Is cleaning the host's responsibility or the guest's responsibility DURING a stay?

[Carmen60]

I understand that hosts should / must / have to provide a clean space before a guest checks in for their stay.

But are hosts responsible for cleaning the accommodation for the guest daily or is it the responsibility of the guest to clean for themselves daily during their stay?

[Darius20]

I can't agree with you more. I'm appauled by the self entitled, explotative responses from hosts in this thread. If a guest is charged a cleaning fee, it should no longer be their responsibility, but unfortunately it's abused by hosts to pad their pockets. The cleaning fee should just be called a "service" fee since it's become completely meaningless and just causes resentment. 

[Candice196]

I joined this community just to "like" your comment, and the one above yours. Where I'm staying at currently, there's a 50% cleaning fee, but what for?? This is a small 2 bedroom DUPLEX, no closets, just very tiny rooms, maybe 8x10, a bathroom, and a 12x20ish room that is both a living room AND kitchen, it's literally the size of a hotel suite. The kitchen is no bigger than a bathroom. It's cute, very cute decor, but is it really worth the 50/50 fee per night/cleaning fee? I could go stay at a hotel, have on site assistance, endless towels, pillows, hot water, ice, etc and NOT be forced to clean anything, and pay less in the end. I'm sure hotels charge a cleaning fee, but THEY CLEAN IT, NOT THE GUEST! Air BNB owners who are charging 50% fee to clean, then ask their guests to clean before leaving just aren't right. Of course people are throwing away their trash, but they should be doing that as they go, I have literally NEVER left a hotel a mess, only linens on the bed, and maybe trash on the counters if the tiny trashcans are full, but it also shouldn't be expected when half the nightly rate is a cleaning fee! My issue is the dishes, obviously ppl aren't bringing their own dishes, so they're going to use the homeowners, isn't that what they're there for!? There is no dishwasher where I'm at tonight, not even a drying rack, yet they expect us to take time out of our little GETAWAY to wash these dishes, when we're on limited time as it is, WE ARE LITERALLY ON OUR FIRST VACATION FROM LIVING OFF GRID IN A YEAR. We've been building non-stop and wanted a break, a place with a tub and running water too, but now we have to work before we check out otherwise we'll get charged. We have never left anything a pig stye, but we also haven't gone out of our way to make sure anything was exactly the way we found it either, we're on vacation and there are people getting paid to do that job. I am shocked that hosts expect GUESTS to clean everything AND THEN charge a fee for said cleaning! Don't charge that fee if guests have to do it! If a guess leaves it overly messy, then fine, charge a small fee, but not for the normal crap. If I'm going to be charged 50% of the rate for cleaning, resulting in a higher nightly rate than a hotel, for a tiny duplex, near the ghetto btw, then I might as well continue staying at hotels. I have never once seen a note at a hotel saying I needed to do all these things before I left, otherwise I'd be charged extra! It is NOT a guest's job to make sure it's ready for the next guest. Yes, if you want to run this business, then you're gonna have to put some work into it, don't expect your guests to do it for you. I am a customer, not a roommate. P. S. I'm fine if y'all don't clean throughout my stay if it's more than one day, I feel like the guess can manage that, but should at least be brought fresh towels if it's a long stay, bc ppl have plans when they go places usually, they don't always have time to wash laundry. But if y'all want to wait to clean until we leave, that's fine, you don't have to come throughout my stay, but also don't expect me to do your job for you and then pay for it as well. Sorry, I'm repeating the same message 20 different ways, I'm just trying to get the point across. What's sad is the things we're saying, won't even phase homeowners like those above who expect the guest to do everything. 

[Sarah977]

@Candice196  Did someone force you to book this place? You could see the cleaning fee when you went to book- if you didn't find it reasonable, why did you book it? And now you're whining about being expected to behave like a responsible adult and washing the dirty dishes you ate off of? 

Washing your dishes isn't "cleaning the place". And you obviously have zero idea what is involved in cleaning an Airbnb for guests. 

It takes me an hour and a half to clean the small bedroom and private guest bathroom I list. Judging from your post, you'd probably think it would take 10 minutes.

As I said, no one forced you to book. I suggest you book hotels in the future.

[Jeff257]

However spotless a guest leaves their room it still has to be completey cleaned and, most important snd expensive,  the laundry has to be done.  So that's what the cleaning charge is for.  

[Ines125]

In some situations, yes and in others, no. 

It really depends. I've been to hotels (apart-hotels) in Europe that don't have daily cleaning service. There are Inns, there are bed and breakfasts, and there is airbnb.

I live in a house and I rent out the extra room to guests so that they can sleep somewhere nice without having to pay the prices that they would at a hotel/ other local business. They also get to experience what it is to live in my neighborhood, like a local.

That being said, the goal is a spirit of collaboration, and we're definitely not aiming at hotel-like comfort or services.

As a guest in anyone's house, the right thing to do is clean up after yourself. You're not going to grab the vacuum or the mop for routine cleaning, but if you spill you clean, if you use the dishes, you do them. If you leave the bathtub full of hair, you grab them and trash them. That's how you're supposed to be a nice person. 

A cleaning fee pays for the cleaning that the host still has to do even when guests clean up after themselves. It's not a full time job, not even a part time job. 

If I'm renting the room to a guest who's staying for 2 months, the $60 cleaning fee is the same  as if I rent it for 2 days. It's not meant to be a daily cleaning service.

So it's not right to see it as if it was a hotel because it's not. I just wish that airbnb as a platform laid down some basic rules about this, but of course, nowadays, we can find all sorts of people here. Indeed, there are companies listed as hosts on airbnb, and things start getting a little twisted, people start expecting low budget hotels... 

[Jack1617]

Agree with common courtesy, but sick of reading 'it's not a hotel.'   That's how Airbnbs are marketed, and look at the name - "Air Bed and Breakfast."  At a real B&B, you are provided a room with regular cleaning, meals cooked and cleaned up after for you, and you have utter privacy in your room. More than a hotel, in general.  And Airbnb used to consistently be priced less than local hotel rooms.  Now hosts seem to think they are renting you a place in Heaven, itself, with the absurd pricing (I've seen $500/night for a roach-infested studio apartment in the middle of nowhere), and they often forget that whatever you charge, the guest is paying at least 20% more than that directly to Airbnb.  When guests pay such insane fees to book, of course they expect a lot.  

[Candice196]

I personally don't expect daily cleaning, and idk what normal human being doesn't clean up messes such as a spill, but if they leave hair behind, that's covered under that cleaning fee, so are dishes. Why would you not aim for hotel-like comfort? It should actually be MORE comfortable, bc it's a home away from home, not more inconvenient. People are still on a getaway, or there for business, just the same as if they were at a hotel, and they got things to do. How hard is it really to throw 2 plates, a few silverware, and 2 coffee mugs in the dishwasher and not put that on your guest so they can have the best experience possible, BC THEY'RE ON VACATION, OR A WORK TRIP, or so they can get on the road in time? Aren't you charging a fee anyways? Air BNB don't have all the regulations that hotels do, but the way y'all act is that y'all are superior to a hotel, but y'all aren't. No offense, bc I don't know you, but honestly, all these comments FOR the topic at hand seem to see themselves as the superior choice and that we owe them something. BTW, if you have an issue with a $60 cleaning fee for a 2 month stay, then limit your stays. That's a roommate at that point, not a guest. There should be a max anyways. But you're also not spending any more time cleaning the room if someone stayed 60 days than if they stayed 2, right? Do you clean daily, or just when they leave? Honestly, you're right, it's not a hotel and shouldn't be seen as one, it should actually be cheaper in someone's house bc you're not getting privacy, security, housekeeping, possible breakfast, luggage carts, unlimited towel service, full cleaning, etc. You can't just call down to the counter at 2 am for coffee or to have them send maintenance up. They're regulated as well. After seeing the 50% cleaning fee with the note listing all the things we need to clean at this Airbnb, WHILE ON OUR OWN PERSONAL GETAWAY, I've decided to stick with hotels, but I think there are many ppl out there who need to be educated on this before jumping in, whether they're host or guest. If anything, give guests an option, if they want to enjoy their time and leave the cleaning, then give a $15 cleaning fee for normal wear and tear cleaning for their stay, and charger extra if it's not normal messes. Leaving condoms on floor, hell no, that's a fine! But dishes, laundry, sweeping, vacuuming, wiping counters, etc, should be done by the one getting the cleaning rate! And people should automatically be throwing away the trash as they go anyways, if they don't, they're assholes but still shouldn't be punished, they are still on vacation, or whatever, plus they're paying that fee already! Hope this makes sense. 

[Elis16]

In some cases I actually do. I was charged a £50 cleaning fee for a room and the host was late when we checked in, waited outside the apartment for over 1 hour only to find that the bed hadnt even been made. So I eventually made the bed myself after waiting in the apartment ab extra half hour for the host to get some clean sheets from a different address. Not to mention i was only given a hand towel for a 7 day stay! I thought this was utterly unprofessional and disrespectful. I understand the standards are not the same as in the hotel industry, but expecting me to clean after a welcome like that. .. a bit much ? Suffice to say i did leave two dirty plates in the sink and i am not sorry. Not only did i pay a cleaning fee for a place that wasnt even ready, but i was kept waiting outside the accomodation like an idiot.

[Trena13]

Well for a four night stay totaling 580 they charged 290 (50%) upfront and expected the house spotless in rentable condition and charge 50 dollars /hr for any cleaning they do. That’s great profit - you clearly should charge more for your cleaning 

[Candice196]

You were happy about paying $50 an hour for housekeeping after you already cleaned it and got it to rentable condition again? If anything they should've paid you! Maybe I'm reading this wrong and your weren't happy about it. 

[Sharon311]

@Sara977 Bingo! We have a winner here. <buzzers ringing> My cleaning fee is the same wether you stay a day or 6-months because it’s all about the prep of getting a guest in and out of a reservation, period. So, that means the prep of the room - which by no means is a cursory look over but rather a thorough cleaning including the bathroom and fresh sheets and towels. Truth be told, it goes (a very little) towards the work of guiding that guest in to the accommodations (some need a lot of back and forth and others need absolutely nothing). It’s called a cleaning charge but as far as I’m concerned it can be anything you like…cleaning before and after, most definitely. However - big distinction for me - in the world of hosting “six of one does not equal a half a dozen of the other.” There is more work, for me, to have 6 bookings over 6 days than 1 booking over the same 6 days. And, yes, I do give discounts on weekly and monthly rates. But that “cleaning” fee - or whatever name that you want to call it - helps to establish a further discount for long term reservation. It is not represent a license to be slovenly or disrespectful by leaving dishes in the sink throughout their stay. My “cleaning fee” does not include either maid service or being someone’s mom while they are there. My guests co-exist with me under the same roof of a very large home. I have cats and dogs. I do not expect someone to break out the vacuum cleaner - naturally - or any other cleaning throughout the commonly used areas. In fact, how they want to live within their beautifully furnished private bedroom throughout their entire stay is their personal choice as long as no damage occurs. And when they leave, if theirs some trash that needs to find it’s way to the rubbish bin along with vacuuming etc - no worries. No guest needs to leave their room exactly as they received it. However , the day-to-day courtesy of washing their own dishes is expected and an an annoyance to me if it is repeatedly over looked because regardless of the “cleaning” fee or the higher daily rate that they are incurring it does not pay me enough to be their personal maid nor their Mommy. If it happens once in a stay, it’s a fluke or an oversight. If it’s repeated, it’s a misunderstanding of proper etiquette and decorum and it’s my job to kindly educate them. They are choosing Airbnb for a reason. I am personable and provide a beautifully equipped, full-access kitchen and a sense of home. You will not get that in a hotel. Their groceries go into my refrigerator if needed. They can text me 24/7 with a question or need - worse case scenario is that I am sleeping and they will not get a response. If they were to be stranded due to car trouble and - god forbid - no towing available, I would go out and help them. But, they cannot leave dirty dishes. I offer accommodations, conversation (if they want) even emergency care. But neither the daily cost of the room nor the “cleaning” fee pays for maid service. As an aside, I kindly tell them they need to do their own dishes because at any other subsequent stay at any other Airbnb establishment, they need to know this. They are staying in someone’s home - not a hotel. A very intimate offering at an affordable price.

[Ivette70]

Your cleaning fee is not that high, but, I have stayed at a dew that have charged $100 extra or more for the cleaning fee. I feel at that rate IT IS the hosts responsibility.  I do typically tidy up, but, just like you're not their mommy, I'm NOT their maid. LOL! If they didn't want to clean,why rent the space in the first place. Good lord.

[Alana42]

I need advice. I am staying at an Air BnB and I have been VERY clean and respectful of the host's space. I wash all my dishes and have even washed the hosts dishes to be nice. 

When I have a shower, I rinse out the tub to make sure there are no hairs (because I think that's gross and I know I'd hate to find anything in the shower). 

I even lysol the countertop in the bathroom!

I woke up this morning to find a note on the kitchen counter asking me to sweep up the 'excessive amount of hair' on the bathroom floor. 

I do have long hair, and the nature of long hair is that some of it is bound to fall out. But I always do a check just to make sure there isn't a big gob of hair somewhere. I'm very conscientious and finding the note this morning made me feel very uncomfortable and unwelcome. 

The host and I have gotten along fine. I even left him a little cupcake for his birthday that he just had... just because it's nice to be thought of I thought. 😞 

To find this note makes me feel as though I am being disrespected and I don't know how to deal with this situation. 

I thought of just speaking with him and letting him know that I feel bad now, but I have a feeling that that wouldn't go over well. 

I could just suck it up and clean up the hair... but when I went into the bathroom there was hardly ANY on the floor?!? 

I would appreciate some help regarding this situation please! 

[Robert-And-Vicki0]

As a host, I feel that the hair is the hosts responsibility. Cleaning up after yourself is expected. House keeping  is the hosts responsibility.

[Mandi-S-Just-Business-Ro0]

Thank you for this.

Guests with long hair shed. I ask them to rinse after using the bath or shower. But people miss things all the time. Even me. 

And then there's hairy people! 

If I see hair I clean it. It's really quite simple. Same as soap scum build up and rubber duckies. I mutter under my breath just to be horrid. But there are far, far worse things to clean!