My cleaner was let go and won't return keys or answer messages

[Anna421]

I had a cleaner who cleaned & did key changeover for my property since Sept last year.  Her standard had gradually dropped in the cleaning department, and her communication was always on her terms, eg- she did not do specific jobs we agreed on, and didn't want to communicate about it.  In fact her communication became so bad that I wasn't sure she would even turn up to do the clean in the end. The guest before last politely said that he thought there was "mayonnaise" on the doona, which meant that she hadn't washed it as she was supposed to.  Also, the latest guest complained that there were crumbs on the sofa and pots not washed.  Long story short I had to let her go, especially as she was not prepared to go back and fix it, but she has not answered any of my texts or calls or email.  The problem is she has a set of my keys, and I don't know what else, possibly towels and sheets from the previous clean.  What rights do I have? I have contacted airbnb and they have washed their hands of it, but I feel very uncomfortable that she has keys to my place, she knows the schedule, and can basically enter if she wants to.  I know I will probably have to change the locks which will cost money, but what rights do I have? How should I handle this? I live in Victoria, Australia. Thank you!

[Stay-Asheville0]

I don't think airbnb is in any position to help at all.  I don't know the rights in Australia, but my guess is you have to bite the bullet on this one and learn from it.  Whenever I fire a cleaner I tell them it's time for the routine extreme wash and exchange on the sheets and I need everything they have.  Then I get the keys from them and tell them they're no longer needed.

[Paul154]

You have the right to go to her house and ask for the key.

You have the right to hound her for the key. Phone, text, talk to her family, neighbor, current employer.

You have the right to replace the knob and bill her for the complete replacement cost.

Ultimately, you have the right to sue her.

[Gillian19]

@Anna421 @Paul154 This is Australia, not America. We don't threaten to sue people over minor issues. I am assuming that there is no written contract between you and the cleaner. I would say that whatever rights you may have are pretty irrelevant - all it will cost you is to have a lock replaced and a few keys - probably less than $100. If you don't know if she has any linen then assume she doesn't. If you don't know you can't prove anything. As a remote host you need to be able to rely on people and I would suggest you use someone who is more established and has a proper cleaning business (although I have yet to find a cleaner who will also do washing). It sounds like this was just someone who wanted to earn a bit of cash and probably cost you less than employing someone with a business. Learn from it and move on - not worth stressing about.

[Sarah977]

I don't understand what the deal is with cleaners refusing to do laundry. As long as there's a washing machine on site, all the cleaners where I live gather up the dirty laundry first thing when they arrive, throw it in the machine, attend to all the other cleaning, at some point transferring it over to the dryer, then fold it up and put it away before they leave. What reason do these cleaners have for not being willing to deal with laundry?

[Fred13]

^^^ "What reason do these cleaners have for not being willing to deal with laundry?"

Laziness, but cleverly camouflaged by an opening attitude of superiority. Dishes & Windows are next.

[Fred13]

   This is not a matter that has ~anything~ to do with Airbnb, they are not co-owners of the property. They are not the only people you can choose to go through to get guests.

   Addedly, if she failed to do those things, perhaps it is best to not have a 'cleaning lady' acts as a 'manager in absentia' in the future. In all likelihood, two different levels of conciousness.

   Change locks and move on?

[Rebecca160]

@Anna421Airbnb has no responsibility for this situation.I would have the locks changed immediately or do it yourself. It is easy to do, usually only requiring screwdrivers.  And I would definitely do it before your next guest, just in case your cleaner decides to be vindictive.

Are you a remote host? I guess that could make things a bit more difficult for you.  I would contact someone locally you can trust to oversee the lock change out, and then I would hire a local co-host.

[David126]

Also confused as to how AirBnb come into the picture and what you expected them to do?

Can not imagine it is worth spending too much time on chasing up the cleaner.

You have presumably keys out there as Guests will need them. One of the reasons I prefer electronic locks with codes you can change.