Should Guest be Expected to Clean when Host Charges a Cleaning Fee?

Answered!
Rob183
Level 2
SF, CA

Should Guest be Expected to Clean when Host Charges a Cleaning Fee?

Hi there, 

 

Curious on this one as a guest and a host.   My wife/friendsand I have been on opposite sides of the argument both as hosts and guests.

 

If a host charges a guest a cleaning fee (not small at $200 here in SF), what is the cleaning expectation of guests?

 

Some in our circles have argued guests should do the dishes and leave the place tidy.  Others have argued their paying a sizeable cleaning fee so why should they have to clean.

 

Curious what the community thinks and if there is a clear answer or it depends.

 

Thanks in Advance!

 

1 Best Answer
Skylar14
Level 3
Westminster, CO

As a guest, if the host is going to charge a cleaning fee, the listing - not a folder at the house - should state what the fee covers and what the host expects of the guest so that the guest can decide if it is worth it or not. If they want you to pay a large cleaning fee and aren't up front about their expectations, i feel like they are just being dishonest and trying to use scam tactics to make their place look more desirable. 

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222 Replies 222
David1668
Level 6
Jacksonville, FL

A guest is a guest. He shouldn't be expected to clean. At a real B&B, the owners/staff of course do the cleaning, and there is no cleaning charge.

 

That said, a guest should be considerate and not leave a kitchen full of dirty dishes after cooking a big meal.

 

Frankly, I've had it with hosts who charge a cleaning fee and then complain because the trash wasn't taken out or the bed wasn't stripped or a breakfast dishes were left in the sink.

 

If you're going to be in the hospitality business, be friggin hospitable.

Robin4
Level 10
Mount Barker, Australia

Rebecca786 Mikailah0 Manuel3372  Charly69 @Sarah977 

 

Wow, 42 users gave this post of David's an upvote, some as recently as last month.

 

What on earth is it with some people, you want all the advantages of a fully serviced property without having to pay for it, whatever mess you make, whatever you destroy you should be able to simply pick up your phone and your keys and walk away from! The chaos you create should just be soaked up by the system.

At the rate this world is losing responsible people it won't be worth living on this planet in another decade!

*

Almost all guests are wonderful but, it's the odd few like a few of these on this thread that make us doubt whether it is worth it, the moment you walk into the listing your heart sinks!  There is mud, or something trodden all over the carpet, blood and '?' on the bed linens and pillows, a towel or face washer bleached with acne treatment cream or nail polish remover, a leg broken off that occasional table, 2 broken plates put back into the crockery cupboard towards the back where they might not be noticed, something boiled over in the oven and a stack of dishes just left where they were last used.......And we are supposed to put on a smile and stump up a wonderful review as to what great guests they were!!!! 

Seriously, at times I really wonder why we try so hard, there doesn't seem to be a point in doing something well any more, if you do it will just get abused!

 

The one upside of Davids post is we now have 42 guest profiles to file away in the memory banks!

 

 

Cheers..........Rob

There does need to be a host/guest balance, BUT always remember that everyone involved is rated on cleanliness.

It really does depend on the market you're serving. For my market, I side with @David1668 here. There's no excusing the guest who leaves the place an absolute disaster. But let's be honest, there's plenty of Airbnb hosts out there that are extremely picky (to a fault) and set a list of chores for guests who have already paid a hefty cleaning fee. Some hosts really do need to consider their audience. Some audiences are expecting more hospitality than others and some hosts need to drop the chore lists. 

 

I do, however, side with @Robin4  in that I hope people in general evolve into more respectful guests over the coming decades.

@Karol22  I agree with you to some extent. If a host charges a hefty cleaning fee, and then also asks the guests to strip the beds, start a load of wash, take the garbage out to the dumpster, I can see where guests would resent that.

 

My son-law, who travels a lot on business certainly does. He isn't the kind of guy who would leave dirty dishes, or other personal messes. And he does do what is asked, but says that these cleaning chores are almost never mentioned in the listing ad- if they were, he'd book somewhere else. He only finds these expectations mentioned in a house manual when he arrives.

 

A guest cleaning up a spill right away, so it doesn't turn into some sticky mess glued to the countertop or floor, or vacuuming or sweeping up some other personal mess, is respectful and I feel, expected guest behavior, but as long as they have done that, being asked to vacuum the whole place, or wash the floor is over-the-top.

 

Exactly.....you nailed it !

Well-said!!!

Helen3
Level 10
Bristol, United Kingdom

@David0 there is always a cleaning fee factored into the cost of where you stay. The difference is that with B and B's and hotels they factor it into yoru day rate.

 

The 'cleaning fee' covers towels, linen replacement and cleaning the property ie floors, work surfaces etc. Not washing your dishes, taking out your trash etc.

Yet air bnbs aren't much cheaper than a hotel really, and the cleaning fees can be crazy high.  Like, I hire a cleaning service to come to my home and clean once a month... a fairly deep clean on a multi-bedroom house that involves baseboards, bathroom/kitchen sanitation, etc.  It's around the same as what our last few stays charged us for cleaning fees on 1 bedroom studios.  The amount of money being charged for cleaning fees covers a lot more than changing sheets,  running a mop over a floor and doing some laundry.

Of course, many of the high cleaning fee properties aren't actually doing it as the real cleaning fee... they're offering a lower rental price, and then jacking up the cleaning fee to compensate, so they show up more favorably in searches.

Which is ridiculous when you think about it. In any hotel or real B/B, you are not charges for a the plate of dinner you leave on the table that you got the night before. Your cleaning fee should account for all cleaning needed for your property. I personally believe airbnb hosts are getting increasingly more ridiculous with their expectations, but they will obviously get away with it as more customers flock to airbnb.

Hmmm interesting..

That’s a bit harsh David the only reason we can keep our prices competitive is by doing the cleaning and setting up for new guests ourselves.  Honestly if we charged that time by the hour then our price would sky rocket.   So I feel that it’s a decent thing to do when staying in anybody’s place, paying guest or not, to leave it as it was found.   I don’t  think any host expects a guest to scrub floors or wipe down walls or clean shower etc... but basics such as removing rubbish, putting dishes away and wiping kitchen benches is really only decent adult behaviour. Basic good manners.

wait... hold on for a second... you are aware that guests have to pay a sizable amount of cleaning fee that is good enough to hire a cleaner to clean the unit right? 

 

Yes, I agree that the prices are very cheap, but that's before we factor the mandatory cleaning fee. Once the cleaning fee is factored into it, then the rent is no longer attractive. 

 

I would agree with you only if guests do not have to pay the cleaning fee, so they will have the obligation to do some basic cleaning. However, if the guest has already paid a sizable amount of cleaning fee, then why they have to do the cleaning? Or in other word, what is the cleaning fee for? 

How is it a competitive price when you end up paying a fortune anyways? I am noticing that especially in the US: advertised, low seeming price at first sight and then in the Details you'll get cleaning fees etc. So it's not competitive prices when you lie to yourself by doing work you SHOULD get paid for and its not competitive when you charge your guests and still ask them to clean!!!! 

 

Your 'competitive pricing' means putting hotels and B&Bs out of business

People are getting spoiled with home sharing! If there was no Airbnb, VRBO, etc... people would be paying 2-3 times more in hotel bills and they wouldn't even have very much privacy or a kitchen, laundry and parking right outside their door.