Hi everyone,
I recently stayed at a property in Greece where the cleaning fee was listed as 21 euros.
This was a large two-bedroom apartment with a dining room, living room, kitchen, entrance room, and bathroom.
I checked out of the apartment and cleaned it reasonably before leaving, though I didn't remove the sheets from the bed, I admit I hurried away and left a plate rinsing in the sink, and some toiletries on the shelf in the bathroom. However, it was certainly NOT messy. I put all the linens in a pile and even swept the floors. The host left me a glowing review to say that the apartment was spotlessly clean when I left and I was welcome back at any time. She didn't message me about any issues and was friendly in our final communications.
I hadn't heard anything more until Airbnb contacted me today, several days later and said that there was an additional cleaning fee of 160 euros! The host is out of the country and hired a professional cleaner that charged her 75 euros per hour plus admin fees, equating to two hours of work.
This is an extortionate rate in my opinion, especially for a standard clean between guests and especially for Greece. I'm really angry that the host is trying to pass this fee onto me. It should have been listed outright. Airbnb sent me a photo to demonstrate the "condition" of the apartment that needed cleaning - it was a photo of an unmade bed and a photo of a few bottles of shower gel on the shelf. This is outrageous to me. I left the shower gels in case they could be used by another guest. I didn't think I'd get charged for this.
I have never had such an experience like this before. Of course, I disputed the fee but I don't want to pay another 160 euros when I have done nothing wrong and the host should have looked for a more economic cleaning service. I was a host in the past, and I know that you can get cleaners in the UK for 15 euros an hour, nevermind Greece! I don't believe there was a security deposit on the property. Can Airbnb just charge my account if they decide to agree with the host?
This is the icing on the cake of what was already a nightmare stay. The apartment was already quite expensive. To add to this, I found a cockroach in the apartment when I arrived. I sent images of it to the host and opened a cupboard to find cockroach traps and bug spray, so she was clearly aware of this issue. She suggested that I call pest control, but it was very inconvenient for me so I simply sprayed the place and removed the bugs when I saw them. I didn't ask for a refund, though I probably could have, but I messaged the host privately and left a comment about the cockroaches in the review. I cannot believe the nerve of this host after everything I went through with the bugs! After she requested the cleaning fee, I communicated this issue with the photos to Airbnb
I'm travelling at the moment and feeling very stressed about it all.