cleaning fee

[Carol80]

I am new to Airbnb but not new to hosting.  In general are propertys returned clean after a weekly let?  I have decided not to charge a cleaning fee and request that guests return the property in the condition given.  I feel if I charge a fee there will be a chance of guests just leaving the property in a bad state...?  What has worked for my property in the past is getting a cleaning fee in cash on arrival that I will refund if property is returned as found??

What do other hosts think?

thanks Carol 

[Gerry-And-Rashid0]

So you are saying to each guest, it's up to you to leave the place clean for my next guest. 

Quite honestly, if I was staying there and you told me that  you would get the worst review possible! Horrified to say that you don't clean your properties as most are returned clean after a let.

And. you are not allowed to ask for cash from your guests on AirBnB - again they can refuse to do so quite rightly under AirBnB's terms - and you will be penalised by AirBnB.

It sounds like you want your own set of rules - not the way it works fortunately! 

(Am I  going crazy here...? We talk about responsible hosting, etc...)

You really need to consider whether you are suitable for AirBnB - and if so, be very clear in your description that guests are expected to clean the property before leaving to the same level of cleanliness that I guess it once was clean on some distant occasion in the past.

[Katherine75]

I too ask my guests, in one of my houses, to maintain it in its impeccably clean state at all times. But so they should. This is Airbnb not a hotel. They never do it as fanatically as me but most leave it in a fairly ok state And I still charge a cleaning fee to cover the flipping of laundry and the professional clean after each guest leaves. This is my own home that I come and go between my own travel commitments. The holiday destinations which are short one to four days stay, I chRge a thirty dollar cleaning fee. In addition. It's not against Airbnb rules to charge for any additional services in cash or on their site via the resolution center. Such as pre explained extras like airpirt pickups, picnic baskets or the replacement set of keys. It just had to be transparent in your rules or descriptions on the Airbnb profile 

[Joe-and-Carmen0]

Honestly, as a guest and a one who has great reviews I disagree in paying a cleaning fee, to me this is the cost you need to carry for proving "bed" service, you most change sheets, clean a room and so on. Why not just add it to the total cost of the stay? If someone makes a mess, ruins the carpet or something like that, yes, I completely agree in charging when someone causes extra time and labor than the regular cleaning. It just bothers me so much having to pay for something that is a basic requirement when providing this type of service.

[Jamie87]

a cost the host needs to carry? If someone is staying one night or many nights the cost is the same. So, if you add the cost of cleaning into a nightly fee then every night will be more expensive. One flat cleaning fee does more than change the linens. It pays to disinfect the bathroom and kitchen again as well as dust, wipe down and wash everything that was left behind and used. If it is merely a bedroom then the price would be nominal but if it is a full home, like mine, I don't have the option of providing hours of hard labor free to guests so the cleaning fee is a must. 

[Jill2]

 The reason Hosts have charge cleaning fees and hotels don't is because the stays tend to be longer so the cleaning fee cant be included in the nightly charge.  Spread over 10 nights a $100 cleaning fee is only $10 per night as opposed to 2 nights it would be $50 per nights,  If you dont like cleaning fees go stay in an over priced hotel.

[Amaris0]

I have looked at your listing and contrary to what you say, you actually do charge a cleaning fee of £24?

As a host it is your responsibility to clean your property at least prior to a guest arriving. Otherwise you must state clearly in your listing that you do not clean the property, however it was cleaned by the previous guest in order that a potential future guest can make an informed decision if to book or not

.As a guest, I would be very put off to find out that you did not clean the property, change the sheets and towels (if you provide these) prior to my arrival and would reflect this in my review if I stay the duration of the booking. Guest on holiday have other things on their minds and whilst some might tidy up after themselves, it’s just not the same.

[Ange2]

@Carol80

Work the cleaning fee into the nightly charge. I do this because even if guests leave the room clean I always have it cleaned professionally before the next guest arrives.

[Jamie87]

one night charged would increase it that one night. If they stayed for days on a lower daily fee then get a one-time cleaning fee it will be cheaper than guessing how many days a guest may stay in order to divide the fee to cover all the days. Why would I add this big fee day after day to the regular fee rather than once at the end of no matter how many days. Yes, the shorter the stay, the costlier but it's the same price no matter how many days. Trying to break it down without all the specifics of the length of stay in advance is impossible unless you have a mandatory stay. 

[Ása2]

Hi Jamie

I have been trying to add this fee to my profile but can´t seem to find out how. I have tried to follow the advice given on the site but

1. Go to Your Listings on airbnb.com
2. Click Pricing at the top of the page
3. Next to Cleaning fee, click Edit
4. Enter your cleaning fee, then click Save

There is no Pricing on the top of the page etc. 😄

Can you help me

Best regards Ása, Iceland

[Sandra126]

I don't charge a cleaning fee, it is part of the booking. The point of the cleaning fee, in my view, is that a longer stay pays less per night as opposed to a one night stay, as the cleaning job is the same regardless of length of stay. When a guest checks out everything needs to be cleaned even if it looks clean. No way can you expect a guest to do this.

I find that most guests will have done the dishes, some take out the rubbish/recycling, others strip the beds. On a rare occasion it will be returned as if nobody stayed at all, or better. Equally rare will be a messier departure, but you clean the same for everyone, even the ones which look immaculate. I have no rules which says ''do the dishes'' for instance, I just think people are decent overall.

If you leave cleaning for guests, you will end up with hair everywhere, cobwebs, dust, everything will be dirty.

Having said that, I know that some weekly lets expect that guests strip beds, take out rubbish, sweep, generally get it ready for the cleaner.

However you decide to do it, best of luck!

[Njad0]

Fellow Hosts,  

Is there a reservation on just having a cleaner that could simply take over the reservation schedule for you?  I've heard concerns of pricing, how to go about cleaning the respective units, etc.  I am currently a host and owner of a cleaning company in Boston and Los Angeles that specializes in short-term/Airbnb schedules for the past 5 or so years.  Bottom line, it is the host's responsibility to prepare the places however way they get that done themselves.  I've never relied on or held guests with this duty as it is too risky and inconsistent.  In order to create a flow of your reservations being prepared, you need to established a schedule for yourself when you the host clean and prepare yourself as well as when you outsource this duty.  In order to avoid not paying or receiving a fair price for cleaning, it is important to have it as a separate item.   Your Airbnb is not a hotel, this is true. However the travel industry has shifted over the last 10 years and travelers are now, more than ever turning to Airbnb as an alternative to hotels for great yet various reasons. CLEANING YOUR AIRBNB IS AT LEAST EQUALLY AS IMPORTANT IF NOT MORE TO THE TRAVELER (my kindest yet firm point of contention.)  You do not have a listing if it is not clean listing. Cutting corners to avoid the expense of it is costly in the long run.  People would rather stay in a 5-star listing, especially if the place is cleaned consistently.  

I hope this information helps you make the appropriate deciesions to help your hosting experience the best for you and you guest!

[JeniMae0]

Hello. I am a co-host but I receive the cleaning fees and clean the place. We have quite a few rooms but there are four with shared spaces, namely the kitchen. I set the fees low ($15, $9, $6) and ask the guests to wash their dishes and clean up after themselves if they are to use the kitchen. I received a private message stating the kitchen should be cleaner. I make sure it is clean prior to bed. The next morning I am finding my kitchen stove, counters and floor covered with crap. I wanted to keep the fees low but I am constantly cleaning and finding its not enough. Now that I have raised the fees, I can hire someone to help. Although I still am not sure what to do about the shared kitchen. It's as if I need to go in behind every guest and clean up the kitchen. Does anyone have any suggestions? The shared kitchen space is for my husband and I, with possibly 7 guests in four bedrooms. 

[Judy198]

I stayed in one Airbnb with a shared kitchen with the host. The host posted a sign saying that guests can only use the stove to boil water, but they can use the microwave to heat up a meal, and use the kitchen to prepare sandwiches and salad. I thought it was a clever idea. 

[Jamie69]

This has been my experience. Most of my guests leave the room perfectly clean after their stay. Some even make the bed, which seems silly to me, since they must know I'm going to strip it and put on fresh linens.

I've only been hosting for a short time, but so far I've settled on $14 for the cleaning fee for a single private room and bathroom. It takes me about an hour, so I'm not making a wage by cleaning, but it does pay for the supplies and a bit of my efforts.

I also tidy up the kitchen and the rest of the house, but generally my guests have been very good about cleaning their dishes and putting them away.

So far as I can tell, guests don't see the addition of a cleaning fee as a reason to make a mess.

One thing that a few of my guests have pointed out when they arrive is that my house is already so clean and neat that they don't want to mess it up. If they were to walk into a house that wasn't kept up so nice, they might take that as an indication that they don't have to be particularly tidy either.

Jamie