"Cleaning Fees" listed separately, deceptive AirBnB

[Nu0]

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?

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

@Nu0 -  I used to have my cleaning fee in the every night price.  At the beginning it was okay, single night stays, cleaning every day, it made sense.  Then I started getting guests staying for the weekend.  So here they were, paying the same price for every night, but I was only cleaning once.   That didn't seem fair to guests who stayed more than one night and you can't offer a discount for 3 day stays.  So I added a cleaning fee and reduced the price.  This way a guest who stays for several days gets a cheaper price because I didn't have to wash sheets, mop floors, scrub toilets, or clean sinks every day.  Hotels add it in because they clean every day.  Staff has to come in every day.  In my home, we only clean between guests.  It's not "sneaky" or a "hidden" fee, it's right on every listing clear as day, and it provides a longer-stay guest with the correct price for the amount of cleaning they are getting.  And basically, hosts with super high cleaning costs like the example you gave, are basically telling you they don't want single night stays - only multiple nights.  

[Andrea9]

@Nu0, hi,

I can understand your frustration. In the beginning I calculated a certain amount to cover cleaning and preparation costs into my nightly price as did @Alice-and-Jeff0. Single nights don't even cover all the work and usage! Why? Because Airbnb doesn't offer hosts an extra setting to state a higher one night price.

And the price including cleaning is unfair to guests staying more than my minimum of 2 nights.

So my cleaning fee is in fact more of a basic fee and evens out the nightly costs between the different booking lengths.

The Airbnb pricing settings are not perfect or variable enough, so as long as we hosts aren't offered more tools than pliers and a hammer in our pricing toolbox, we'll have to creatively use what we have to get our expenses covered while not charging some guests too much. This theme has been raised time and again by hosts to Airbnb but without any follow up.

[Zack14]

I dont understand why everyone is hating on @Nu0.  He is not arguing against cleaning fees.  He is saying make it easier to see what the fee is.  I would rather book a 100 dollar place with a 20 dollar cleaning fee than a 100 dollar place with a 99 dollar cleaning fee, and I think you should be able to compare them without checking each post.  SAD!!

[Ayana5]

Exactly, some of the hosts on here are getting extremely defensive to valid concerns. Cleaning fees should be reasonable, it's one thing if the guest has an entire house to themselves but a room with limitations (can't use the other areas of the house) still get an overly high cleaning fee as well (nearly quadruple the price per night)?? No thank you. I agree with the cleaning fee but make it reasonable. Sheesh!

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Nu0 , @Zack14

Ah... just SET THE DAYS + THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE in your group before you hit the search button AND YOU WILL SEE THE EXACT NIGHTLY PRICE including cleaning fee of all the listings offered bellow and on the map! You will not have to open each listing . 

For example if you search for 2 nights stay and someone has 50€ nightly price + 20€ cleaning fee = 120 : 2 = 60 € / night . On the map and under every listing offered will be the price of 60 € .

But then Airbnb will add his service fee ( commision ) for using their services. 

But if you search without setting days than the BASE PRICE will be displayed. Base price vary depending of the season, weekends, number of guests in a group so it can be very different from what you will pay.

[Zack14]

I've done that. I set all parameters and for example a place that says 181/night comes out to 439 for two nights

[Jess21]

@Zack14 If they are both $100, why do you care how it's broken down? Also you aren't charged the Airbnb service fee on the cleaning fee so, in fact, lower nightly rate + higher cleaning fee = better overall cost for you. 

[Rebecca638]

@Jess0, service fees are, in fact, charged on a cleaning fee. 

• Because the cleaning fee is included in the total guest payment and host payout, service fees apply.

https://www.airbnb.com.au/help/article/58/how-do-i-add-a-cleaning-fee-to-my-listing

[Zack14]

Just put the total cost on the listing thumbnail.  The whole shebang.  That's what I want.

[Lyndsey2]

Are you talking about the additional ABB taxes and fees? Because that's a whole different story than the cleaning fees. Cleaning fees are added to the displayed nightly price when you search with specific dates and number of guests. The Airbnb fees and state taxes are added at the end, however. 

[Zack14]

Yep

[Emma94]

@Nu0 you can always book at a hotel. Nobody forces you to book with ABB. 

[Ann600]

When you rent a place, isn't it supposed to be clean? Just add it to your nightly price is all that's needed. We are well aware that we can stay where we please. Thanks for the insight.