Guests left house very dirty?

[John1080]

I haven't been hosting too long and have hosted 19 groups thus far. I have had all very good results so far, as I am very clear in my listing, my rules in my pre-approval message, my pre-arrival message and pre-check out message. 

However, I have just heard from my cleaning staff that the guests who checked out this morning left the place filthy. It seems nothing is broken or damaged, but they left the place in disaray. The cleaners said there is trash all over the counters and tables, all blankets in the house, including in the clostes (it's been 80 degrees) have been rummaged through and left all over, food debirs and toothpaste splatters all over the floor, dried food everywhere, furniture moved around, just to name a few of the issues! 

I had I wouldn't say a bad feeling, but some sort of feeling about this guest when she booked, as she wasn't very communicative. After she booked, I looked her up, as I do all guests and saw she is an RN and seemed around 60 or so, so I thought she would be fine.  In fact, the only communication I heard from her during the entire process, other than a 'Yes, I agree' to my rules and policies message, was the night before she arrived, she messaged to say there would be two more people coming. My max is 4 but I will consider up to 6 in the right situation for $15 extra per person per night. However, I get up very early for work-4:00, so I was half asleep when she messaged and just said it was okay, really without thinking. The next day, I decided it was too late to then tell her there would be a fee, so thought I would let it go this time-yes, MY FAULT. She is also new to AirBnb btw.

Well now, this is obviously going to take more time than normal to get the place in shape, which will mean more $ I have to pay. I have read over and over on here that AirBnb will not enforce extra charges after the fact for cleaning, only for damage. But, if the guest agrees to it, that is a different thing right? They don't necessarily know AirBnb won't make them pay. 

But, if I ask her to pay extra, she will surely leave a poor review. Of course, who knows, maybe she will leave one anyway.  Do I have any room to maneuver here? Thinking, let her leave her review first, if she does-proabably won't given how poor the communication was, then ask her for the extra money, then leave my review. 

Alternatively, I will see how much in cleaning fees this is going to cost me and take it from there. If it's an extra $50-$100, do I pursue it,  or do I just use this as a learning lesson and follow my gut from now on? 

I also am not sure what to say in the review. Do I keep it simple with a, "This guest would be better suited to a hotel" or do I go into details about the lack of communication and the state of the cabin? 

Thank you! 

[Monica1161]

Hi Everyone, 

I know this thread is a bit old, but hoping to get some insight. I just had my second guest, two young teenagers, who left the place in quite a mess. My first guests were amazing and tidied up after themselves (emptied out the trash themselves, left all blankets folded, didn't leave items behind). I think part of my lesson is to write some "house rules" intro. Would either @John1080  or @Sarah977 @eel comfortable sharing what you write as your house rules or intro message? I'd like to learn so I can set the tone for those guests who don't have the basic common sense I assume they might!

Thanks!

Monica

[Susan1709]

Monica,

Did you happen to get a response from John1080 or Sarah977 regarding how they included cleaning fees into their house rules?  An Airbnb host I spoke to said she doesn't charge a cleaning fee up front, but puts in her house rules that a $100 cleaning fee will be taken out of the deposit if the house is not picked up before checking out.  How do I get Airbnb to take out the $100 if the house is not picked up/cleaned?

Thanks,

Susan

[Willene1]

I like this idea. I do not charge a cleaning fee as I do clean and check everything meddle but this would be incentive to encourage guests to do a tidiness check before leaving. Thanks for this tip! 

[Sarah977]

@Monica1161  I don't have anything in my listing info re expectations around cleaning. I've just been lucky enough to get respectful guests who understand that you don't leave the space you stay in a dirty mess. In fact, almost all my guests have seemed to be neat freaks who kep their space tidy the whole time they stay. Only had one guest in almost 3 years who left a disaster area behind her. She didn't damage anything, though, and the guest bedroom /bathroom is a fairly small space, so it just took maybe 15 minutes more to pick up the garbage, the empty pop and beer cans, the unwanted clothing left behind, etc. I sometimes mention to guests after they check-in, if I have an inkling that they may prove to be slobs, that I don't expect guests to do any heavy cleaning when they leave, just tidy and clean up their own personal messes. I also point out the broom and dustpan behind the bathroom door and the sponge tucked under the sink "in case you need to clean up a spill" (hint hint). I also have an acrylic tray on the bathroom counter that I ask guests to keep their "products" in, as some of their goop, sitting on the bathroom counter, awash in water, leaves ring stains. 

I really couldn't care less if there's toothpaste splatters on the mirror or the counter, I'm going to clean and sterilize the whole area anyway.

@Susan1709 I don't charge a cleaning fee at all for my private room /bathroom. I have a 3 night minimum stay so cleaning doesn't feel onerous. Airbnb won't "take a cleaning fee" out of the deposit- you'd have to send a claim to the guest, which they could decline to pay, then you'd have to deal with Airbnb resolution center if they declined. Generally not worth the time and effort unless the guest really left a horrible pig sty and damages. You just have to figure that it hopefully balances out between the guests who leave a mess behind and those who leave it clean and tidy. I've had guests leave after a week-long stay and it barely looked like anyone had been in there since I cleaned. The one that I certainly didn't expect that from was a single guy in his late 20's-he even made the bed perfectly.

But stating in your listing that $100 could be taken out if the security deposit if the guest fails to clean up reasonably after themselves can definitely make them more attentive. That is, if they've even bothered to read the listing description and house rules 🙂 I'd also post what is expected in terms of clean-up before check-out, in the guest quarters.

[Kaylee18 · Accepted solution]

@John1080  I'd leave an honest review so other hosts can see it. As for the filthy mess, I've learned about 2% of my guests will not clean up after themselves and leave a mess. Unfortunately it's the cost of doing buisness. However I appreciate the 98% of people who leave it spotless! 😄

[Susana410]

Great advise since I just went through this experience with my recent guests! I was not aware that Airbnb does not cover extra cleaning. They were staying for a week,a  young couple with children, we offered a courtesy cleaning at midweek and raised our doubts on how it was going to play out. They left my kitchen sink clogged with dirty dishes, food floating on the water, including four slices of bacon, tortillas, cooked vegetables and trash, including a piece of a broken glass.  We found food hidden in different cabinets including two eggs with the toilet paper rolls. Grease stains on the couch. Spills in each room and in the closet , the oven with burnt food and a pan that is impossible to clean, in fact I think they left me one of theirs and took mine new one. It took my cleaning crew over 6 hours to get it back to normal, not to mention the smell! So I dont know how to claim this, how do I contact Airbnb resolution center?

Thanks, its good to know I am not alone!

Susana