"Cleaning Fees" listed separately, deceptive AirBnB

"Cleaning Fees" listed separately, deceptive AirBnB

AirBnB is a joke with published rates. Hosts lowball on the nightly rate, then charge $70 for a cleaning?  That's for one night or 5.
Looking at a room in Nassua, $80 for the night, $69 cleaning = $149. Seriously, pathetic excuse for transparent pricing.

This site asks us to be nice to each other, how about being nice to travellers by being honest. Any Host can lowball the rate and rack up the cleaning fee. Anyone else agree this is deceptive?

 

They need to include all fees in pricing. 

 

Another host lists a $100 fee and $29 cleaning fee = $129.


It's impossible to compare without going through each listing.

And this is a good service?

162 Replies 162

By your logic, you are saying that I should not have a right to price my unit less than my cleaning costs, because you define it to be "deceptive"

Right now in Seattle, it is off season. Last week, to get a Tuesday/Wednesday gap filled, I had to price my apartment less than the cost of the housekeeper. I prefer to rent out my space and keep my housekeeper employed and fed. My pricing is not deceptive, just realistic and reasonable.

Like I said before, USE THE MAP feature if you want to compare TOTAL price.

2Well. I used the map feature for a place I am looking at in France. The price showed up at 132 or 136 a night.

 

So, I was wanting to book 2 nights.

 

Total came out OVER 400.00  The listing didn't even mention a cleaning fee.

 

So, well, that's the side from people WANTING to use airbnb.

 

 

@Linda0,

Hmm. I thought that the cleaning fee is factored into the map feature.

This way you can compare all listings against one another.

However the map does not price in Airbnb fees and taxes, because they will apply to all listings about the same.

Tax where I am is 3.9%, I know it can go over 20%.

David

It’s not. Starting from the map, you have to click three times on each listing for being able to view the “real “price.

 

First you have to click the listing on the map, then the image that emerges below, then once inside the listing click on the price breakdown. 

It is super annoying not being able to compare actual prices from the map, (or from any vantage point), as the cleaning fees vary greatly. 

The price breakdown should always be included, but prices need to be direct, transparent, and straightforward from the get-go. 

It's not. 

Your slow

The MAP feature doesn’t show total price either. Would be nice if listings with cleaning fees could be filtered out - especially helpful for people who only need a place for one or two nights and the extra fee would be a dealbreaker. 

I've also noticed that hosts are now asking for security deposits . I saw a listing where someone was asking for a $325.00 security deposit..yikes! on to the next one! peace!

agreed

What are you talking about?  The map does not list total price.   

I think the point is being missed.  If the room is advertised as $25.00 per night, how can you seriously as the guest to pay $69.00 for a cleaning fee? if I see an advert that says $25.00 per night, I'm not expecting to pay more than $40.00 (for taxes). no one is suggesting that you fire your cleaning crew, just take a look at the cost you are shifting to the guest.  When you mail a letter, it cost you, the customer, about .40cents. The customer doesn't have to pay an extra $50.00 so the driver can put gas in the mail truck.  www.iwouldtakeit.com  

Exactly total BS I think these hosts are nuts You know darn well it dosent cost that much to clean up after someone leaves your rental place I think the whole idea of this air bnb has been ruined 

No that's YOUR logic. Al I am Saying is when the rental fee is $59 and the cleaning fee is $200 there's something wrong and e and there are plenty of examples of this all over air bnb and quite frankly I am finding air bnb in many cases are charging as much as if not more than a hotel room So why bother renting In someone's house for such an expensive price. This is the USA you charge whatever you want there are plenty of people that will not pay attention and pay whatever you want I wont be one of them. and I find it deceptive when the total price can only be obtained when you do certain things or enable certain features  

I think it’s great you’re concerned about paying someone enough money. I do think the original post was more bringing up the fact that there seem to be hidden charges. If you tell me that it’s $300 a night, and I’m staying two nights; as I peruse I am doing math on whether or not things are in my price range.  When the total brings you well over an additional nights stay - it DOES make it difficult to plan out and might make some people opt for avenues where the pricing is easier to go through and easier to plan with. Some cleaning fees being $29 for 5 days and others being upwards of $150 for just one night definitely makes this more difficult to plan than the last time I used Airbnb.... I understand both sides; just as the user I think I would rather see the cleaning fee wrapped up in the night stay just to make things easier in searching. Or to put it more clearly I will probably stay at the places who just wrap up the cleaning fee in the night stay in charge more? Just seems easier for end user.