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Post by myshelly on Sept 4, 2018 18:26:28 GMT
If you rent a house for vacation (such as a beach house or lake house), what do you think is reasonable to have to do in terms of cleaning upon checkout?
Does it depend on whether/how much the owners charge a cleaning fee?
Some friends and I rented a beach house last week. Included in our rental fee was a $200 cleaning fee, which we paid without complaint upon making our reservation. When we arrived at the house, however, there was a very long list of chores to do at checkout. We didn’t do them. We were of the opinion that you can tell us to clean OR you can charge us a $200 cleaning fee, but we are not going to clean the house for you AND also pay the $200 fee.
I think it’s reasnable to say make sure the trash is taken out and that you empty the fridge and freezer of everything you brought with you. Maybe strip the beds. Beyond that I’m not doing it on vacation.
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muggins
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Post by muggins on Sept 4, 2018 18:31:37 GMT
I agree with you. I always leave rentals and air bnbs tidy, but I wouldn’t actually clean anything.
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Post by busy on Sept 4, 2018 18:31:55 GMT
A few things is fine - we have stayed at places that ask to put sheets in the washer because they have to turn the house around for the next arrival later that day and there literally aren't enough hours for them between check out and check in for the cycles to run if they're not started until the cleaners get there. I don't care about that. Garbage, any dirty dishes washed, sure, but that's about it.
I'm not going to properly clean. The last vacation rental we stayed at had a $375 cleaning fee and we didn't have to do anything - even take out the garbage. In prior years at the same resort, cleaning fees were less, more like $250ish, but there were nominal chores - like the laundry I mentioned above - that the owners asked renters to complete.
I wouldn't do a long list of chores either. I wouldn't leave the place a mess, but I'm not paying for the rental and cleaning fees to be scrubbing sinks or floors.
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Post by buddysmom on Sept 4, 2018 18:33:31 GMT
I think that on some of them it's just a way of making more $$.
I have seen Airbnbs that would look reasonable on a per-night basis but when you click through there is a giant "cleaning fee."
(Maybe to cut Airbnb out of part of the money??)
Sort of like Ebay with a giant shipping fee.
And yes, I agree that there should not be a list of things to do at checkout for that amount of money.
I only stayed at an Airbnb once (good experience) and there was either no cleaning fee or minimal. I asked the host what she wanted me to do when I left and she said nothing.
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Post by Darcy Collins on Sept 4, 2018 18:35:00 GMT
We rent quite a bit. Pretty much everyone expects you to empty the fridge/cupboards of any food you brought with you and empty the trash. This certainly makes sense, particularly for rentals that have a bit of time between guests as they don't have to worry about stinky trash. We find stripping the beds to be about 50/50. I've rarely seen any other requests.
ETA - I forgot load/run dishwasher for dishes you've used- that's pretty typical too.
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Post by compeateropeator on Sept 4, 2018 18:36:14 GMT
It depends on the terms that are agreed on. We rented a very large family camp for many years where the terms were you left it how you found it. Some years we cleaned and some years we contacted the lady that cleans for the family and paid her to come and do it. We always took our trash and emptied any of our items from the fridge and left thing respectable. But vacuuming, floor washing, bathrooms, etc were what we paid for.
I agree with you that I would not do both. Maybe the list was for family or people not renting and paying the cleaning fee? I am always willing to pay and not clean, I like to leave when I am ready and not prolong things by having to make sure everything is done.
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Post by busy on Sept 4, 2018 18:36:44 GMT
I think that on some of them it's just a way of making more $$. I have seen Airbnbs that would look reasonable on a per-night basis but when you click through there is a giant "cleaning fee." (Maybe to cut Airbnb out of part of the money??) Sort of like Ebay with a giant shipping fee. And yes, I agree that there should not be a list of things to do at checkout for that amount of money. I only stayed at an Airbnb once (good experience) and there was either no cleaning fee or minimal. I asked the host what she wanted me to do when I left and she said nothing. Most places I've rented vacation rentals, it's not a revenue stream. The owners aren't present and they are paying a service to come in and clean the house between one guest group leaving and the next arriving. Those services aren't cheap. We shared a large (4500 sf) house with our family the last time we rented and I'm sure every penny of that $375 went to the cleaning service. A team of five cleaners arrived as we were leaving, and the next renters would be checking in about 4 hours later. |
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Post by Zee on Sept 4, 2018 18:37:09 GMT
For $200 I would pick up and empty the trash and put the towels in a pile in the bathroom and that is it. if there is a dishwasher, I might load and run it. I'm not about to clean the place and then pay someone $200 to do it again. Pay ME $200 and I'll leave it spotless. That's annoying.
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Post by MichyM on Sept 4, 2018 18:40:05 GMT
I have no probalem starting the dishwasher or the clothes washer, taking out the trash/recycle/compost, cleaning out the fridge, and/or cleaning up any out of the ordinary messes. Total time, maybe 15 minutes. I would not be happy having to sweep, vacuum, clean mirrors, windows, dust, or anything along those lines after paying a cleaning fee.
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peaname
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Post by peaname on Sept 4, 2018 18:46:33 GMT
The airbnb we stayed at in PA had instructions for us to: remove any sheets and towels we'd used and place in a laundry basket in the mudroom. Wash any dishes. Gather any trash and place the bag in the mudroom. The cleaning fee was $30. I think that's reasonable.
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Post by Basket1lady on Sept 4, 2018 18:47:06 GMT
I'll run a load of laundry, take out the trash, and tidy up anything I've brought out (like books, DVDs, games). I don't sweep, vacuum, or wipe up toilets or floors. That's what the cleaning fee is there for. But all that is usually included in the listing. I'd go by what the listing says, as that's the contract that you "signed".
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Post by buddysmom on Sept 4, 2018 18:47:14 GMT
I think that on some of them it's just a way of making more $$. I have seen Airbnbs that would look reasonable on a per-night basis but when you click through there is a giant "cleaning fee." (Maybe to cut Airbnb out of part of the money??) Sort of like Ebay with a giant shipping fee. And yes, I agree that there should not be a list of things to do at checkout for that amount of money. I only stayed at an Airbnb once (good experience) and there was either no cleaning fee or minimal. I asked the host what she wanted me to do when I left and she said nothing. Most places I've rented vacation rentals, it's not a revenue stream. The owners aren't present and they are paying a service to come in and clean the house between one guest group leaving and the next arriving. Those services aren't cheap. We shared a large (4500 sf) house with our family the last time we rented and I'm sure every penny of that $375 went to the cleaning service. A team of five cleaners arrived as we were leaving, and the next renters would be checking in about 4 hours later. Sure I understand that; but I have seen 700 square feet one bedroom condos that for two nights they want an additional $200 for cleaning. Not high end. Maybe $125 per night and then almost double after the cleaning fee. |
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Post by busy on Sept 4, 2018 18:48:26 GMT
Most places I've rented vacation rentals, it's not a revenue stream. The owners aren't present and they are paying a service to come in and clean the house between one guest group leaving and the next arriving. Those services aren't cheap. We shared a large (4500 sf) house with our family the last time we rented and I'm sure every penny of that $375 went to the cleaning service. A team of five cleaners arrived as we were leaving, and the next renters would be checking in about 4 hours later. Sure I understand that; but I have seen 700 square feet one bedroom condos that for two nights they want an additional $200 for cleaning. Not high end. Maybe $125 per night and then almost double after the cleaning fee. Oh, that seems crazy. |
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Post by myshelly on Sept 4, 2018 18:50:07 GMT
I'll run a load of laundry, take out the trash, and tidy up anything I've brought out (like books, DVDs, games). I don't sweep, vacuum, or wipe up toilets or floors. That's what the cleaning fee is there for. But all that is usually included in the listing. I'd go by what the listing says, as that's the contract that you "signed". The only thing included in the listing was the $200 cleaning fee. It was not until after we arrived that we saw this list of chores. We had assumed that since we paid such a large cleaning fee someone would be coming in to clean the house after we left. |
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peabrain
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Post by peabrain on Sept 4, 2018 18:51:18 GMT
so what was on the list? Just curious?
And did the owners say anything?
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Post by myshelly on Sept 4, 2018 18:53:50 GMT
so what was on the list? Just curious? And did the owners say anything? Sweep all the floors, vacuum, wipe/disinfect kitchen counters and bathroom, clean microwave, strip beds, gather towels, take out trash, run and unload the dishwasher, sweep the deck, I don’t even remember what else. We only took out the trash and gathered the towels. The owner left us a positive review and didn’t say anything about the things on the list we didn’t do. We mentioned the list in our review saying that we didn’t think the chore list was reasonable in light of the cleaning fee the owner charges. |
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Post by gotranch on Sept 4, 2018 18:56:08 GMT
I am curious as to what kind of things were on the list.
We have rented several times. The typical things have already been listed above, along with starting the dishwasher. However, in the last house they wanted all dishes washed and put away - no dishes left in the dishwasher. They wanted beds stripped, but bedding left in the rooms. They did not request any laundry started. I find it annoying to go to each bedroom, bathroom, and extra room to collect the garbage. I can understand emptying the kitchen garbage, diapers, excessive boxes etc.
Once we had to call the rental company upon arrival because there was mud and dirt on the floors among other things that were not clean. We suspect that someone unauthorized had been in the house between the time it was cleaned and we arrived. Also the dumpsters where we were supposed to put garbage was overflowing before we used them.
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Post by compeateropeator on Sept 4, 2018 19:00:05 GMT
I'll run a load of laundry, take out the trash, and tidy up anything I've brought out (like books, DVDs, games). I don't sweep, vacuum, or wipe up toilets or floors. That's what the cleaning fee is there for. But all that is usually included in the listing. I'd go by what the listing says, as that's the contract that you "signed". The only thing included in the listing was the $200 cleaning fee. It was not until after we arrived that we saw this list of chores. We had assumed that since we paid such a large cleaning fee someone would be coming in to clean the house after we left. I also think that if I had an extra line item that specifically said cleaning fee I would assume I didn’t have to do heavy duty cleaning. |
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Deleted
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Aug 18, 2025 21:22:14 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2018 19:06:15 GMT
Only thing we have to do in the rentals we use annually is empty the trash, refrigerator and cabinets, and run the dishwasher. That's it. To me, that's fine but I am not doing anything else.
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IAmUnoriginal
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Post by IAmUnoriginal on Sept 4, 2018 19:11:01 GMT
If I pay a cleaning fee, I do not play maid. I paid $200 to have a housekeeper come behind me and do the things on that chore list. The most I'm doing is hauling out the trash including perishable food, loading the dishwasher, and making sure all the used towels are in the bathroom(s). That's it. I've paid for the cleaning, not for you to pocket an extra $200 because it's clean enough to skip scheduling the cleaning service. Nope. Not happening. Want me to be chore bitch? Refund my $200.
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Post by 950nancy on Sept 4, 2018 19:13:05 GMT
Maybe that list was for the people who come in and clean. That is not reasonable.
We stayed at some cabins a few weeks ago and the bathrooms weren't cleaned and trash wasn't taken out. Due to the bears and other wildlife, trash had to stay inside. I called to let them know that we didn't have clean towels and the trash was still in the cabin. No response. I dug around and found some shampoo and soap. I also did a load of towels. When I got home, the AirB&B lady called and was mortified. Their cleaning service only did half of the place (fresh linens on the bed). She refunded our $700 the next day. I figured that was the most expensive load of laundry ever done.
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Post by mcscrapper on Sept 4, 2018 19:22:02 GMT
If I am paying a $200 cleaning fee, I'm not doing more than taking out the trash and starting a load of sheets and clean out the fridge. I might pull the sheets off the other bed(s) that were used and put the stuff in a pile but I'm not cleaning the rest of the place.
I'm also not going to trash the place.
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tracylynn
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Post by tracylynn on Sept 4, 2018 19:28:44 GMT
If I'm paying a cleaning fee I would START the dishwasher (I wouldn't wait for it to be done and unload, I would strip the beds and MAYBE start a load of laundry (I wouldn't wait to start another) and I would empty the fridge and cupboards of all my stuff.
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MizIndependent
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Quit your bullpoop.
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Post by MizIndependent on Sept 4, 2018 19:35:19 GMT
The vacation rental I manage charges $300 for cleaning, and there is a list of chores to do before you leave...things like: Put all garbage in outside bins Strip beds slept in and put sheets in laundry room All used towels in laundry room Clean dishes, load dishwashers and start Remove food from fridge (that you brought in). It should be noted that the house I manage has 5 master suites, so, it's a lot of house and for the area, $300 is a bargain even WITH doing the chores at check-out.
ETA: One thing to consider is the cleaning fee is for sanitation + cleaning. It's not a fee for vacuuming and wiping down counters. I totally get why people don't want to have to do any cleaning when paying that kind of money for maid service but, you also wouldn't want to catch some communicable disease from the previous guest either...like flesh-eating staph, norovirus, or even E. coli to name a few.  |
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GiantsFan
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Post by GiantsFan on Sept 4, 2018 19:35:25 GMT
I agree that if I'm paying $200 for a cleaning fee I shouldn't be expected to do much more than remove my food stuffs, strip the bed, start the dishwasher, take out trash.
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Post by mustlovecats on Sept 4, 2018 19:35:45 GMT
Oh hell no.
$200 cleaning fee on top of the rental... grudging, GRUDGING and only because it’s standard practice.
$200 fee + a bunch of cleanup... naw.
One place did ask us to run the vacuum daily because of sand and run the dishwasher so that it was ready for the maid, and I was happy to do that.
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MizIndependent
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Quit your bullpoop.
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Jun 25, 2014 19:43:16 GMT
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Post by MizIndependent on Sept 4, 2018 19:50:59 GMT
BTW, if you wanna save some money on that vacation rental DO NOT book through VRBO.
I suggest VRConnection.com. |
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Post by Merge on Sept 4, 2018 20:10:21 GMT
BTW, if you wanna save some money on that vacation rental DO NOT book through VRBO.
I suggest VRConnection.com. Or google the name/location of the house and see if they have a website or FB page where you can book directly through the owners. We are happy to do this to save our guests the fees. To the OP, that’s crazy. Our cleaning fee is reasonable - we eat a portion of what the service actually charges - and we ask the usual things: take out the trash, run the dishwasher, clean out the fridge. I also ask that people hang up their wet towels to avoid marring the floors, which are original to the 1849 house. There are hooks in every upstairs room for this purpose. I will add that if you absolutely trash the place, and cleaning ends up costing me more than usual, I may pass that cost on to you by keeping part of your deposit. But it would have to be exceptionally bad for that to happen. My friend who owns a rental in the same town once had the cleaners come in to find that the guest’s child had smeared his poop all over the bathroom and the secondary bedroom (at least, they hope it was the kid). They’d made no attempt to clean it up. They didn’t get all their deposit back. |
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MizIndependent
Drama Llama
Quit your bullpoop.
Posts: 5,927
Jun 25, 2014 19:43:16 GMT
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Post by MizIndependent on Sept 4, 2018 20:19:32 GMT
My friend who owns a rental in the same town once had the cleaners come in to find that the guest’s child had smeared his poop all over the bathroom and the secondary bedroom (at least, they hope it was the kid). They’d made no attempt to clean it up. They didn’t get all their deposit back. I'd be willing to bet that guest also asked for special deals/discounts too because the house was probably at the top end of the budget range.
Just...wow. |
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Post by Tammiem2pnc1 on Sept 4, 2018 20:23:09 GMT
We rent out a small little condo at the beach every year. There is a small cleaning fee. But we do clean up any dishes, empty the trash and the fridge/freezer. I will rinse out the tub because of the sand that tends to accumulate and also run the vacuum real quick. It's a tiny condo, so it doesn't take but 15 minutes to do the clean up.
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