Guest gets charged ‘cleaning fee’ from Airbnb but I don’t charge cleaning fee!

[Teresa345]

Hi there, i have just found out after chatting to our guests over the last times we have hosted that they get charged a ‘cleaning fee’ but i actually do not charge a ‘cleaning fee’!  So why does the guest get charged for it as its not me that benefits from it? 

Can anyone enlighten me on this question please!

[Steve143]

Hello @Teresa345,

Could it be possible that the guests are interpreting "service fee" as "cleaning fee"?

When I go to book your listing for the night of the 27th of May there's a service fee of €9, room charge of €53 and no cleaning fee.

Airbnb charges guests a service fee. The percentage depends on the accommodation cost.

What are Airbnb service fees?

Steve.

[Fred13]

Smart guess @Steve143. The hotel industry does uses those two words interchangeably, thus guests may oftentimes assume they mean the same thing.

[David126]

I have had hundreds and hundreds of guests and nobody has confused cleaning and service fee.

[Linda108]

Does your reservation confirmation show a cleaning fee or did the guest report to you a cleaning fee charge, @Teresa345?

[Paul154]

Everybody lies and/or is confused.

Why are you stressing over a guest's statement?

Just say "Hmmm, That's interesting. I don't charge a cleaning fee"

[Richard989]

Hi @Teresa345, @Linda108, did you find out an answer to this? I've just had a potential guest who was put off booking and complained because of the extra fees, and asked why I charged extra for cleaning, which I don't! I have that setting turned off on both of my listings. I switched to being a traveller and tried out booking myself and there was a cleaning fee charged by Airbnb ON TOP OF the service fee. This seems unfair practice by Airbnb if I'm not charging it, and I wonder how many other potential guests have been put off by this?

[Linda108]

I would suggest if you are getting this feedback from potential guests you contact Air BNB directly.  Sounds like one of the system glitches we often experience.