Should Guest be Expected to Clean when Host Charges a Cleaning Fee?

[Rob183]

Hi there, 

Curious on this one as a guest and a host.   My wife/friendsand I have been on opposite sides of the argument both as hosts and guests.

If a host charges a guest a cleaning fee (not small at $200 here in SF), what is the cleaning expectation of guests?

Some in our circles have argued guests should do the dishes and leave the place tidy.  Others have argued their paying a sizeable cleaning fee so why should they have to clean.

Curious what the community thinks and if there is a clear answer or it depends.

Thanks in Advance!

[Timothy19]

So, I have a 7 bedroom beach house and we charge a $225 cleaning fee for any rentals less than a week (we build the cost into our weekly rentals). That is what my cleaning crew charges me so it's not like there is money being made here.

My expectation for ALL of my guests is that they clean up after themselves. If you eat food, do the dishes. If you spill jelly on the table, wipe it off. If you eat a bag of chips, throw it in the trash.

When you leave, put the trash out and close the door behind you.

I don't expect guests to clean toilets or vacuum the floors. I expect there to be sand everywhere and crumbs on the floor and soap stains on the shower doors. That is what the cleaning fee covers....not picking up trash left on the floor or loading dirty dishes in the sink. 

[Sarah977]

@Timothy19  Totally agree with you. There is a big difference between cleaning, as in major housework, and cleaning up one's own personal mess. I expect to spend an hour and a half to 2 hours cleaning the guest bedroom, which is small, and the guest's bathroom. I expect to change the bedding, put out fresh towels, refill the soap dispenser, vacuum throroughly, wash the floors (and windows as needed) clean and disinfect the bathroom, including scrubbing the shower walls and floors, put in a load of laundry, chuck out or leave for new guests toiletries that the guests have left behind, maybe remove an empty water bottle, and empty and clean the guest's garbage can.

I do not expect (as was the case with only luckily one of my guests) to have to pick up 20 pieces of wadded up toilet paper from under the bed, discover mildewing wet towels wadded up on the floor, dispose of 20 empty water bottles and a dozen beer cans with an inch of beer left in the bottom, spray for the ants that moved in because they left empty chip bags and cookie wrappers all over the floor, or pick up all the dirty unwanted clothes they left behind. All in a small bedroom (they had full access to my kitchen and did cook and wash their dishes). In my book, this is simply disrespectful. But for all I know, they may live like this at home as well.

[Ange2]

I don't see washing my dishes, picking up after myself, bagging garbage as cleaning. I would do that  even if I paid a cleaning fee.  To me a cleaning fee covers washing floors, surfaces, polishing, vacuuming, dusting, sanitizing and all the other chores involved - hours of work.

[Cor3]

Hi @Rob183,

We do charge a cleaning fee too (it does cover on average the cleaning, but it does not cover the laundry).

But we do expect the guests to leave the place at least somewhat tidy and to load the dishwasher + starting it's cycle. Disposing appropriately of the garbage is also appreciated.

Just out of courtesy and showing some gratitude to the host, I would say.

Especially, when we allow them to check-out somewhat later due to a late flight - even on a guest changeover day!

So not just putting the dirty dishes back in the cupboards (This really happened with us)!

[John1080]

I have decided to state on my description, in the form I'll send, in my welcome book and in the checkout instructions: Please tidy the cabin and leave it as you found it, including washing dishes, putting away extra blankets and putting all trash in provided receptacles. 

I don't expect people to 'clean' but I do want to keep my costs down with regard to cleaning and see asking them to do their dishes as a way to do that. I also think most people would wash their dishes after meals anyway, so I don't find that to be an unreasonable request and feel, as other have said that if I state that expectation clearly up front, it shouldn't be an issue. 

[Linda108]

Your place is beautiful and the pictures are wonderful, @John1080.  Are you the photographer?  I see that you are a new host on AirBNB?  Do you have experience as a host elsewhere?  I see all your reviews are related to you as a guest.  Apparently you are a great guest!  Now, I would hope that all the guests you host are as good as you are and will leave the property as you instruct.  Of course you cannot count on that so I hope either you or a cleaner will inspect the property before another guest arrives. 

Since you are new to Air BNB, a word of caution:  Some guests might spill something on the blankets and either not care or not realize and pack them away unclean.  Some guests are not really good and ensuring the dishes and pots and pans are really, really clean.  Some guests are total slobs...  

Air BNB security deposit will not be tapped if the guest leaves the house untidy or even dirty, so your caution in the rules will not be backed up.  Only extraordinary filth or damage can be claimed.

I don't mean to be a Debby Downer, but your place is so lovely and being a remote host is not easy.  Since you are experienced as a guest, you are in a great place for vetting guests I think.  Hopefully you will not use Instant Book for a little while even though it is a search advantage.  For a little while, Air BNB will give your listing a boost in the search so you can take your time to ensure your expectations and the guest expectations match so you will get great reviews.  Good luck in your new business.

[John1080]

Thank you very much Linda. I am not a photographer, but do enjoy it as a hobby from time to time.  And, no, I have not hosted before, so this is our first time at the rodeo, so they say.  We are keeping the rate just a touch higher than most surrounding prices and have an extensive set of rules I plan to send out to anyone making an inquiry (yes I have instabook off) and I plan to be selective in my approvals. 

You're not being a Debbie Downer at all and I appreciate your feedback. I do plan to vet my guests and hope that will help to prevent any major damage or issues.  Given your thoughts on the blankets, I might take off the section about putting them away, to give the cleaning service a chance to look at them and make sure they don't need to be cleaned. 

With the dishes, unfortunately, with the well water, unless each piece is dried by hand, there are inevetably spots, which I may add in my description too, so people are aware. 

[Fred13]

  I have a cleaning fee and expect the guests to leave the place somewhat tidy. What do they do? They leave the place spotless, every one of them. Why, I have no clue.

   Either way, because my lady is a CLEAN FREAK, she deep cleans everything anyway, no matter what the guest does. 😄

[Heather133]

I agree with @Timothy on this. I charge cleaning fees on my properties based on hiring cleaners at $25/hour. This is for doing laundry, putting everything back in place, washing floors and counters, etc. During the flu season they are asked to be meticulous about sanitizing surfaces. The cleaners get the entire fee every time. Sometimes it works out in their favor, sometimes not, but the fee is based on what an average clean would be. I've had some surprises, but most of our guests have been very respectful.

I leave "departure instructions" for guests asking them to load their dishes in the dishwasher, turn down thermostats, lock doors and windows and strip the beds, leaving towels and sheets in the laundry room. The reason I ask them to strip the beds is so that there is never any question which linens have been used and which have not. I never want a cleaner to be tempted to remake a bed without washing the sheets. Since I provide back up sheets and towels, they can remake beds and put out fresh towels while they do the laundry. I explain this to guests and I think it makes sense to them that it ensures fresh linens for everyone.

Good luck @John1080, this has definitely been a "learn as you go" experience for me, but I truly enjoy it.

[John1080]

This sounds about like what I have listed in checkout instructions and rules and policies. My cleaners will clean everything, but they have specifically asked me to ask the guests to wash the dishes, which is what seems to be standard in the area. Our cabin doesn't have a dishwasher, so this will also save them time, as I would like the cleaners to spend no more than 2 hours total (including one way travel to the home).  

As of now, I have not included a cleaning fee, but just consider it factored into the rate. I may change that going forward, but at present, don't see a reason to add on the extra fee, as I want my daily rate to be a bit higher than surrounding properties, as market research suggests (I recently saw a post on it here, coincidentally) that doing so leads many potential guests to believe the property is superior. 

[Sarah977]

@John1080  Just my opinion, but 2 hours, including travel time, really doesn't seem like enough to clean your whole unit (which is beautiful, by the way) thoroughly, although it depends how big the crew of cleaners is.

It takes me 1 and a half to 2 hours to properly clean my small bedroom/guest bathroom and I'm a speed cleaner.

P.s. I love how the 1st "similar listing" I saw below your listing when I checked it out was a generic ranch house with zero landscaping that looked like it was in the middle of a desert 🙂 You should see the "similar listings" they put on mine - barren rooms with flat pillows on the bed, and ones I know to be dumps because it's a small town.

[John1080]

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@Sarah977wrote:

@John1080  Just my opinion, but 2 hours, including travel time, really doesn't seem like enough to clean your whole unit (which is beautiful, by the way) thoroughly, although it depends how big the crew of cleaners is.

It takes me 1 and a half to 2 hours to properly clean my small bedroom/guest bathroom and I'm a speed cleaner.

P.s. I love how the 1st "similar listing" I saw below your listing when I checked it out was a generic ranch house with zero landscaping that looked like it was in the middle of a desert 🙂 You should see the "similar listings" they put on mine - barren rooms with flat pillows on the bed, and ones I know to be dumps because it's a small town.

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Sarah, thank you for your input and you may be right and perhaps wishful thinking on my part. I'm hoping if people put things away and pick up after themselves, nearly two hours would be sufficient to wipe down surfaces, sweep and mop, change linens and clean bathrooms. But, perhaps it isn't nearly enough and I appreciate you bringing this to my attention.  

BTW, love the backsplash on your kitchen and the gardens look so lush! And yes, haha on the similar listings! 

[Kostas18]

As a guest (15 bookings, almost 70 nights), I always think that this is a private home and not a hotel. So, I always try to leave the place tidy. For me, that means to wash the dishes, no trash left, no dirty spots of any kind and every piece of furniture exactly where it was. Some times we even strip the beds and leave the linen folded on the bed. 

We do all this regardless of cleaning fees. We do this although most of the properties lately are not private homes that someone shares, but real estate for the sole purpose of renting. The former is home-sharing, the latter is hotel business. But, as a guest, I respect every house the same.

[Sarah977]

@Kostas18   You're the kind of guest that hosts really appreciate. 

Even when I stay at a hotel, I never leave a mess behind me, either. I consider it disrespectful to the hardworking, underpaid maids to expect them to pick up wadded up wet towels off the floor,  bits of garbage all over the place, clean disgusting things out of the sink, etc. 

[WeiJia1]

I was recently given a bad review as the host was required to do a "big clean". This made me very upset because we are frequent Airbnb guests and never gotten a bad review! I would always try to do our bit to tidy, and we did not leave the place in a mess (in our opinion).

We also paid a cleaning fee so my assumption is that we didn't have to leave the place in perfect cleanliness condition. But we did take out trash every day, we tidied up before we left, but also having stayed 5 nights and things like dirty floors or linen is something we really can't clean control unless cleaning equipment is also provided. But should we be doing that too? It's not clear.

Nonethelss, given levels of cleanliness is subjective, unless the host is explicit on what they expect from guests, it's hard to know. So perhaps it would help for very particular host to be particularly specific in your house rules.