Cleaning

[Linda1783]

Hi Everyone, 

Im hoping I might get some advice in regard a recent booking. 

I'm a new host since July, and so far have had a mix of 1 to 5 night stays max. 

My property has just been booked for 70 nights which I was delighted with. 

The guest and I were chatting through the app, all seemed fine. But when I raised the question of me cleaning the space (I would like to keep on top of bathroom and food prep area) for no extra charge, I received a request to let them discuss it and they would get back to me. That was 6 days ago.. What should I do?

I've put a lot of work into keeping the flat clean and tidy and the bathroom spotless. 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. 

[Alano-and-Jennifer0]

Hi Linda,

    Normally when you rent long term like that, you don't want to intrude on your guest while they are there. Generally you should have cleaning supplies in the house where they can take care of all cleaning on there own, or they can purchase there own for such a long stay. Once you rent the space for a period of time especially long term the guest has certain rights that you cannot infringe upon, check with your state law. I say let them be or risk receiving a bad review. And if you think about these things too much your going to go crazy. You did your part for the initial cleaning now let them be, - unless they begin disturbing the neighbors or commit some sort of crime -there's no need to bother them anymore until they reach out to you.

[Mark116]

@Linda1783   I think that for long term rentals, it is important for the host to get in, at least every 2 or 3 weeks, and make sure the place isn't being trashed.  So, in future, I would make 'free light cleaning' every X week part of the initial deal you make, so it is known at booking, then you can just work w/them on a convenient time and schedule.

In this case, I would message them again, make it a positive, we offer a free light cleaning for long term guests every XX, please let me know the most convenient time to schedule this....but if they decline the offer, there isn't really anything you can do about it, since there was no original expectation that anyone but the guests would be in the unit.  I hope that makes sense. 

[Linda108]

Hello @Linda1783   You are not dealing with a "guest".  You are dealing with a tenant and therefore you should be aware of all the rights and laws for tenants and the obligations and rights of a landlord.  Is that what you want to do?  Be sure to check out the articles about policies and procedures and payout on this platform found in the Help Center.

[Buffy6]

 I’m also a fairly new host, and I had a similar experience. Seems to me that the more negotiations the potential guest engages in before booking, the less likely that they actually book the unit.

I agree with the other hosts who advised that you want to get in routinely to see the condition of your unit. I am at the end of a two month guest stay and I provided him with clean linens every week which he was responsible for changing out with the old. And at the end of the first 30 days I informed him that the cleaning crew would come in and do a light cleaning, for an additional cleaning fee since he had already received a substantial discount based on his length of stay.  

I hadn’t thought of any of these details before getting the long-term guest, so a lot of these negotiations were done after he booked… Some was a little awkward… But my guest was a good sport and worked with me. In the future I am going to add that to my listing, so there is clarity right up front. 

[Emily487]

@Linda1783 

Please have them sign a real lease so you will be fully protected as a "landlord". AirBnB will not have your back if anything goes wrong and Air will take a chunk of your money in a service fee