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

[Rob183]

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!

[Russell49]

A guest shouldn't clean anything unless they made a mess. Rinsing a few items they may have used is good and stripping the bed for us to clean is great. As long as the place isn't left too messy then I am fine.

Guests need to remember, whether they are paying a cleaning fee or not-they are rated on cleanliness.

[Laura2592]

I do wonder what people who complain about paying a cleaning fee think that cleaning services *actually* charge....

Our primary home is 5 bedrooms and about 3100 square feet. It has 3 full baths and a  half bath with a finished basement and attic, steep stairs (2 staircases, its an old house) etc. In my area its over $200 per clean/once every two weeks for just the main levels of the house  (not the basement which is the husband's zone and probably needs  cleaning more than the rest.)  The cleaners don't do the laundry, clean the fridge or the stove, and really only "deep clean" one area each time on a rotating schedule. Everything else just gets dusted/mopped/vacuumed. They do a decent job (2-3 people come each time) but they would not do enough to satisfy the Airbnb protocol. No way.

We got quotes from several companies and individuals for our Airbnb. Our cottage is about 1450 square feet with 2 beds/2 full baths. To do the laundry, deep cleaning, fridge, stove, etc., two to three times a week AND disinfecting ranged from $150 to $250 PER TIME. Luckily we have an arrangement with a neighbor who has a cleaning service and we can pay her a flat weekly fee. As it is, we go after her to do the disinfecting and finish any extra laundry. If there is a big mess we that she can't clean up timely, we take that on as well. Our guests pay a $40 cleaning fee which in no way covers what we pay our cleaners or approaches our time and effort to make sure the space is up to Airbnb standards.

We would charge an "honest" cleaning fee if it weren't for some of the kneejerk responses I see in this thread. Instead we will just keep raising our nightly price and keep our cleaning fees low. For whatever reason, people seem to get less upset about that even if they end up paying the same amount.

[Mary4280]

I understand people are arguing that even with a $200 cleaning fee, guests should clean dishes, tidy up, etc bec of housekeepers washing their sheets... but why can’t there be an even higher cleaning fee and just saying blanket statement “full cleaning”? Or even a supplemental charge for “full clean” if need be? Don’t get me wrong, the $200 cleaning fee already sucks as it is, which we have quite often. But if someone said “and for an extra $50 we can take care of the dishes too” or “for an extra $100 then you can leave the place as is” I’d say yes in a heartbeat.  And I rather pay a little extra $ and not clean, then take the ding on my review score. (I’ve never left an Airbnb a mess bec yes of course I worry about my review score). 

[Debra300]

@Mary4280,

I understand your point, but it sounds like you would like daily housekeeping service, and most ABBs don't offer that.  I'd recommend that a guest inquire with a host about this type of service before booking instead of leaving a mess, and getting reviewed accordingly. 

Most of my listings are located in a tropical climate that is prone to all sorts of critters scouring for food and water, and I cannot support guests leaving cooked food in pots, spilled food/drinks on the counters (benches for Australians), stove and floors, and dishes that stink due sitting in the sink during their entire stay.  

[Sarah977]

@Mary4280  Hosts don't charge a cleaning fee and expect guests to wash their own dishes "because of housekeepers washing their sheets".

There is hours' worth of cleaning to do in a 2 or 3 bedroom house apart from dirty dishes and guests taking their garbage out to the bin, which is pretty much all most hosts expect guests to do. And which requires all of about 15 minutes on the part of the guest. Is that really too much to ask?

If you'd like to be able to walk away without tidying up your personal messes, you should stay in hotels. 

Most hosts present a clean place for guests to move into, but don't offer maid service.

And the cleaning fee charged is often less than what the cleaner is actually paid.

[Mary4280]

We don’t need daily maid service. I just get anxious when I’m trying to meet the checkout time, make sure I am packing everything, and not leaving anything behind. But as I said before, I have never left an Airbnb a mess, and nearly all my reviews comment on my cleanliness. 

whether or not the cleaning fee is justifiable, charging too little, or charging too much - I leave that up to the host. And I’ve never complained to any of my prior hosts. Just was saying it would be nice if we could be offered “tiers” of cleaning fees 🤷🏻‍♀️ 

[Sarah977]

@Mary4280  I get what you're saying and that it would an attractive option for guests. The problem for hosts is that if guests chose a lower cleaning fee, indicating that they would do a thorough clean up before leaving, there is no assurance for the host that they would actually do this. And virtually impossible for the host to charge after discovering the guest left a huge mess.

But if you'd be willing to pay extra to not have to bother with washing your dishes, etc before checking out, there's nothing stopping you from asking the host during your stay if this would be amenable to them. Some might be and they could either send you a money request that you could accept, or just give them cash to cover it. And if you're in a rush to check-out on time, I think many hosts would be okay with you leaving a note like "So sorry for the dirty dishes and not taking the garbage out, was rushing to check out on time", with a $50 bill next to it.

But some hosts, like Debra, need guests to not leave that kind of stuff, as their location is such that dirty dishes or garbage left if the cleaner isn't scheduled to come in right away, can quite quickly attract vermin and insects.

[Debra300]

@Mary4280,

Tag a user ID (enter @ and then names will automatically pop up) to notify persons of posts meant for them.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of guests who would think that extra tier of service means that they don't have to clean up after themselves at all during their whole stay.  I've had guests do all of the things that I mentioned in my first post although I explicitly remind them about the house rule (and general self-responsibility) to clean up behind themselves during their stay.  In my checkout list, I try to clearly state again what should be done.  The items are common sense, and should be common courtesy, but I've learned that people have to be told these things:

- wipe/sweep up spills and dropped food and drinks from the counters, tables and floors.

- dispose of food and beverage items in the garbage bin.

- scrape/rinse off food and pour out liquids, and place dirty dishes in the dishwasher, but don't run it (we'll do that when the apartment is cleaned).

- put towels in the laundry hamper.

- leave the bed linen on the bed.

- flush the toilet.

Also, there are no options for discretionary fees, and it's not easy to to collect payment for added services.  At the time of booking, a guest may not (not you) may think they don't need/want "full service" cleaning, and as you've indicated, time runs out before checkout for them to tidy up.  At that point, the guest may not have the opportunity to inform the host about the state of the space, or make a request for the enhanced cleaning, because they are traveling internationally, and were using wifi to communicate with the host.  It may be a full day or longer before the guest gets home, and by that time the host is aware of the untidiness and is put off by it and the lack of communication from the guest.  As a result, the guest receives a review that reflects what the host encountered after checkout.

[Eleen-Soon-Wan0]

I understand that guests have to keep the place tidy  to reduce some work load and time consumed. But if the host are going to charge a cleaning fee then why they didn't charge for the amount that cover up all service including dish washing and throw the trash?? Some hosts might said that they got to pay extra while the cleaners took extra time to clean the dishes / throw the trash, then it would be their efficiency & Time management problem.  JUST go ahead and  hire someone that is capable! 

Why the host are counting on the guests to pay the cleaning fee for you and we still have to do some cleaning by ourselves?!?!

This is real funny  =. ='' 

[Sarah977]

@Eleen-Soon-Wan0  Washing your dirty dishes isn't "cleaning". It's called being a respectful adult. And many hosts are leaving a day between bookings now in order to be COVID safe- the cleaner shouldn't have the enter a space soon after the guests leave, it's a health risk.

A pile of dirty dishes or garbage left sitting for 24 hours will attract cockroaches and rodents, not to mention stinking the place up.

[Emilia42]

@Sarah977 I always sit in awe when I read the constant stream of posts like this. You don't leave the dirty dishes for the cleaner because you are paying a cleaning fee. . . . You wash your dishes because your mother/father/grandmother/guardian/role model taught you to wash your dishes! 

[Sarah977]

@Emilia42  I had a lodger for a brief period of time who would always leave his dirty pots and pans or some dirty dishes, perfunctorily washing a few. When I told him he needed to wash all the dishes and pots he had dirtied, he explained, giving what he obviously thought was a reasonable excuse, that he just really hated washing dishes.

I told him that there are probably very few people who actually like washing dishes, so it was a moot point and that it would be in his best interest to get over it, as washing one's dirty dishes is a daily chore throughout life for most humans.

He got booted out shortly afterwards.

[Fred13]

@Emilia42 'You wash your dishes because your mother/father/grandmother/guardian/role model taught you to wash your dishes!" No kidding, what an unnatural act not to do so.

  WE charge a $100 cleaning fee, though every single guest leaves the dishes washed and the place nearly spotless; but regardless the Mrs. will clean everything thoroughly anyway. I nowadays look at the extra $100 as a contribution towards the usual 'repairs'. 

[Emilia42]

@Fred13 

Exactly. Wheater a place has a $5 cleaning fee or a $100 cleaning fee, I am going to walk out with it looking exactly the same. It's just the type of person I am. I don't like to live amongst dirty dishes and piles of overflowing trash.  

[Erin4258]

When we started our Airbnb, we did not have guests strip beds. However, when we hired cleaners, they requested guests strip beds, as this is industry standard, but more so because they've had some rather nasty experiences with miscellaneous items found in the bed sheets. 

I do think it's more than reasonable to ask guests to clean their dishes (expected in any hotel) and take out trash, so it doesn't smell for next guest. 

These things take 10 minutes or less to complete - not a big deal. Our cleaning fee is modest and matches what our cleaner charges, plus a little extra for supply upkeep (toiletries, paper products). 

If a guest forgets to do one or two things on checkout, it's forgiveable. But if they just don't care and up and leave, especially after requesting a 3 hour early check-in, nope, not so much. I'm charging them an additional fee.