Posting as a Guest: Why do hosts charge large cleaning fees then want me to do the cleaning before I leave?

[Jo951]

I have been staying in Airbnb's for months now, moving with my work every several weeks. While I love the conveniences of being in a house vs. a hotel room, I am planning to go back to hotels.

Almost every one of the bnb's I have stayed in charge a cleaning fee  of $60 or more per stay (PLUS pet fees for my two small very clean dogs), then give me this long list of things to clean before I leave. Where I am staying now wanted me to strip the bed and wash the linens upon departure in the downstairs bedroom where there is no TV as shown in the listing (said it's upstairs I can move it if I want). I work 10-14 hours per day and do not have time to tend someone's bnb, I am here to work. I am sleeping on the couch where the TV is (so I can fall asleep at night) and so i don't have to do the host's laundry when I leave.   The bedroom also has a WB fireplace but if I use it, I am supposed to clean THAT out, too!  Keep in mind this host charged me $145 a day to stay here PLUS $120 Cleaning Fee for only 5 days.  I should not have to clean ANYTHING.  And I'm not staying in a mansion, it's an old farm house. 

I also take issue with the fact that "Clean this before you leave" lists are not revealed until AFTER I have reserved a place and paid money for a NON-REFUNDABLE STAY.  I think any judge in any court would throw that out the window.  I am coming to a bnb either to relax, visit someone, or get my work done. Not to do yours.

I am planning to go back to staying in hotels after my current reservations because they do not ask me to do their jobs when I leave. 

I am sharing my opinions  (and bewilderment) as a guest.  Will somebody please explain to me why hosts want to take my money for cleaning and then they want me to do all that cleaning, too?  There is no way to email Airbnb and ask them or suggest they require hosts to post Clean this before you leave lists up front before we make a reservation. 

This all strikes me as a very unjust system.  

[Zheng49]

That seems horrible. 

I don't have a list of chores (0 chores) for my guests to do and it's vastly cheaper (about half of what you're paying with $15 cleaning fee only). It's also set up so you can cancel anytime until 24 hours before check-in. 

Bookings like mine exist, but you need to look for it.  Look for flexible cancellation, low cleaning fee etc. Chores I'm not sure, I would hope Airbnb reveals the chores you need to do before a booking is confirmed!

I don't know which part went wrong but guests should absolutely see the chores before they book.

@Quincy 

[Jo951]

Thank you, Zheng 49 and @Quincy. I will be paying more attention in the future, maybe it is where I am booking.

[Jennifer1897 · Accepted solution]

@Jo951 In my Airbnb career I have had entire Units (3 bed 2 bath) and room rentals. I think a lot of people don't realize 1) How much time and effort it actually takes to clean a place and 2) The cost of cleaners if you do utilize that service. 

As hosts we all hope guest leave the accommodations as they found it, and we greatly appreciate a clean and respectful guest, however there is still a lot to be done even after the cleanest of the clean. For me personally, I don't see it as cleaning up after the previous guest(s) so much as I see it as getting ready for the next guest(s). Cleaning an accommodation can take anywhere from 2-3+ hours depending on size. If you're taking on that task independently, there is the overhead cost of supplies. If you are paying a professional cleaner, you are typically looking at 25/30 an hour or more.

Personally, I see having relatively easy tasks such as taking out the trash or loading the dishwasher as acceptable. For my listings I opt not to have guest start laundry because I like to examine the linen for stains that may need to be treated, but I don't see starting a load of wash as that unreasonable or time extensive. 

As for pet, fees, no matter how clean you see your dogs, the reality is they often cause extra cleaning due to shedding, smell, etc. 

At the end of the day, you have the option to decide where you stay, and the cleaning fees are listed upfront. my recommendation would be, if you have questions about what is required at checkout message the host and ask before booking. This way you have a clear idea on what is expected of you, then you can decide if the price is reasonable. 

[Jo951]

Jennifer2897, I think you are right, I need to msg my host before booking for the list of checkout chores, if one exists and then decide.

I do understand what it takes to fully clean a unit, I used to be in the cleaning business. One house i stayed in recently asked that guests put any dirty dishes in the DW and start those and start a load of (all white) towels using bleach upon departure. I could load all that the night before, so it wasn't difficult and I did not mind those chores.  I try to clean as I go as most women probably do, and I always try to leave a place as clean as i can without spending a bunch of time cleaning. I work 6 days a week so I don't have alot of time left for things like that.

Thank you for your input, I am going to do as you suggested.

[Pierre2864]

"we greatly appreciate a clean and respectful guest"
This was the key line for me.
Don't get me wrong I get both sides of the argument.  Pre-pandemic I actually cleaned airbnb's for a short while, so I do appreciate and understand the costs associated with the cleaning fee.  However, I do feel for people who are naturally clean (my wife is an extremely neat freak, so often we would leave a place cleaner than when we found it), we end up paying for those that leave an absolute mess upon departure.  That is where the disconnect starts to come in.  Because you get to a point where you start to calculate, is it just better to get a hotel.  With the exception of 1 repeat host that we have, our airbnb outlook for the future is starting to diminish.  Hosts as well I get it, but everyone is trying to make ends meet in these costly times.

If I may add, I think the list of chores should be included up front for full transparency.  Now guests can compare the list to the cleaning fee to their budget and to the type of stay they are looking for.

[Herb174]

It doesn't matter how long a guest stays in an Airbnb. The cost to clean the place remains the same. However, there are cases where the guests did not treat the property as their own and a deep cleaning is required. The cost that I recoup from guest to clean once checkedout is not even close to the actual cost to clean the place.

Requesting that a guest rinse dishes and load the dishwasher, stripping the beds or collecting the dirty towels, is not too much to ask of anyone.

[Kia272]

@Jo951  I agree with you in principle, but I dislike the fact that you have lumped all hosts together and are blaming us all.   You have a choice when you book, and cleaning fees run the gamut from 0 (no fee) to very high. If you are booking places with high cleaning fees, then you've made that choice. 

Also, as @Jennifer1897 said, dog guests always require extra and more thorough cleaning, whether they are "very clean" or not. You think your dogs are very clean, but the fact is that there's a lot more cleaning involved when dogs stay at a property. 

I don't ask my guests to do anything at check-out, other than to have cleaned up after themselves. That means dishes washed, and things where they were when the guests arrived. I don't want them to strip the beds, do laundry, or take out the trash. That's MY job.

If you have booked a place where you feel the host is asking too much, you can share your opinion in your review, or with private feedback. If you share it in a public review, be factual and professional. Reviews are for the benefit of future guests, and not necessarily to attack a host for ideas about cleaning responsibility that differ from yours. 

My cleaning fee is $30. I didn't use to have one, but I felt guests were taking advantage of that, so I implemented one as a deterrent/reminder that the place does have to be cleaned. My property obviously can't be cleaned for $30, so I've worked the remainder of that into the nightly price. 

The bottom line with nightly costs and cleaning fees is to look at what you are paying in total. High cleaning fee and low nightly rate =X

High nightly rate and low cleaning fee =X

Please keep in mind that the unique thing about AirBnB is the variety of hosts and properties. I believe you should be more open minded about judging all hosts in one way, when the odds are very good that there's a fantastic property out there where you'd be very happy to stay, that has a reasonable cleaning fee and no chores to do on check-out. 

[Marg11]

Hi Altus,

We enjoy having guests from around the world and have few complaints.

Cleaning is preparation for the next guest(s): linen washing, restocking supplies, vacuuming, mopping, surface cleaning, bed making and sanitising as per the Airbnb cleaning 2020 instructions and revised last year. We charge $50 AU. cleaning fee.

We charge $50 a night for 1 or 2 guests and $15 each for up to 2 more to sleep on the sofa bed. Our flat has a separate entrance; a/c; a bedroom; ensuite bathroom; lounge with tv; kitchen with coffee, tea, spreads, milk & bread; wifi; steel mesh flywire security screens;  access to outdoor space and free parking. 

As elderly hosts, we ask guests to open the windows and blinds plus strip their bed(s) so we can start the wash before checkout. Our rules include keeping the a/c on 24 ° C, wash up & put dishes away, keep the shower screen & mirror clean as lime in the water coats glass; sort their rubbish according to our cities rules plus they can also put food scraps into containers for worms or compost.

Stays over a week are asked to clean or have us clean to avoid deep cleaning fees on checkout.

Family, who sometimes stay, have severe allergic reactions so we do not host animals.

However, all this is on our site for guests to read before booking.

Our outgoing expenses include part of our rates, power in excess to solar, water, gas, consumables, cleaning supplies, maintenance, repairs and tax on earnings. Yes, we make a profit but we own the flat and could earn income with a lodger or tenant involving no washing, cleaning or consumables. 

[Debra300]

@Jo951,

The checkout list is posted on the listing description page in the Things to Know section, under House Rules click the Show more link to expand and see more details.  Since you were frequently staying in Airbnbs did you inquire about checkout info before making the reservation to ensure that the place was a good fit for you?

I just checked one of my listings, and this is what's available for potential guests to see:

Our listings are located in tropical and woodsy areas, and vermin and insects are easily attracted to foods and liquids that are left open, in dishes and pans, or spilled.  At checkout, we ask guests to place their washed or rinsed dishes in the dishrack, and to wipe up spills.  This is something that they should have been doing during their stay.

IMO, people misunderstand the purpose of a cleaning fee and the distinction between its purpose and housekeeping.  A cleaning fee is to clean and prepare a space for the guest's arrival (e.g., stock items in the kitchen, bathroom and laundry, ensure that appliances, services and furnishings are functioning properly, etc.).  Housekeeping cleans up after the guest and it is an optional service that some hosts provide during guest stays.  Please note that if a place isn't clean when a guest arrives they can request a refund of the cleaning fee or ask to be relocated.  However, a guest cannot ask for the same considerations if the host doesn't clean up after they checkout.  If that does occur, it's the next guest who can make the compensatory request.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Jo951 As a host I agree with a lot of what you say. We ask guests to take out the rubbish (aka trash) and lock the door. We specifically ask them not to remove bed linen etc. Anything more feels excessive to me irrespective of the size of the cleaning fee (ours just covers linen laundry).

Please do check listings carefully and a) Do not book one with loads of cleaning requirements and b) Ignore any cleaning requests that are only disclosed when you arrive at the listing. If all guests did this then the hosts would have to change their ways.

[Debra300]

@Mike-And-Jane0,

Great recommendations.  For "a)", instead of a subjective term like "loads", I'd suggest that a guest should not book a place that has cleaning tasks that they're uncomfortable with doing.

[Joan2709]

Hi @Jo951 

As pointed out by other responses here, the cleaning fee and the checkout tasks are available for you to view before booking. As mentioned, simply review the listing and note the cleaning fee and check-out tasks listed and message the Host to confirm if you had any questions before booking. If you are not happy with the cleaning fee or the check-out tasks, simply bypass that listing and move on. I agree with you It is not acceptable for the Host to show a TV in a photo in one room then when you arrive it is not there. 

You mention a Non-Refundable stay? You usually get a discount as a guest for choosing that option when booking. Simply don't choose that option if you have concerns and pay the higher price per night that will allow you to be refunded. 

One of the advantages of staying in an Airbnb that is in a home is the privacy, space and amenities that you cannot get at a hotel. You mentioned the home was a farmhouse, so I'm assuming you had much more space than you would have in a typical hotel room. Entire home Airbnbs offer a full kitchen (most hotels rooms only offer a microwave and mini frig). Also, if traveling with pets, it's nice to have a private yard for them. Hotels won't offer that and most also charge a pet fee. However, if you wish to forgo those benefits in favor of a hotel so as to avoid any cleaning tasks you feel are not acceptable, that is of course your choice. Some business travelers feel more comfortable in a hotel setting.

[Veronica1542]

It’s also an insult to stay at a place that’s improperly cleaned. My last stay at an AirBNB was my last due to how dirty it was. I got the cleaning fee refunded but it ruined my trip & I was staying on an island with limited last minute  accommodation options. This guest had a 5 star review but the host is allowed to screen reviews and give renters  a review in return. I couldn’t give an honest review cause I’m sure the host would have disagreed and given me a problematic review so that other hosts wouldn’t allow me to rent from them. It’s a terrible & dishonest reviewing system. 

My overall experience with AirBNB hasn’t been good.