Do you charge a cleaning fee?

[Sybe]

Hi everyone,

Cleaning is a big part of being a Host. Whether you do it yourself or you hire cleaners the cost of a standard cleaning needs to be accounted for. I’ve already seen Hosts discussing whether to charge a cleaning fee or include it in the nightly price, so I was curious to find out a bit more!

How do you charge your guests for cleaning? Why did you choose to do it this way, and what do you think are the pros and cons of this and other ways?

You can answer the poll above, and tell us your thoughts in the comments below. I can’t wait to hear from you!

Thanks.

Sybe

[Huma0]

@Helen744 

It sounds like what you do is pretty normal. Yes, is tricky in terms of charging for cleaning during a stay. 

As I host long term guests, I give them two options regarding cleaning of their bedrooms. Either, I can do it for them periodically (every two weeks is the norm for most guests who opt for this), which includes linen and towel changes and cleaning the room so that it is as spotless as when they arrived, providing it is tidy enough to do so. I charge very little for this and much, much less than a cleaner would. It's really more of a token fee so that the guests don't expect it as a free service and also, like you, it gives me the opportunity to keep the room and the linens in reasonable shape.

Or, they have the option to clean the room themselves and I will provide the equipment and materials. They will also then need to wash their own linens and towels, but I always provide them with extra so this isn't a hassle.

I have found that the majority of male guests opt for me to clean the room, while female guests almost always opt to clean it themselves. The problem with the second option is that not all guests then clean properly and some don't clean at all. So, now I remind them that if they choose to do it themselves, that means they actually need to do it.

As for the rest of the house, and it's a big house, I have weekly cleaners come in but have to do some daily cleaning anyway, especially in the kitchen. None of this is charged to the guests. I just have to accept that it's a cost that needs to be covered by the nightly rate and at least it's tax deductible. It's not ideal though. I don't think that my pricing reflects the amount of cleaning that is done.

[Tony1458]

a cleaning fee is strange to me, surely one would include it in the cost of the room? Otherwise we end up like those car sales people who charge extras like crazy.

[Helen744]

@Tony1458, Airbnb has a lot of add ons , Experiences ring any bells ? H We do not host per room ,but an entire house, which said entire house must be cleaned each and every time. We do not clean bits H

[Z-2]

@Sybe Yes. We charge clean fee. We pay cleaner to do it and also the same clean fee either it is 3 days minimum or 2 weeks. If more than 2 weeks, we pay more. The fee will from $110 to $200 for different houses. If add it to daily rate, it’s too much for longer stay guests. 

[Ann72]

@Z-2  Yes, and because Airbnb only allows one cleaning fee per booking, I only allow stays of longer than a week by request.  I tell these guests they must accept a weekly housekeeping refresh at my expense, not theirs.  I'm not crazy about paying for it, but (a) I don't want my housekeeper to lose out, and (b) I can't allow people to wallow in their own mess for longer than a week or things really start to go wrong!

Another option would be to ask them to make several bookings, but that seems too punitive to the guests.  I'd rather keep up an atmosphere of good will.

[Jennifer2670]

I do charge a cleaning fee (150, but I pay my cleaner 175). I would love to just put it on my price but where I am located everyone else charges the cleaning fee. I have to stay in the same ballpark.

[Ann72]

@Sybe   Yes, I charge a cleaning fee.  I have an excellent housekeeper and the money goes to her (even though Airbnb gets a portion of it!).  Cleaning is a separate expense in the reports I provide my accountant, and I issue my housekeeper a 1099 (a US tax form) every year.  My housekeeper takes enormous pride in her work and even reads the reviews to see if guests had any complaints about cleanliness (quite the opposite!).  She is my right arm and I like to treat her with as much respect and professionalism as possible.  I believe that the cleaning fee sends a signal to my guests that the house will be professionally cleaned and they find that reassuring.  

[Sybe]

@Ann72 I like the idea of letting the person in charge of cleaning, in your case the housekeeper, read the reviews about cleanliness. You can discuss together any course of action, or in case of a positive review, it's nice to receive validation for your hard work! 😃

[Linda1556]

Yes, I started charging a cleaning fee when I added my second (larger) property as the comings and goings sometimes overlap and I was unable to do all on my own.   There is no “extra” money/income to me, as its an equal exchange for my cleaning person.

 I still don’t charge for my smaller unit as it takes me less than two hours to do on my own.  

[Marilyn56]

I do pay the cleaning fee to my cleaning lady. I increased the fee due to COVID-19 cleaning protocols and the supplies she brings. When that pandemic subsides for good I'd like to lower the fee. She spends 90 minutes cleaning that bedroom and bathroom, so I feel her pay is justified.

[Ryan2594]

It is completely absurd to put a cleaning fee up as it automatically puts you at a disadvantage. I initially had a cleaning fee but realised that when guests were viewing my listing the cleaning fee was incorporated into the nightly rate while searching. It’s misleading for your listing when the cleaning fee only applies for the first night. Instead I just increased the nightly rate.

 I suspect a lot of hosts use it to penalise guests who only stay 1 night instead of it’s original purpose.

[Helen744]

@Ryan2594, most people where I am have a two three or seven night minimum, cleaning fees vary and guests have choices .It is simply not worth doing four hours cleaning for a single night in a three bed house. Covid made sure that the amount of cleaning went thru the roof and most guests expect not to get a disease and they will pay for it . H

[Gillian166]

I'm not trying to penalise guests who only stay one night. That's the reality of my region: wine region, people tend to stay 1 or 2 nights and move on to the next region. Or they are coming for a wedding, or for a night away from the kids. only during summer and school hols do I get bookings over 3 days. 

It's not fun doing a full clean for a 1 night stay.  and the wear and tear on my bedding is extra, as they get laundered 5x as often, and my washing machine works more, the costs are actually higher for us.  

I'm experimenting with no cleaning fee for one of my listings, and have a really low fee for the other 2 anyway. 

you make an excellent point about the cleaning fee being included in the first night rate, so it's misleading.  However, many guests surely input how many nights they want, so they see the total price, doesn't this solves this issue? 

[Helen744]

@Helen744, Its obvious that a lot of unpaid for cleaning is going on. A weekly cleaning fee should be optional for all hosts who host for longer than a week as @ Ann72 points out longer than that and the mess gets out of control,after all most guests are in Airbnb to do minimal housekeeping and sheets dishes bathrooms lawns etcetera do not stay clean.why Airbnb thinks its okay to take a cut of the cleaning fee I do not get . They sure as hell do not do any cleaning I think many people must be getting stuck out with using cleaners who are paid hourly because there goes your profit H.

[Gillian166]

I hate charging a cleaning fee, I think i'll tinker with trying no cleaning fee for a while.