Cleaning Fee outrageous

[Pat280]

I recently hired an Air BnB last week for an event (surprise birthday for my partner) which was approved by the Host. Once I told her about an event she then asked how many people and I told her it would only be 30-40 as it’s a small birthday nothing big. She then proceeded to pay an extra cleaning fee of $400 on top of the $150 cleaning fee already charged. 

After we left (no damages) we put all the rubbish into rubbish bags and plastic bags and put it one place by in the backyard as all the bins were overly full. Today she messages saying she will report me for leaving my rubbish behind! This makes no sense as we had paid an excessive cleaning fee for God knows what! I don’t want to have this affect me as I’ve been using Air BnB for 3 years and use it frequently and have a good rep. What can I do about this? Can I challenge a review?

[Kelly149]

I occasionally allow guests to add events (a party/other guests) to their reservation and I would charge at least $10-25/person so your additional fee is at the low end of what I would charge.

Overflowing rubbish certainly isn’t “no damage”, that’s a problem for the host. How did you think she’d deal with so much garbage that you had to pile it in the backyard??

[Pat280]

---

@Kelly149 wrote:

I occasionally allow guests to add events (a party/other guests) to their reservation and I would charge at least $10-25/person so your additional fee is at the low end of what I would charge.

Overflowing rubbish certainly isn’t “no damage”, that’s a problem for the host. How did you think she’d deal with so much garbage that you had to pile it in the backyard??

---

So by your comment if I am paying $550.00 NZD for clean up then what is there left to clean up if I’m taking all the rubbish? Am I paying $550.00 for her to wash towels for 8 guests and do up the beds? Seems a bit excessive

[Sarah977]

@Pat280 OMG you really think all the host had to do was remove the garbage, do the laundry and make up the beds? I guess you have zero idea what cleaning entails. Vacuuming, washing floors, cleaning and sterilizing the bathroom, throuroughly cleaning the kitchen, probably rewashing the dishes that were poorly washed. Just for a start.

And 30-40 people isn't a "small party".

[Pat280]

I’ve stayed at other Air BnBs with with more than 8 guests as we had 8 guests stay over all together. Yet their cleaning fee was not at this level. Why is there a drastic increase in the cleaning fee? You still haven’t justified the average between the amount for an event when we used all our own utensils and used the backyard. I’m not trying to start up I’d like some justification for the cleaning fee. For an extra $400.00 I’d gladly have my refund and take my own rubbish if that’s the difference. Take it easy mate I’m not a host so yes I don’t have any idea hence my question. It’s a sensible question. What happens to the extra $400.00?

[Beyti0]

Yes, I understand sometimes people are jerks and leave disaster behind when they leave but cleaning fees are just another way for the hosts to squeeze more money out of guests. They keep the rent price low and then stick you with the cleaning fee which sometimes double the the total price...

[Sandra856]

@Beyti0 Believe it or not the cleaners do need to get paid and a listing needs to be clean for the next guests. All linen, sheets etc. need to be washed, ironed etc. Bathroom/kitchen cleaned. 

So if you book 1 night you will have to pay the exact same cleaning fee as someone who stays 5 days for instance. That is why the cleaning fee sometimes is higher than the actual price for the listing. 

I can't see why that is looked at as "squeezing" more money out of people? 

[Pat280]

Waste of breathe to be honest. I don’t think hosts are squeezing us but this community is heavily favoured towards hosts as majority of the hosts seem to be commenting. See my post and responses above. No one justified the extra $400.00 only said “you’re not a host so you don’t know” lol same responses you’re typically getting. This community is all **bleep** lol

[Sarah977]

@Beyti0  As a guest, you are free to peruse listings and choose one with a cleaning fee that you don't consider to be out-of-line. Just as you are free to shop at a store which you find has lower prices than the one down the block.

[Pat280]

Sarah you’re missing the point yet again. I was happy to pay the extra charge but you still haven’t justified the $400.00 from months ago. That was the main question. Of course we can go to cheaper ones but I chose this one. When I pay an extra cleaning fee I want it justified. Do you go pay extra for nothing? Get off your “I’m a host” high horse and read the question

[Sandra856]

@Pat280 Hosting 30-40 people for a party is in so many ways different from a normal hosting situation.

It is very difficult to get airbnb to pay if anything breaks/ happens. Then there is the extra insurance. Most hosts would never host 30-40 people for a party simply because it is to risky or because they are not covered when it comes to insurance. What I'm trying to say is that there is so much guests do not think about because they are not in the business. Classic example is @Beyti0 comment. 

If you felt 400 dollar was to much then why book. If the host is not use to hosting so many people then situations like this happens. Where expectations on how to handle garbage for instance is not communicated because this is not something the host is used to dealing with. So if I were you I would just move on. Pick someone who is used to thowing parties next time to avoid situations like this to happen. 

[Pat280]

When a host puts “suitable for events” and we ask to have it approved because it’s not your standard house it’s a rural property and reviews show people have hosted events there previously then yes it may be a normal host situation for that owner maybe not for you because your house is probably a lot smaller and not suitable for events. Maybe you don’t know so you’re probably not the right person to answer my question (may not have experience in this arena) if not that’s fine you can move on. I didn’t feel $400.00 was too much and felt it was might be normal for a cleaning fee of this event, but when you complain after the house is left clean and if not clean to your standard then that’s when the regular cleaning fee kicks in , but with no damages and only rubbish bags compiled together that could easily fit on a trailer for $20 hireage I would rather not pay the $400.00 fee and keep it and have the rubbish removed myself. Insurance is not a cleaning fee by the way. As an Air BnB host you should be aware of your own insurance policies as it’s one of the reasons I rent my other house and don’t have it on as an air BnB. Pros and cons to this and if you don’t want to be a host you don’t have to be but insurance is insurance. You’re more than welcome to be a normal landlord but again... no justification STILL lol don’t worry.

[Sandra856]

@Pat280 Well then it seems that the communication about what was expected when it comes to cleaning up after yourself was the problem here. There really is no difference in hosting just a room nor a castle. Or hosting in your private home. Same issues appear I can assure you of that. Experienced hosts usually have written down some guidelines/houserules on what they expect also when it comes to check-out instructions and I guess you and the host did not aggree on this. Some people leave a mess behind and some are just great guests leaving everything in a great state. You are far from the first guest in this community complaining about "what was my cleaning fee paid for when the host expects me to do "whatever" . Some people use lol some doesn't. I'm not sure I understand why you use "lol".

[Sarah977]

@Pat280  I'm not missing the point. Nor did I ever say "I'm a host, you just don't understand". I did try to explain it to you way back when you first started this thread.

How could I justify someone else's cleaning charge? Neither I nor you know how much time and expense was actually incurred in the clean-up after your party. It could easily have taken 2 people an entire day to clean it up to the standard that it would be ready for the next guests. Nor do either of us know the cost of the cleaning products used, whether the host had to hire a truck to haul away all the bags of garbage produced, or load it up in their own vehicle, take it to the dump and pay a tipping fee. 

Perhaps the host was seriously overcharging for the cleaning. Again, neither you or I have any way of knowing that and hosts are not required to "justify" their charges, as you, as a guest can either take it or leave it.

Most people, when making a significant purchase, unless they are wealthy and money is no object, do comparison shopping, whether it's an airline ticket, an appliance, a power tool, a piece of furniture. They do the research, look at the price, the terms and conditions, and make a decision as to where and what to buy. You don't find an airline ticket cheaper on one site than another, and then go back to the more expensive site and demand that they "justify" what they are charging. 

It's no different with an Airbnb- you don't like the price and the terms, you just move on to book somewhere else.

[Emily487]

@Beyti0 I agree with @Sandra856 .  You don't appear to have any history of booking or hosting yourself but please know that there is no squeezing going on with cleaning fees. There is, however,  a lot of financial thin ice, biting of our tongues, hanging on by a thread, and getting on by the skin of our teeth.