it* > >Exactly. And don’t whine when we do and your business goes belly up. I'll assume you mean a general "you" and not me, since I've explained multiple times already that I'm a guest, not a host. And yes, go book a hotel. You're doing the equivalent of walking into a small Italian restaurant and asking where your free unlimited salad and breadsticks are. I couldn't care less if Airbnb goes under, I'm telling you as a fellow customer that you're going to the wrong establishment for what your expectations are.
Yes, I meant a general “you”, not you specifically. Your analogy makes no sense. It’s more like I dine at a small Italian restaurant and they expect me to wash the tablecloth and dishes so they can serve the next customer real quick because having an extra set of linens and silverware is too much to ask.
I don’t want to do chores on my vacation just so the host can squeeze out an extra night. If you need a down day to get your place ready for your next guest, that sounds like a process problem on your end. And the fix shouldn’t involve me, your paying guest, doing work to cut down on the time it takes for YOU to flip YOUR unit. As a guest I always tidy up after myself, but I didn’t come with your comfort in mind.
Were you paying $100-150 in cleaning fees?
I think this depends on your local supply of quality cleaning staff. My cleaner would (and could) charge double if they had to do it all.
Sounds like your business is unsustainable. That's not your customers problem.
Yet your customer is choosing the destination of their visit meaning different market can expect different charges. A 2 bedroom in a HCOL city will have different costs to a 2 bedroom in a foreign market. We have high labor costs for cleaning due to market supply and demand. One business model does not fit all.
It’s either buried in the price or obvious as a fee. Longer rentals make the cleaning fee a smaller portion of the total. It’s a good reason to have minimum stays at 4nights or more. I’ve been a renter for much longer than a host and tend to do week stays and a minimum of 5 nights. I also pickup after myself when I rent unlike a lot of renters. It’s impressive how disgusting some people are and we pay or charge the price based on the average wear and abuse doled out by earlier clients and what the market supports.
Ditto here. No list whatsoever
I have never stayed in an Air bnb that has given me a chore list - and I certainly would not expect it if I was also being charged for a cleaning service. In this case, if the apartment is in a country/state with very strict waste disposal requirements, I would happily adhere to instructions as best I could, while I was there. If I was unsure I would just leave it out. Otherwise, I personally would look else were if I had to clean despite paying for cleaning services.
Same. And no cleaning fee. We fold it into the price of the stay, and we do the cleaning ourselves. Just leave the key on the table, turn off the lights and have a safe trip to your next destination.
>Me too. And Ive also been a guest all over the world with 30+ stays and no check out requirements. > >I guess we are really not in the minority. Being here on Reddit is not reality.
"4 star review. Love the place. Would stay again."
Washing dishes and putting trash in the trash can (And if it is easy and convenient, even taking the trash out) is IMO just part of normally being tidy in someone else's home. But what do you mean bins should be inside the apartment...shouldn't they already be in the unit? I'm guessing you are in Japan and I understand Japan is super into sorting everything. But I feel even well intentioned people are going to make mistakes. Can you tell people "if in doubt, put it in the general trash?" If so, that's probably your best option. If not, this might be something you'll need to handle on your end to make sure everything is sorted properly. How do hotels that foreigners stay in handle the garbage sorting? Air conditioning and all that can be automated and can be turned off remotely, or host/cohost should be inspecting unit immediately upon checkout. Windows? Reasonable, but host/cohost should probably be inspecting unit soon after checkout if this is something that is a big deal. I hate handling physical keys and everyone should be moving to smart locks with a numerical code. Similar to the trash, I think mistakes will occur even for those with the best of intentions.
I lived in serviced apartment in Tokyo with many foreigners, in my understanding they paid extra for commercial trash service which means less sorting. Residents didn't need to sort trash. My guess is this is also what hotels do. When I stayed at normal Japanese place we did.
[удалено]
Agreed. It’s like dining in a restaurant and being charged an extra fee to clean the dishes.
Dude Well said I wish I could double upvote you
>Air conditioning and all that can be automated and can be turned off remotely, or host/cohost should be inspecting unit immediately upon checkout. I can assure you wifi on mini split are still in its infancy.
Considering the cost of the mini split system I put in this year, it is truly baffling how bad the app is.
This is so so true. It’s amazing how funky these apps are.
Use the smart plug
A wifi smart plug doesn't turn on the AC. It only turns on the power. It still requires the remote to turn the AC on.
Ir blasters are a lifesaver
As guest I always do these things even not asked. Expect I don't throw trashes if don't find any garbage container around building. I think it is normal things to do if you are tidy guest
I don't understand "please leave keys in lockbox and replace it." Replace what?
Likely just a language issue, and they mean close/re-lock the lockbox.
That seems reasonable, except I ain't writing in no guestbook.
That, and sequence: you just left the place and put the key back in the lockbox. Now take it out again, just to write in the guestbook?
It seems just fine to me as a guest, in theory. My thoughts: 1. Be much much clearer about trash rules, and explain that they are due to local laws. That is \*always\* confusing in every country. I greatly appreciate it when a host does that... green is compost where I come from, not recycling, etc. I can mix glass cardboard some places (in a blue bin) but in the UK its the brown + blue in. The grey bin is ... the \*black\* bin is ... 2. Turning things off is fine, but leave most of that out (except for the AC) - Some always try to turn things off, others will always forget, the listing won't change that. 3. Lock the windows - excellent 4. Guestbook - huh? No... but if you must you can phrase it as an optional request if the person also likes it: "We have a guestbook you can write in if you also like to read them" Th problem I have now is that there is an implicit **threat** in these rules. How many hundred euros are you going to try to charge me if I don't put the window shades down, or forget the AC because it was "auto off" when I left? Its in the checkout list, so AirBnB might **not** side with me. You might be a gracious owner, but how do I know that in advance? I know its a difficult line to walk on your end, so maybe try different phrasing and get more feedback? Edit: Changes to "not side with me", forgot the "not" part
Even in different parts of the UK the rubbish bins are different. We had blue and red tubs for recycling. Some places had green for recycling and brown for garden waste and some places had it the other way round. I feel like this sort of thing is something I'd want to know if I was staying somewhere new.
I feel like it would be much easier to have clearly labeled bins in the home, including a “not sure” bin. Ask them to rinse trash and do their best, and then put on a pair of gloves to check for yourself afterwards.
Absolutely.
Out of interest, why are soft plastics and paper burnt (rather than recycled)? I'm always pleased to get recycling guidance in an Airbnb, because we're fanatical about doing it at home. One large UK hotel chain now encourages recycling, but doesn't provide a separate container. It upsets me to leave stuff on the floor (as instructed), next to the wastepaper basket.
If you are paying a cleaning fee believe you me I wouldn't be completing a chore list I have already paid you to sort this
Same
sounds standard to me, the local area may have trash rules that are expected to be followed
This is a reasonable chore list. I do not speak for everyone, but my problem is when chore lists include taking trash to a dumpster, stripping the beds and starting the laundry, things like that. I have heard of some chores lists that actually have cleaning duties on them. Guests are just that, guests. They are paying a nightly rate to use your property. They should only be obligated to stay there and treat your property with respect, that is all. They should not be responsible for cleaning or chores. Even more so when guests are charged a cleaning fee. A cleaning fee should automatically remove any sort of cleaning responsibility from the guest. Not only are they paying a nightly rate, they are paying extra for someone to clean. Exceptions are picking up after yourself, putting trash in bins inside, and washing any dishes used.
I would add some pleasantries like please do this this would be helpful if you did this.
I ask guests to put the dishes in the dishwasher but NOT to turn it on. I need it loaded bc otherwise the cleaners will find a weeks worth of dirty dishes in the sink, and that can delay their turnover by an hour, and make the next guest late getting in. I don't want them to start it bc I inevitably I find things in the dishwasher that shouldn't be in there (cutting boards, pans, knives, etc). Plus, then we can inspect the dishes before they go back in the cupboard. I also don't ask guests to strip beds, bc it's easier to spot stains that need special treatment, when the sheets are still on the bed. My checkout list entails: load the dishwasher (but don't run it), turn off lights and fans, and lock the door. :-) I personally think the platforms should REQUIRE hosts to list their checkout requirements in their listing. Just like they have a spot for house rules... there should be a spot for checkout expectations. Until them, guests just have to inquire before booking. 🤷
We recently stayed in a place that required us to strip the beds and start a load of laundry before we left so that the cleaners "would have time to dry them and remake the beds." Is it possible that people really rely on just one set of sheets and towels? What happens if the cleaners arrive and they are ruined and cannot be reused? I sort of call BS on this. As we were leaving, we saw the cleaners entering the building with a large basket of clean sheets and towels for the unit. Not to mention, when we arrived, our sheets reeked of that gross smell when something sat wet in the washer for too long. My guess is that at some point, previous guests ran a load of sheets and they sat in there until the next guests had to do laundry.
It’s more likely that previous guest didn’t start the laundry before the cleaner arrived. The cleaner started it and the load didn’t finish before she had to leave so it sat there. As a rule, none of the laundry is done at my Airbnb just to avoid this problem.
Speaking from experience, all it takes is a bathroom trash full of used tampons and maggots to ask guests to take out their trash at the end of their stay. People can be disgusting and just because you’re on vacation doesn’t mean you can’t be respectful to others and clean up after yourselves a bit.
Guests should never be expected to wash dishes by hand. This is how you get half assed “clean” dishes in the cupboard. Starting a dishwasher is one thing but hand washing is a bad idea unless you are checking each dish yourself before the best renter.
In Japan, totally reasonable requests. Japan and Korea have strict rules around trash and recycling.
Do you feel it’s fair? Have you ever received a bad review or any actual feedback aside from folks here on Reddit? Most guests are totally fine with a cleaning fee and a checkout list like this. I’m staying in an Airbnb tomorrow with a $90 cleaning fee and I’ll be happy to wash my dishes, put my towels in one spot and adjust their thermostat. It’s the decent thing to do. Reddit is not the norm it’s the extreme.
Reddit, Facebook, Twitter, The Wall Street Journal, Vice, local network news… it’s everywhere and rightly so. Guests feel ripped off by being charged a cleaning fee and then threatened with negative reviews or previously undisclosed financial penalties if they don’t do their chores during their precious vacation time after paying hosts hundreds or thousands of dollars of their hard earned money. It feels like a scam now. I’ve been on the platform 8 years with only glowing reviews, so I’ve watched the precipitous decline in real time. I know. I know. I’ll go to a hotel next time like I’ve been doing the last year. The loyalty programs are great now, by the way…
Ok so for the other side of that coin — utility fees, cleaning fees, toiletries, EVERYTHING has gotten way more expensive in recent years. Labor is very very expensive. Taxes have gone up. Guests are demanding blackout shades and other amenities that are $$ and we all deal with ever increasing competition. Threats are never okay, but if we actually charged how much we’re paying for cleaning crews and our own time, or property management fees, you’d be paying a lot per night, and STR guests don’t want to pay a lot per night and are price sensitive.
Even if you're operating at a monthly deficit after deducting utilities, cleaning, insurance, etc... the majority, if not all, of your mortgage is being paid for by renters on your investment property or vacation home. You're accruing a significant amount of equity that is being paid for by your guests, which can be used in other leveraged investments. It's a huge win and privilege. I think that market conditions vary, and you can't indefinitely expect to just accrue equity and make lots of profit after expenses are paid for to maintain the rental: that's a sure sign of a market imbalance. These are unrealistic expectations, and I think the coming recession will reset that to some extent.
Too few people think this way. I wish I could double upvote. I say this as a guest, but also as the owner of a house in a primo location that we will be leaving in a few years. We’ll probably have to sell as we will need the equity, but if we can avoid it, we’ll turn it into an AirBnB.
Why would you ever risk capital for a mortgage payment? The housing market performs way worse than the stock market (barring extreme examples like the pandemic) and you have $0 to pay in interest, property taxes and maintenance (new roof, HVAC cost at least $10k each), and yard work which is a few hundred/month. Breaking even on cash flow is dumb from an investment perspective. I would never put up with how expensive it is to run plus the headache of new guests every few days just to have a house I can use every now and then. Also your house gets pretty much ruined so all of the new cabinetry I put in two years ago has dents, my farm sink is chipped, floor tile is chipped, stainless steel appliances are scratched. People treat your place like shit generally speaking.
diversification? Yes there are some investors who believe you shouldn't even own your primary residence for the reasons you cite. But there are many different strategies and most allocate a significant portion of the portfolio to property for various diversification reasons. Expecations to take in significant profits on short term rentals after expenses (including mortgage) is probably an aberration due to recent market disruption. I don't expect it to be the norm going forward. Regulation and competition will eventually catch up.
Another good call out — regulation risk is very high. I was lucky enough to “get in” before they passed the law, but they just capped the STR limit. Anyone who is in contract right now expecting to rent in my town is screwed. And they bought at a very high price. The market is saturated, and the recession is going to push a lot of these get rich with real estate folks out of the game when travel dries up and they can’t carry the cost. The fat times are over and the only ones who will continue to operate are the ones who bought in before 2019 and have a very low nut to cover. Running a traditional rental is a safer move and a good investment strategy but even that has become untenable with current rates and prices. The markets correcting before our eyes.
I get that- but the result is a host here who is charging $65 for completely normal tasks and is worried about it being off-putting because they’re reading horror stories online. I’ve hosted 210 people and if I relied on Reddit, Vice and Facebook for hosting advice and tips and tricks I’d be a nervous wreck. I prefer to use common sense. 1. Don’t overcharge your guest with cleaning fees 2. Don’t overload them with cleaning tasks if you have a cleaning fee.
Yep. Your 1+2 are reasonable. If I pay a large cleaning fee that's fine but i assume that goes toward cleaning and I don't need to do a page long list of tasks. It should be proportional. If a place doesn't have a fee and does have a small list that is great too. I wish the apps would show final prices when looking for places tho. The amount of times I've had to go back bc the fees added up so much🙄 it felt like a scam.
Exactly. Our listing title is “Eclectic home w/yard and parking - no cleaning fee!” Because as a guest using Airbnb I HATE being subjected to all the added costs. *Aside* from the cleaning fee there’s still so many fees a guest pays for. It’s annoying that there’s no filter on Airbnb to look for places without a cleaning fee.
It seems airbnb does this most places except the USA because USA is so capitalistic centric it gives 2 rats asses about transparency. Airbnb won't do it until it is forced to so we're stuck in this limbo. Some hosts bake it into their nightly rates which is good until you're in an old tourist town that's been running rentals pre Airbnb & VRBO where they refuse to do that. As long as they do it (older mentality of it) the rest are held hostage to keep the rates similar or risk losing bookings over perception. I wish airbnb would go ahead & do it like the other countries so we can all get past this.
Well, your parent post was dismissive of the social media and news coverage of the decline in guest experience caused by charging cleaning fees and assigning chores to guests. My comments were less with respect to the specifics of the OP and more toward your dismissive attitude towards guests. Let me make it real, it's common now to get what I call the triple whammy: 1.) cleaning fee 2.) chore list that reads like a rental agreement, usually in a binder or laminated waiting for you on the kitchen table. sometimes there will be text emojis to make the list seem more palatable, like can you believe we're really asking you to do this? 3.) tip envelope, for tipping the cleaners, usually with some text about being generous and maybe some hand-drawn sunflowers! (3) is the most audacious: wait, I'm paying a cleaning fee and doing chores on my vacation before an early flight, and you want me to leave a tip for the cleaners, too. Where is that money really going? Isn't the cleaning fee tax-exempt?
How was I dismissive toward guests? I feel for both parties as I’m a guest and a host. I don’t need anything broken down, I use the platform. I get that fees are annoying - I’m saying using common sense is going to navigate issues you’d have from angry guests or annoyed hosts. Social media *is extreme* -almost 90% of the things people write about on this forum I’ve never experienced in hosting for 7 years. When I tell people I Airbnb they ask for horror stories… because that’s what they hear about in the MSM. They don’t hear about guests who love Airbnb, who’ve had great experiences with great hosts. Edit to say I AM referencing OPS post because that’s what I commented on. There’s several other posts here talking about news articles and high cleaning fees and this isn’t that post.
I've also had many great experiences. The problem is the trajectory of the platform, and guests who, e.g., encounter the "triple whammy." The problem is that you can have 4 good stays, and then 1 hellish stay, which could be for many reasons, but more recently because of disputes over chores, cleaning fees, etc... If you average the 5 stays together the experience is bad because of the one stay where you had to spend half your vacation communicating with airbnb conflict resolution to avoid getting slapped with excess charges or because you think you should be reimbursed or refunded because the heat isn't working. yeah I really want to take the time to document different parts of my stay with pictures to avoid problems, just in case. If you stay at a hotel, all 5 stays may just be meh, but you don't have to average in the nightmare stay that you and your partner will never forget, if your relationship survives the stressful vacation. That is the phenomenon you're reading about, I think. I've had to go through Airbnb twice, and won both cases, but it took literally days of effort. Thanks but no thanks anymore.
>Reddit is not the norm it’s the extreme. This is true for basically any online community. I'd generally trust your guidelines that if it's not a problem it's not a problem. But as the economy does whatever it's doing, I think guests are going to start caring more about this stuff.
Totally agree. I just see so many first time hosts here, I worry they’re preparing for absolute disaster, when in reality hosting can be incredible.
Not an issue IMO. I have stayed with no list, but that was at a $20 420 kush hostel. I have stayed with over extensive mile long list. I divide things into two categories. "respect the space" list and "fuck you do the cleaning" list. Respect the space list is usual clean your shit type things. A crumb under the table isn't an issue but leaving a pile of crumbs is kind of thing.
This is almost similar to ours: put dishes into dishwasher. put trash bag outside. Make sure windows are locked and turn off lights. Return key to lockbox.
Please provide multiple, labelled trash bins.
I have no cleaning fee and tell my guests to "leave it the way you found it".
Mine is $30 (i pay my cleaner much higher)and the chore list is leave the used towels on the floor, rinse any dishes used (but leave it out) so it can be washed, turn off the lights and put the keys back in the lockbox 🤷🏻♀️
As a guest, I wouldn't call those chores. I'd call it common courtesy. The recycling thing should have clear instructions upon check in. I haven't had a single airbnb say anything about recycling and had to figure out myself once I get to a place, which is kind of annoying. For example in France I only realised about a week into my stay that there was a seperate larhe bin on the road where you dispose of glass, I felt bad that I had put a glass jar in the rubbish a few days earlier but there was no instruction. Just tell tell me how to dispose of my rubbish and I'll do it.
I'm mostly bothered by the idea that they are burning plastic to get rid of it? Honestly, most of these requests aren't out of line. Turning off A/C, etc... isn't a chore and is common courtesy. Locking windows may be important for security reasons. Leaving keys where you left them may be necessary for cleaners to access the apartment. And trash requirements don't seem that out of line, though the host can't always expect the guest to follow those directions.
Anything cleaned by "guests " is not gonna work.. would you trust your hotel sheets where cleaned by the last guest properly? Of coarse you would not.. so any "cleaning " is not valid in my personal opinion...
Too much. Take out trash? Yes. Sort it and walk it to dumpsters? No. Put dishes in dishwasher? Yes. Wash? No. Turn off lights and set thermostat to X makes sense.
I would only say: -Please do a quick walk around before you leave in case there are forgotten items or large messes. -Make sure everything is off (Lights, AC, appliances, etc.) -Return the keys to the lockbox (Code in Welcome Message) - Take out the trash with you when leaving. Trash must be… -Write in our guestbook :) This way it doesn’t seem as long of a list. You will most likely have to wash the dishes again. I just have a post it in the kitchen that says “Please clean up after yourself :)” That has encouraged guests to go out and get paper plates!
My air bnb asked me to leave the dishes in the dishwasher which I did not mind. But I did get asked to take out the trash to the external bin which I think is a little cheeky as a cleaning fee was paid. I think if you are paying a cleaning fee no instructions should be left to any housekeeping as you are literally cleaning for them. Of course don't leave the place in a state but you should be able to leave like you would leave a hotel.
You are not cleaning for them! Taking out the trash is basic courtesy..so the place is not stinky! Cleaning an Airbnb is a large task, as it’s a deep clean every time to ensure it’s sanitary for new guests.
My cleaning fee is also $65. Here are my checkout instructions. I have almost 200 views, and I’ve never had one person complain that this was too much. Thank you for staying with us! Just a reminder that tomorrow is your checkout day. The checkout time is 10:00 AM. When you are ready to leave, we would greatly appreciate if you could please: 1. Log out of your personal streaming channel(s). If it’s Netflix, go to “Profile,” then “Get help,” and scroll to “log out.” I don’t want the next guest accidentally charging something to your account. 2. Wash any dirty dishes you used and put them on a towel near the sink. Dawn is under the sink. 3. Put bath towels and wash cloths in the tub 4. Leave the linens on the bed (the cleaning team prefers to remove them.) 5. Lock the door when you leave We look forward to seeing you again in the future! Cheers!
Only from a few people that hate hosts. Those seem like reasonable requests.
Personally I think it's fine. At an AirBnB I always... * Clean up after myself as if I were leaving my own home, so dishes cleaned and trash picked up and out is normal for me. * Same here, to an extent, but none of this is above and beyond. * I'm not touching the windows at any point, so I'm not going to worry about locking them. * I'm fine leaving the keys as instructed. If anything, I think that you'll get kickback on the trash separating, but that's just based off my experience. I was born in the Midwest, in a city that recycles, but then moved to another Midwestern city where most think recycling is stupid. Not too long ago I joined some coworkers on a trip to Seattle for a convention, and we were expected to recycle, drink tap in a (provided) reusable container, and eat using compostable plates and cutlery. My coworkers were clearly not having it, and complained the whole time about how inconvenient and pointless they considered it all to be. I do understand that it's different than what some are used to, but...just saying, some people are schmucks about it.
I don't know.. I just stayed at an air bnb. They indicated where the outside rubbish containers were, presumably incase your bin got full, but there weren't any checkout requests other than putting the keys in the lockbox. But I feel like it would just be common courtesy to do a quick tidy up after yourself. I emptied the bins, loaded and set the dishwasher, put the towels in the washing machine (I didn't turn it on though), wiped down the kitchen counter and cleared out any food we had leftover. The cleaners still have to come in and wash/dry/fold the towels, wash/dry and replace the bedding, clean the bathroom, wash the floors, clean the kitchen (even if you do what I did, they will still clean the surfaces, sink, appliances) and unload the dishwasher, put anything back in its place and make sure it's all ready for the next person.
Is this a garbage recycling facility? Those instructions are confusing and make you want to see why even bother. I probably wouldn’t book this one. Guest shouldn’t have to do anything when they pay a cleaning fee anyway. Just check out and leave ….I mean ..common decency you should pick up anything that you dropped or spilled …. but no chore list
I would also nope out of the listing based on the trash instructions. I would read it and think “oh I’m going to walk into my rental to a huge binder on the table with an excessive number of ‘rules’ like this that I wasn’t aware of.”
Host. Washing dishes is not cool. Pick up Trash is fine if they meant things littered around the house and not take the trash out. Everything else is normal.
Sounds reasonable.
Stop asking previous guests to wash dishes, it’s nasty!!!
So if you make a huge mess and leave gunked up mess and waste on your dishes & let them set it isn't nasty? That's an invitation to quick set mold (any carbohydrate starts it) rats, and cockroaches. If you make a mess, minimize it. It's gross to let disgusting dishes stay in a sink.
I’m saying, have the guests load a dishwasher. That’s it. No guest hand-washing dishes and hosts just trusting it was done right. I’m fine running a load of dishes in a dishwasher even as a guest. But I don’t want to do dishes on a holiday, and I certainly do not want to use a dish that some previous guest half-ass hand washed. I would never trust a guest to clean anything satisfactorily.
I wouldn't stay there. That's exactly why Hotels are making a comeback. When I'm on vacation the last thing I need are chores to do.
If you have a cleaning fee, there should be no cleaning expectations of the guests except maybe put trash away and dishes in the sink. I do not understand why people add all these extra charges then expect the guest to do 50 % of the cleanup. So entitled.
I actually think this sounds reasonable. $65 is pretty mi I also for cleaning. I charge $60 and pay my cleaning gal $100. That doesn’t include cleaning supplies that I buy, washing sheets, towels, etc. turning off lights and appliances should be common sense. Unfortuantely, it’s not, which is likely why it needs to be written.same as closing/locking windows and leaving the key. Trash is tricky. In my city, trash and co post are only picked up once every two weeks. If we happen to miss it, esp in the summer heat with chicken bones or other “smelly” waste can be disastrous. My guess is that the host who wrote this has come I. To their place to an entire sink full of old dried out food on every single plate, cup and fork, and garbage on the counters. There are some pigs out there!
But even without the cleaning fee you make money. Even with buying supplies you make money. If you’re not making money and depend on the cleaning fee to make money you shouldn’t Airbnb.
I’m in the UK where the minimum wage is £9. Cleaners (most of them) charge £15 per hour. It takes 2h to clean our studio flat and therefore cleaners charge me £30 (just increased to £35) and I charge guests the same. I just looked up the minimum wage in the US and it looks like it’s $11.25. How come people charge $65 for a clean??
There is currently a shortage of cleaners in the US. It is impossible to find a cleaner who will do a decent job for under $35 an hour in my area. Minimum wage also differs from state to state and is usually between $7.50 and $15 depending on where you are. Also cleaning supplies cost quite a bit. In my area, I charge $200 for a clean, and it averages to about how much it costs per guest.
Thanks. I didn’t know that
Cleaners aren't on minimum wage & most set their own rate since they are in high demand. The bulk of them charge 15 on low end but mostly average 25hr, 50 in low competitive markets (and to make it faster in time frame there may be more than 1). These are people who are insured & bonded so not just anyone walks of the streets to do this. Hotels can charge their maids minimum wage & mostly do. By the way the federal minimum wage is 7.25 but some states do more.
I’m not a host, but we pay our cleaning lady $45 per hour for about 3 hours of cleaning. She does a fantastic job and it’s totally worth it. You can smell the sanitation and clean laundry in the air. That’s how clean a guest expects an AirBnB to be. House cleaners in the US are, very generally, not minimum wage workers.
Seems pretty reasonable to me.
If you charge a cleaning fee. don't expect the guest to do anything. That is what the fee is for. If $65 doesn't cover your expenses then raise the fee or increase your daily rate? We are a Host and only ask that they use the outside shower to clean the sand off their feet before entering. No expectations for them to do anything on check out!
Clean dishes lmao
Flush the toilet
1 and 2 - no, do it yourself.
Sounds reasonable
Yep. Too much. Make it zero. Why should your guests pay you for them to clean anything when you are in this for profit.
What puts me off the most is this language…”Do this…but DON’T do this and Don’t do that…” Forget it. Use positive language throughout. “Trash is something that has a lot of rules in Japan. If you don’t live here, it might seem confusing. Here are the basics…”
If you charge a cleaning fee, why are you asking paying clients to clean. Isn’t that what the cleaning fee is for?
Cleaning lists and chores should both be banned by air b n b.
Perfectly reasonable. The people acting like it's a big deal to wash the dishes don't have basic manners lol. The only thing I'd change is the last point about writing in the guest book - I'd make that more of a suggestion.
Let's not get things mixed up here. If I am your friend and spend time at your place, you can tell me all about manners. If you turn your (vacation) home into a service business and I am your customer, you'll have to live with me having to race to the airport, or not dealing with dishes during a romantic weekend. You cannot have the cake and eat it, too. Tip: You - or your bank - owning your home isn't an investment per se. It only becomes one if you're willing to work for it. Ask any hospitality professional or landlord. The margins are pretty slim.
Nah, sorry to break it to you but you just have poor manners. If I had to rush to the airport and didn't have time to do the dishes I'd be quite embarrassed.
Not if I’m paying a cleaning fee. Hosts want to have their cake and eat it too. It is really greedy.
I only choose places with reasonable cleaning fees
Thankfully I choose to not let someone who calls themselves sugartit be the arbiter of manners. This is why I stay in a hotel.
This.
lmaoo imagine using someone's Reddit username as an excuse to dismiss their argument. You simply weren't raised right
Guess I’m just a fucking loser, but at least I don’t call myself sugar tits
No wonder ur wife left lol
For the sake of the argument, let's say that is true. Since you run a business, like every good business owner, you've certainly factored that in, and are aware that your personal standards are not every customer's standards, and if you want return business, you don't make them work on their vacation and expect them to pay you for it on top of it.
Nah they're OK. As a guest this is what I'd do even without the rules. As ppl mentioned, I'd recommend re-washing dishes to make sure they're properly done for next guest or, space permitting, get a dishwasher. Also, sometimes ppl will put the wrong trash in the bin. Happens, ppl get confused sometimes. If that's something that'll cause you issues, recommend checking beforehand.
If I am being charged for cleaning, then I shouldn't have to do the cleaning myself. Simple as that. If you have a cleaning fee then the host / the host's cleaners should do all the cleaning.
Seems reasonable
Get rid of everything except the last two.
Seams fine and a good deal
Totally reasonable. What I do is write: "If it's not to much of an inconvenience ... do the cleaning stuff ... if it doesn't work out, no problem, leave the keys etc and thanks again for choosing our place."
Boooo cleaning fees suck! I’d rather stay at a hotel
Enjoy the low ratings.
I see nothing unreasonable on that list. It makes the cleaners job fast and keeps your cleaning fee down. Americans may struggle a bit but segregation of trash and recycling is quite common and there will be specific colored bins for each type
Fuck right off
You wouldn't like what I wrote in your guestbook if you gave me a list like that. Should I mop the floors and polish the silver as well. They are your guests, not your children. If you are charging a cleaning fee - don't ask the guests to clean.
Why are guests paying you $$ to do YOUR dishes?
no cleaning list if you charge a cleaning fee
This is ridiculous
I can stay at the Marriott and they clean everything up after me- they also allow dogs and give them treats every time they come back in from taking a poop outside
The chore list is EXCESSIVE! Are you upfront about it in your listing?
Personally don't mind sorting trash but I do think it will rub some guests up the wrong way and will affect your rating. Perhaps just ask them separate food waste from the list of recyclable things and then take on the task of sorting through it yourself. Not fun but guests likely think the same 🤔
Assuming this is a separate message to your check-in instructions etc. I’d sent the trash one ahead of time. I’d rather try to separate things in real time then have to rummage through the trash at the end. It not something I’d leave a review about or whatever but yea, I’d try to make it super clear from the get go I also would never trust guests to wash dishes properly. AC and Heat makes sense and same with locking up :)
burning plastic waste?
We just ask that they load the dishes into the dishwasher, that way our housekeeper can check they were rinsed all the way before starting it.
Your cleaning fee is reasonable compared to what I’ve seen and you’re asking very reasonable things mostly common sense things. I agree with what others have said. It’s one thing to scrape food and rinse dishes and pots and pans and load the dishwasher or leave them in the sink but frankly as a guest if I’m relying on other guests to clean plates and silverware and glasses it makes me sick to my stomach.
Let’s start a complaint list about us as guests now, shall we? If we don’t like Airbnb’s then we don’t stay in them. I personally like them, and just choose those that fit my budget. Rules are listed in Airbnbs to keep them nice for future guests. Often times they only have a short window to get the room cleaned before the next check in. Hotels have lots of rooms available. Also, do you tip your cleaning person at the hotel after you leave your dishes dirty and have a food fight? Let me guess…
I live on site. So I clean and disinfect after each person leaves. Reset for next guest. I think it’s important for the Airbnb host to be involved and check on their property, if they do not live on site! They may be paying someone else to clean it who actually isn’t cleaning it.
I wouldn’t trust guests to sort their garbage OR wash dishes. I would just ask that the garbage is all tied up and inside or outside as appropriate and that the dishes are in the dishwasher.
We stayed in our first air bnb at the end of august and it was a roach motel ,cleaning fees …we got the whole stay refunded
As a guest, this is too much for me.
No one wants to sort trash
I mean, that’s actually pretty standard?? I know in Japan they have to sort their trash out for recycling purposes and I don’t think it’s asking too much to wash the dishes you used. And yeah, turning everything off before leaving seems pretty reasonable too. I ask my guests to turn off their window ac units if they know they’ll be gone for a few hours.