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

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Carmen60
Level 2
Strathfield, Australia

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

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?

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Quincy
Community Manager
Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

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146 Replies 146
Edwin57
Level 10
New York, United States

it all depends how big is your place,plus cleaning is very very important, it is to keep our health in good condition free of dirt, marks, or mess, especially by washing, wiping, or brushing,and so on,come on now you know what i mean

Recently I sent my son some possible Airbnb places to stay around the country while he makes an interview circuit for his internship.

 

I found some in areas close to where he'd be and instructed him how to sign up; check out places and read the rules before booking.

 

He told me one of the hosts stated the guest was required to squeegee down the shower after every use.  He passed on that one. 😉 

 

 

I host rooms in my home, and I live here too. I specialize in long terms and the rents are cheap and cheerful. Common area cleaning up after one's self is right in the rules. It's little things that take seconds, like taking shoes off, spraying the shower after use, putting the seat down, and covering food in their suites or if they use the kitchen. Easy.

 

Each room has its own mini fridge, microwave, coffee pot, kettle, etc. BUT I do NOT allow use of the oven or stove (actually my home insurer doesn't). This cuts the noise, mess, and bs in half. There are plenty of tasty and inexpensive eateries nearby, and I also cook a couple of times a week and invite them for a bite as a gesture of goodwill. They can also use the dishwasher and the onsite laundry. I also invest 2-4 hours a day in common area maintenance, but yeah, some of that mess is mine!

 

A typical guest is a resident MD on roationstaying a month or more. My standards have to be exceptionally high. During a changeout, we literally rip the room and bath apart with a checklist. Bedding, feather duvet and cover, towels, pillows, flooring, appliances, etc are all sterilized and scrutinized or immediately replaced. Windows are cleaned, curtains washed, floors polished, touch up paint applied; drawers sprayed, a couple of fresh flowers, a chocolate, and snacks etrc. are added. I usually have another pair of eyes proof the room for anything I've missed. Only when it is 100% will this poor man's Leona Helmsley with sign the welcome note. 

 

My rates are low, but my cleaning fee is on the high side because it's a more accurate reflection of what is involved. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dixie7
Level 10
Dunsborough, Australia

Why would you think that's unreasonable?

 

Kira27
Level 1
Honokaa, HI

I ask my guests to spray the shower down and tidy up after themselves in the bathroom during their stay since the bathroom is shared. I clean their room only after they check out. 

Cormac0
Level 10
Kraków, Poland

@Carmen60

 

What is Airbnb?

 

Has it become an Hotel with all the accompanying services at bargain bases prices, your raising expectation of guest that 80% of Host can afford to offer...

 

Sara455
Level 4
Providence, RI

When there is more than one guest, it is imperative that one tidies up after ones self. you can't go into the kitchen or bath and make a mess and expect the host to come cleaning up after you all day. The other guests should be able to prepare a meal in a clean kitchen and take a shower without having to step over some ones wet dirty towels and hair in the drain and all over the place. Use common sense.

Stephanie365
Level 10
Fredericksburg, VA

When you rent a vacation home, there is no maid service during your visit.  My space is a private suite with no shared space with the host.
If you want daily maid service, stay at a hotel.

I do charge a very modest $12 cleaning fee. 

For that fee, you arrive to an entire suite that is vacuumed, swept, dusted, has freshly laundered towels, clean bath robe, fresh linens on the bed, clean dishes, pots and pans, and utensils, scrubbed bathroom and more.

When you leave: 
1. I expect all of your trash to be in the provided trash can (not strewn about the entire suite). 
2. I expect the dishes, pots and pans and glasses to be in the sink and rinsed off to deter pests. I will thoroughly rewash them, but don't leave them with caked on food or half-filled with drinks.
3. I ask that used towels be placed in the hamper, not draped on furniture, thrown on the floor, etc. where they will cause water damage. 

4. If you spill something, I don't expect you to just leave it. I provide sponges, paper towels, and spray cleaner.

I don't ask people to wash their towels or sheets. I don't ask them to vacuum or sweep (unless they have a dry spill). But neither should they leave my home a mess.

I'm not asking anyone to "clean" my suite. I'm asking people to respect my home.  Some people just need to be told these things.

This is my home. Not a dive motel. Treat it with respect.

Hey Stephanie. Love the write up there! I’m going back and forth about reviewing somebody who basically trashed my place. No major damage just total disrespect. 

 

Im reading the back and forth here and it seems if I charge a cleaning fee that gives the right for people to live like a slob and just checkout. 

 

Ill admit, I charge a decent amount. But i also supply all linens for an entire house (shore property) and as anybody knows, it’s a lot of work. 

 

Right now im letting the situation digest a bit more. But in my heart I just don’t feel that this was acceptable. Even for the people who say..that’s what the cleaning fee is for. I expect people to live and make a mess. All I ask is that people straighten up and leave the place respectable.  Is that too much to ask? 

@Carmen627,  No, it is absolutely not acceptable that someone trashes your home.  Other hosts need to be aware that your current guest is a pig.  Even when I stay at a hotel, I do not disrespect the property, whether it's a 1* or a 4*.

I did rewrite my review of my "pigs" several times before posting it as I cooled down and posted facts vs insults. 😉 But made it clear these people were clearly used to having domestics follow around behind them and clean up after them and they were not the kind of guest someone would want in their home.  When someone makes zero attempt to clean up a coffee spill and just lets it run wherever, that is just plain rude.

 

Wil13
Level 2
Zoetermeer, Netherlands

I have found out that some guests are just blind or just stubborn, like we clean the place up tidy and clean enough to eat from the floor, and than after they had their stay, they complain in their review that they did not have a broom and dustpan, even though we showed them the broom and dustpan, and it's also in our welcome map inventory, and now we even got a lower score in cleanliness.

@Wil13: I feel your pain. I had a guest that docked me a star on cleanliness stating the entire place needed a good vacumning. Well yeah it did! As a result of them tracking in sand for a week from the local sand dunes where they were doing research! It was spotless when they arrived. They didn't seem to understand that we do not come in daily and clean up after them. First time Airbnb users <SIGH> They had a touch up vacumn available for their use as well. I use a specialty water filter vacumn when I clean but I am not leaving that in the house for guests to muck up. 

Yulianna0
Level 10
Madrid, Spain

Big difference in short term and long term guests. With one night bookings I’m permanently cleaning the house. But I ask my guests not to make dishes and not to help themselves looking for something in my kitchen. I prefer to have everything under control and I find it not very hygienic if everyone will touch plates, glasses, spoons.

Yulianna, I am guessing your space is shared? If so, I totally agree with you.  Some of us have separate spaces so I am not so concerned about guests using the kitchen or provided conveniences so long as they clean up after themselves. 

I am interested to see how my current guest will pan out when they check out. They left the kitchen and dining area light on all night long and when I came into the suite today (the guests were gone for the day) for a pre-arranged utility service, every light in the suite was on even though I ask that guests turn off lights in rooms they're not using. They've generated quite a bit of mess and the sink is filled with dirty dishes. But they have 2 more days to be here so as long as it's not a mess when they leave (and they turn off lights), I won't have a problem.