Long Term Stay - Cleaning Responsibilities

Long Term Stay - Cleaning Responsibilities

Hi all. So I booked a long term stay. I make it a point to check house rules every time as I like leaving the apartment as I found it. In this case, the house rules did not mention any cleaning. Now, my host says that in long stays she takes turn in cleaning with the host. Which also I am fine with as she has become a friend and I do not want her to do all the work alone. But she explained to me what all has to be cleaned - it involves deep cleaning and cleaning to make the apartment cleaner than I found it. She lives in the apartment too. I always do my dishes and I swept and mopped the floor of my room and the common spaces. But she wants me to brush the carpet in the staircase of the building (the stairs leading to her floor) and sweep and clean that too. Rinse decorative spaces kept near the main door. Take out oil stains in the kitchen - where I have not even used the kitchen much and I found it with oil stains. Deep clean the bathroom - toilet, drains and shower tiles. She doesn’t have a change of bed linen (so 1 sheet and 1 pillow cover for 8 weeks) and I had to wash it to keep my allergy at bay. For washing she prefers me to use the shortest cycle (15 minutes) and says my clothes would be fine but I am afraid it would spoil my clothes. She doesn’t want me to use the kettle much and light use the kitchen as “anything I break I will have to replace”. Basically she doesn’t want a smelly kitchen. The point is all this was not mentioned in the house rules (and she had mentioned that kitchen use was allowed for long stay, not “light kitchen use”). And of course I have paid cleaning fees and am paying more than the market rate for such a room. Which is fine as it is airbnb and I am not a flat mate but a guest. She has also other guests coming in for a couple of days next week although she mentioned in the house rules that the guest for my room would be sharing the bathroom only with her. I accepted that as I don’t have a say and she needs the money so I am ok with it.  I have become friends with her because of which I can’t behave like a wronged customer. So my question is that should I be doing all that cleaning? I would like to help out as otherwise she has to do it all by herself as she can’t afford a cleaner (or so it seems). But can she expect me to do all this stuff? And how do I maintain my stance without being rude? Also the check was weird. I estimated that I would be at her apartment by 11 (although I am a foreigner) had given her my flight number and all. The flight arrived on time and the commute took half an hour less. She was not there in her apartment as I had given an estimate of 11. I had to wait in a bar and drag 30 kg of luggage through the 300 m after 17 hours of travel. Is this good check-in behaviour by a host? 

7 Replies 7
Ana1136
Level 10
Ohrid, Macedonia (FYROM)

@Sume1 was she there at 11? If she was than you couldn't complain, that is the time you agreed on, it doesn't matter if you arrived earlier. As to the cleaning, I don't think you should be doing all that cleaning yourself. The only thing you need to do is keep the spaces you use clean ( which you said you do). Let her know that you are willing to help but you already cleaned your part. Be factual when explaining to her that that is not your responsibility, her guests pay a cleaning fee so that she can get the apartment ready for them so the next guest already paid her, and not you, to be able to come to a clean space. 

Thanks @Ana1136 for your suggestions. As for the time I had given her an estimate of 1045-11 quite well in advance of the travel date. She wrote to me on my travel date that she was going to a concert and would be back by 1100-1115. She told me to message from the airport once I land which I did (although it was difficult as I didn’t have international roaming and theairpot WiFi was not working). Since I didn’t know if I would have to wait for 5 or 30 minutes I got dropped st a nearby bar rather than her place (it was night time).

Branka-and-Silvia0
Level 10
Zagreb, Croatia

@Sume1 

and if you will be good she will marry you :)))))

 

btw, if you rent a place for longer then 30 days you are not a guest anymore, you are a tenant/roommate or however you call it and things are different. How much different - depends on the rent you pay.

Which is what I thought. I am paying 100 euros more than the market rate. And I am not at home much so my utility consumption is low. No heater or AC required now. 

At least 100 euros. I would estimate about 100-150 euros. Which for me makes it not an usual flat sharing arrangement but an airbnb arrangement. 

Helen3
Level 10
Bristol, United Kingdom

the host should not be expecting you to do deep cleans.

 

What sort of reviews did the host have ? Did previous guests mention this.

 

Of course the host should be there at the agreed check in time, so something to mention in the review.,

 

As you have become friends with the host, just sit down and have a chat with her and say that although you are happy to clean up after yourself in communal areas/wash your own clothes etc, it isn't appropriate to ask a guest to do heavy duty cleaning.

 

Quite honestly if it is too much for her, she should get in a cleaner.

 

i would never dream of asking a guest to do this in my shared home however long they were staying.

 

 

Thanks Helen. Of the reviews I read not all were positive about the place (most mentioned it being cold in the winter) but none mentioned cleaning. Maybe I am one of the few long stay people - she did mention that other guests did not talk much with her. She is friendly so I guess people hesitate to leave strongly negative reviews - quiet like the situation I am facing. So finally I did what I could and left the rest.