check out procedures

[Josh1450]

What are your checkout procedures?

I just had a guest complain about mine:

- wash dirty dishes (put away dry, or leave in rack wet).

- strip beds, put linens in washer

- towels in washer

- adjust thermostat

- empty trash

Is that unreasonable?

Thanks,

Josh

[Mariann4]

 Haha this morning I woke up to this tweet suggestion @Huma0 🤣

[Huma0]

@Mariann4 

OMG. I hope the next guests didn't get salmonella! 

[Bes175]

 wash dirty dishes (put away dry, or leave in rack wet).

- strip beds, put linens in washer

- towels in washer

- adjust thermostat

- empty trash

Is that unreasonable? [OP]

Josh, it depends [If I was your guest, i'd do it - is just good manners & not a long list 🙂 ] however (a) it can be requested if you live in another state & takes time for cleaners to arrive  (b) if you are close by - is like M& J said, 'a bit daft' As a rule, Guests do not associate holidays with 'linen changes, washers and emptying bins' on check-out.

Best thing to do is to say it as s kind suggestion: IF THEY DON'T MIND [50% will do it, the other 50 wont] 

[Josh1450]

Interesting responses. 

Every Airbnb I've stayed in, they've asked the same kinds of things I ask for, so it seems typical to me.

Yet most of the responses are that I should cut down on the list.

But also most responses are from outside the US.  I wonder if it's a cultural thing.  I'd sure like to hear from more 'locals.' 

As a guest, I would be a bit troubled if the host asked me not to strip the beds - it would make me wonder if they even bother to clean them.  People do get lazy, you know, and even professional cleaners get tired.

No, I'll keep asking them to strip the beds.

Let me clarify that I ask guests to simply put things in the washing machine - not run it.

I do my own cleaning, and I usually start cleaning within hours of checkout, so I'm not worried about mildew.  I keep extra sheets on hand in case of stains or damage anyway.  

[Debra300]

@Josh1450,

Don't be swayed by the location listed with a profile.  It can be where a host has rentals, a former place of residence, and doesn't indicate where a person may be from originally or presently lives.  For example, I was born in Michigan, raised in California, and have have homes/rentals in Atlanta and St. Lucia.

The information that I shared is for all of our listings.  I didn't include other things that we request, such as wipe up crumbs and spilled items, empty the refrigerator, and where to leave the TV and Roku remotes and the keys.  

Although you may have been asked to launder towels and linen during your personal stays, it's a hosting best practice to ask guests not to remove them so they can be easily inspected and counted.

[Helen3]

No it's not a cultural thing @Josh1450 .

Did you actually read the link Huma helpfully provided you with????Airbnb has recognised that many guests including those from the US do not respond well to being asked to do household chores on check out.

If you don't want responses from international hosts who were kind enough to offer you advice, why not post on your local area forum.

[Josh1450]

I'm sorry you found my question so offensive.  I'm not sure why, though.  Perhaps it's a cultural thing.

Yes, I did read the link from Huma, and found it very helpful, along with everyone's responses here.

Well, almost everyone.

Have a nice day.

[Jennifer1897]

I rent a room in my home so my procedures are a little different, however I work from 6-6 so I am normally not there when my guests depart. I ask the following

-Put dirty dishes in dishwasher

-Assure thermostat and lights are off

-Make sure windows and doors are closed and locked

Since I live in the home, trash is not a huge deal for me, and is something I take out regularly. Personally, I am opposed to stripping linen and starting the wash for two reasons. First, I feel like this is a bit extensive for a guest to be required to do and is typically a normal function of housekeeping/cleaning crew. Second, if there is any extensive stains or damage, I want to be able to address them. 

Overall, I don't think you are asking too much. I've stayed at quite a few Airbnb's myself and feel most of these duties are pretty typically. I have even seen the linen request a few times. 

[Gillian166]

@Josh1450     

I assume this is due to your recent review? 

1) this is a big issue nowadays about Airbnb, people are whinging about checkout chores a lot. 

2) did you read that guy's other reviews he leaves? he complains in almost all of them! did he mark you down in stars as well?  

He might be the tidiest 20-something male you've ever met, or he might be more like the average...😆 and so I would not trust him to wash his own dishes properly, nor to notice or tell you about stained linens. Ditto for the oldies who have poor vision close up (me included!). when my mum comes to stay she will handwash a bit and we tend to have to follow behind her and secretly re-wash it. 

If you want guests to strip the beds why not just leave a basket out that they can drop the sheets in to? It removes the very real notion that they are doing the housekeeper's job but you still get your sheets put in the laundry room.  

[Josh1450]

How do I find the other reviews left by guests?

Thanks!

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Josh1450go into your account and then its 'insights' then 'quality'

[Huma0]

@mike-and-jane0

The reviews the guest left for other hosts, not the reviews @Josh1450 's previous guests have left him.

[Huma0]

There are only two ways to do this, as far as I know.

1. Next to the reviews left for the guest, you will see the host’s profile photo. Click on this to go to their profile and, from there, you can scroll through the reviews to find the one you are looking for (if the guest left one). If the review is quite old and the host has a lot of bookings, this can be time consuming. If the host has a lot of listings, usually you can see from the review which one the guest stayed at, so you can go to the listing to see the reviews for that listing only.
2. Try the AirReview Chrome extension. This, in theory, loads the reviews the guest left for the host under the review the host left for them. However, it is glitchy. It doesn’t always load/load all reviews and, if the guest has more than one page worth of reviews, it will only load the reviews the guest left on the first page. Still, it’s better than nothing and is quicker than the method above.

@Josh1450

[Huma0]

Your check out instructions may seem pretty standard to you based on where you have stayed before or other listings in your area, and certainly there is nothing in them that is at all unusual.

However, check out requirements has been rather a hot topic amongst guests and one of the things they seem to complain about most on social media, particularly when a cleaning fee was charged, to the extent that Airbnb recently issued the following ‘advice’:

“It’s reasonable to ask guests to do simple things at checkout, such as turning off lights, throwing food in the bin and locking doors and windows.

We’re also hearing from guests that they don’t want to do unreasonable chores, such as stripping the beds, doing laundry and vacuuming.”

And said they are planning to display check out instructions up front before a guest books. You can read the full article here: https://www.airbnb.co.uk/resources/hosting-homes/a/displaying-total-price-and-simplifying-checkout-5...

I think you might be surprised just how objectionable a lot of guests find some of the check out instructions. I remember staying with a very civilised and tidy group in an Airbnb where the only check out instruction was to take the trash outside, but most of the guests simply did not want to do it. I, and another couple who were also hosts, had to convince the rest of the group to do it.

I don’t ask guests to do much on check out even though I don’t charge a cleaning fee, but then I am a live in host, so it’s a bit different for me. I understand why others need guests to take out the trash. I would expect them to wash their dishes or put them in the dishwasher (but not turn it on) throughout their stay and I would be annoyed if they left dirty dishes behind but, other than that, I just ask that they leave the key and make sure they close the front door if I am not there when they leave.

Like others have stated, I would prefer if guests did not strip the beds. I have to ask, what is the purpose of making them strip the beds and put the linens in the washing machine if they are not putting it on, other than saving you a few minutes of time? Is that really worth disgruntled guests?

@Josh1450

[Marla104]

Hi Josh.

It is strange to me to ask guests to strip the beds and wash them or vacuum the place. That is some of the things I pay my cleaning crew to do. I do ask my guests to put all towels in the clothes basket, wash, dry and put up the dishes and take out the trash, close and lock windows and doors, but not to strip the beds. I stay at an Airbnb in New Mexico for several days and I do not strip the beds or vacuum. When we leave his cleaners come in and do all of that. I do however, wash my own clothes, which is why there is a washer and dryer, and why I have a washer and dryer in my short term rental. So they can wash their things if need be. I also do take out the trash and wash and put up the dishes. When people stay at a hotel/motel, do they strip the beds and vacuum...no. So why would they want to do it at an Airbnb. Just my opinion.