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
Li102
Level 2
Beijing, China

I would suggest that every host in Airbnb write down in the check-in guide or rule about cleaning - to avoid confusion.

Quincy
Community Manager
Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Hi everyone,

 

Please note that this content has been archived.

 

You can still access if if you have the link but it won't appear when you search on the Community Center.

 

You can find more information on "What's expected from guests" by clicking here 👈

 

To ask a new question just click below:

 

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Quincy

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 I only clean before and after each guest. 

Reyna2
Level 3
Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Hello lm new at this hosting, but l will think that the guest should clean after themselfs, kitchen when is being use by them, etc.

this hosting service is NOT  a Hotel. what all you think??

If it is the guests responsibility to clean up, that's fine, but don't add the expensive "cleaning fee" to my bill. We've been asked in recent trips to clean up the house after staying and I don't understand why this is expected of the guest when we pay very high cleaning fees to the host. 

Hi Neil,

I totally understand what you are speaking of.

Let me start by saying my husband and I always leave a place in the same condition we entered it.

I belive it is the guests responsiblity to clean up after themselves such as dishes washed and put away as they found them, that includes a messy floor. I don't expect guests to vacuum, strip the bed and get out the "heavy" cleaning materials but I expect a level of clean from them. I would never leave a fridge in a state nor bathroom. Quite a bit goes into the guests such as laundering, vacuuming after every single guest whether I believe it's clean or not, dusting, washing of floors, making the bed, towels and so forth. I'd just had guests that brought their dog. Laundering entails quite a bit including ironing. I'm a neat freak about the guests, not so much myself but I do keep a tidy house.  The cleaning fee is the same if someone stays one day or 7. But I am also a believer in taking some of the guests money that I receive and giving it back in food itmes and sometimes wine. I always have their fireplace either lit or ready and if they are out with permission, I will do the same on the colder nights. 
Does this make sense?

 

123.jpgYep it does make sense.. from your point of view. 🙂 
Niels perspective is a common one and I would feel the same in this matter. 
I never charge cleaning fee upfront. Cleaning is somehow included in the price. Under the house rules I just added, that at the check-out we verify the condition of cleanlines (just kitchen and its equipment, if used). Cleaning fee is optional and is charged 50,00eur. So stasticly, I would say everyone cleans after themselves rather to pay extra 50eur.
From my point of view paying extra for a cleaning fee is like ordering an item online and you must pay extra for shipping costs. :))  

Tara248
Level 2
Gold Coast, Australia

I’m a cleaner for Airbnb’s in the ACT region and I always report to the host as soon as I enter and I keep in regular contact with all my AirBnB clients.  I charge the $50-$70 mark for Turn Overs and linen is included on or off site.  

Emelie12
Level 2
Stockholms län, Sweden

Hey! I was wondering how you became a cleaner for Airbnb, I am currently living in Paris and would like to do the same 🙂

It makes sense but if you decide to turn your house into a business, I think guests are off the hook for most of the cleaning. I'm finding this getting lost on a lot of hosts these days. If I go to a restaurant and pay someone to cook for me, I also don't expect to wash my own dishes. However, if you invite me to stay at your house as a guest, I will clean up every grain of salt that I drop. I agree with resepcting someone's home whether I pay them to stay there or not, but I've gone back to using hotels again (after not using them at all for a few years) because they seem to understand the business arrangement better than some Airbnb hosts who forget that they are making money from me. 

@Andrew656  An airbnb home is not a hotel or a restaurant. Mature grownups clean up after themselves. Hosts expect to provide clean bedding and towels, have the room super clean for each new guest's arrival, do the laundry, vacuum, wash floors, dust, scrub and disinfect the bathroom, etc. For this I charge $28/night, $25 after airbnb takes their host fees, pay for the utilities the guest is using, my cleaning supplies, toilet paper, soap, etc.

You honestly expect your host to wash your dirty dishes? Your airbnb host is not your mommy.

 

Weird, I just checked my post and it didn't mention you washing my dishes. My post is a bit more nuanced than that. I just left a 10 day Airbnb that I left spotless and paid the 25 Euro cleaing fee. Which is fine. But you make my point for me about somehow not making the connection that you are running a business (a hotel). I've also hosted and turned my home into a hotel. You decided to turn your home into a for profit business so you should do the laundry, vacuum, etc. I'm sorry but it is a hotel - just like Uber is a taxi service and Turo is a car rental agency. 

 

hotel
həʊˈtɛl/
noun
 
  1. an establishment providing accommodation, meals, and other services for travellers and tourists.

@Andrew656    No, my home is not a hotel just because I rent out my spare room and bathroom. It is not an "establishment". If it was an entire house or apartment that I had for the sole purpose of renting out through a booking platform, the point could be argued, but I still wouldn't call that a hotel. 

 

The washing your dishes part,  you mentioned that when you go to a restaurant, you expect not to have to wash your own dishes- so if an airbnb host provides you with breakfast, it sounded like you also expected them to wash your dishes, but maybe I misunderstood.

That said, of course I expect to do all the vacuuming, laundry, floor washing, bathroom scrubbing, etc, for my guests. What I don't expect is to have to wash their dirty dishes, pick up their garbage off the floor because they were too lazy to throw it in the waste basket, clean their hork out of the sink, etc. Like I said, respectful adults clean up their own private messes. 

 

And there's a saying that a customer can choose 2 of the following when patronizing a business- service, quality, or price. You can't expect all 3 or the business would not be able to survive. Some hosts try to price their accomodation so it is really affordable, almost too cheap and don't charge a cleaning fee. I think those hosts are justified in expecting a bit more clean-up on the guest's part than someone who is priced high and charging a hefty cleaning fee.

Dixie7
Level 10
Dunsborough, Australia

Your comments always make so much sense Sarah. 

 

You are making the choice to turn your home into a commercial endeavor.  Airbnb IS a hotel alternative.  That's how it's been marketed from the start, and that is what people expect.  There is a reason you now need a business license in many places to operate an Airbnb listing.  There is a reason I pay exorbitant tourist taxes on bookings in some countries.  I am not renting the room from you with a lease, I am booking this on a hospitality platform for a limited stay.  That is how hotels work.  Check in time, check out time, cleaning provided.  Of course people should act responsibly, but your argument is ridiculous.  You can charge what you'd like for whatever it is on the listing, but it is not the guest's job to change expectations for each and every Airbnb based on the host's personal opinions.  I have been seeing a lot more of this the last year or two, where hosts seem to forget this is a business transaction.  I don't pay you a bunch of money just to be bothered by your particularities throughout my stay.  You take my money, I take the key, if there are damages it's addressed at the end.  Simple.