Cleaning Fees 60 Day POST Guest Demands

[Jeff541]

Guest made reservation for 2 to check in 12/8....he was not present at check-in. I hired a greeter to check-in his wife and 2 daughters he arrived a week later (4 guests vs 2). My home was thoroughly cleaned prior to their arrival which can be verified by my check-list and the greeter. Several days later (well past the 24hr notification policy deadline) the wife learned that my "cleaning fees" where very high ($350 fee + $89 room rate was very low...my first hosting and only experience-set per Airbnb and other Hosts advice to discourage short term stays and cover consumption-minimal damages-cleaning etc. Total of all=$105/night for 2bd 2 bath luxury condo in peak season Phoenix AZ... average in my area is twice that amount). The guests consumed over $200 of refreshments I made available to them...unfortunately the wife cannot seem to put the total value into a positive perspective.

The wife claimed my place was filthy and demanded I pay her the entire cleaning fee. I refused. She continued to make demands via texts to me past check-out date. No Ratings or Reviews published. The wife contacted Airbnb making the same demands. I again refused to pay.

We are now 60 days past the check-in date...and I am now contacted by Airbnb Support who basically is 100% accepting her story as truth (vs mine) and suggesting I pay $175 (via deduction from my next reservation) and Airbnb will match amount...i.e. “support” is 100% agreeing with wife of guest…and giving guest the full $350 fee. Does "support" only mean GUEST SUPPORT”?

Accepting a deal would serve as an admission of guilt ("filthy conditions") and the offer of paying the guest the full amount (cost to hire professionals to clean is $125) is both high and would likely encourage this and other guests to do the same in the future.

I am leaning toward "no deal":

Your Thoughts...concerning policies and procedures? 

Your Thoughts ...concerning accept or deny offer?

Your Thoughts...if I deny how much longer and worse (assume I have negative notations on my Airbnb account now) will this get?

Thanks Jeff the Rookie Host 

[Stephan-And-Tia0]

The guest cannot leave you a negative review since the booking was 2 months ago, unless it was a lengthy stay, and they checked out within the last 2 weeks. All reviews must be completed within 14 days after check out. It’s entirely up to you whether you want to return any funds to the guest. I do find the cleaning fee to be high for a 2 bedroom though. I would suggest tweaking your nightly rate vs cleaning fees. We have a 2 bedroom house, and charge $60 for cleaning. Our nightly rate ranges from $130 to $160 depending on time of year, and day of the week (weekends are at a higher rate). $160 is our nightly rate for peak season holidays and long weekends. We also have 2-3 night minimums for holidays. We do find that we have a tendancy to get less savoury guests when we’ve lowered our rates to encourage bookings, so we’ve decided not to budge anymore with our rates. 

A suggestion perhaps? If you pay $125 for professional cleaners, than that’s what I would charge. No more. $200 in refreshments is totally unnecessary as well. We provide all toiletries, paper products dish and laundry detergents, and for kitchen items we have a spice rack, oils, vinegar, condiments, an assortment of tea, coffee pods, a couple bottles of water and a few breakfast items like eggs, loaf of bread, butter and jelly. $5-10 tops! Even that is more than most hosts provide. Hope this helps. 

[Stephan-And-Tia0]

Another thing is that expenses and consumption, even contingencies for repairs and replacements should be drawn from your nightly rate, not the cleaning fee. If you charge slightly more than $125, it should be set aside to pay for extra cleaning fees in case a guest leaves s big mess and your cleaner needs to stay longer. Say maybe an extra $10 tops. If other places are renting for double, please don’t sell yourself short. List your space competitively, but comparably at least. Seems you should be able to set your rate similarly to ours.

[Jeff541]

 Thanks so much ...that is ceratinly my leaning...i.e. lower cleaning fee but raise nightly room rate....the question is lowere my rate to $125 ...or eliminate it entirely...your thoughts?

Aslo amenties will be strictly basic going forward ...few bottles of water...thats it! just like a hotel...My suggestion to you is eliminate the bread/jelly/butter/ and eggs etc....I did that and guest claimed that was part of the "filthy" conditions ("perisable food reamined")...GOOD intentions never go unpunished..be warned!!! big range of humans out there too many with bad intentions unfortuantely 

Thanks Jeff