How do hosts charge cleaning fees?

[jaquo]

@Linda_White

I have been a host with airbnb for a few years and charge a one time cleaning fee of $25.00 but have only hosted for 3 or 4 days. Now I’m venturing into renting aout another location that potentially will rent for long term–a month or more. How can I charge a higher cleaning fee. The website makes it sound like a one-time fee. If renting out for 1 month, I would want the cleaning fee PER WEEK. Please advise how I might change that.

I don’t host for more than 21 days and if guests are staying for more than a week, I tell them that I will clean the apartment weekly and change the bedlinens/towels on a weekly basis for an additional fee.

This is paid in cash or added via the ‘change’ system.

[Jill_Gomes]

Haha it’s an apple tart

[Ramon_Mendoza]

Hi all,

I just started hosting. I rent the entire apartment (1,140 sq ft) so this doesn’t apply to people renting rooms. I employ a maid to do the cleaning. Here are my 5 cents:

• Specify in the house rules that every 7 days the maid will come to perform cleaning, that includes linen and towels. This is to set the correct expectation.
• Let them know that cleaning can be done as often as they want… for an extra fee.

Listing the Cleaning fee or including it in the Rate has both benefits and issues:

1. Cleaning Fee Pros: You can accept 1 night stays and not lose money.
2. Cleaning Fee Cons: Everybody hates extra charges, is just human nature.
   3 ) Including it in the Rate Pros: Everybody loves all inclusive price.
3. Including it in the Rate Cons: It doesn’t make sense for 1 or 2 night stays. You can draw the line and only accept reservations above x number of nights; you’ll have to do the math to how many nights work out for you given your preparation costs.

I think I’ll go with a separate cleaning fee because I prefer to allow 1 night stays; there will be somebody willing to pay the extra charge for an emergency or last minute booking.

[Buddy]

Well I just answered my own question. I googled it. I was told they just started to implement this. Confusing, but i am new. Gota lighten up!

[justMandi]

I am a relatively new host who specializes in longer term bookings; 2 weeks to 4 months; private rooms.

I have absolutely no idea how any Host can do a changeout in 30-45 minutes. Including laundry (hot wash; dryer at least 30 minutes) a room changeout takes me about 2.5 hours.

Mind you, we use the protocols set by the best cleaning service in our city. A bleach bottle is my best friend. I have a co-host who works in tandem with me and is also an extra set of eyes. The in-room appliances (fridge, microwave, coffee pot, etc) are sterilized, windows and curtains are cleaned; state of the art industrial bug killers are used. The bathroom is similarly ravaged.

The big work is the down filled duvets. Everything has to be hot washed and then into the dryer. No bedbug stands a chance.

My piece de resistance is heat treating the room for pests semi annually (including bed bugs).

And yes, I offer to change bedding every other week.

I also clean cook and garden an average of 15-20 hours a week, and can rack up 2 extra miles a day on my Garmin Vivovit just laying siege to smears.

Yeah, I get a lot of doctors and HCP’s.

This post has been a big help. By posting truthful cleaning fees, people have a realistic impression of what’s involved, and our standards. The difference is about $40.

Amortized over a month, most guests won’t even feel it. But they will be able to enjoy a very clean place.

[Kimberleigh]

Same here. I think of the cleaning fee as the discount for multiple night stays. You stay longer, I have less work to do. Makes sense to me. This way, even if people stay two nights, they get a discount. As a guest, I prefer this type of pricing as well.

[jrjan1]

I am late to this discussion, again. I am a newbie and am reading as much as I can to learn how do things the right way. I originally was going to allow pets. My very first guest brought a pet who peed on the floor! I don’t charge cleaning fees and am now mad.

So I originally changed my listing to no pets, but am afraid then I won’t get any guests. That’s one of the reasons why Airbnb is worthwhile because a lot of hotels don’t allow pets. So now, I changed it again to read that you must get preapproval for any pets - I am on instant book. If this is not possible, please let me know.

And now I want to charge a $50 refundable security deposit and a $25 cleaning fee if someone brings a pet. Yesterday, I had the bright idea to just have people pay that upon check in. They hand me the $50 and I just hand it back when they leave, but I read on Airbnb that you can’t do that - all fees have to go through them, but I don’t see anywhere for me to simply check a box or something for these things.

It is very confusing as to how to get these fees added on, only in certain instances. Will I have to be calling Airbnb all the time? What is the easiest way to do this?

(She also said she would leave me a 5 star review - and she hasn’t done that either… )

[KKC]

@jrjan1

My very first guest brought a pet who peed on the floor!

Even if you don’t have a cleaning fee you can charge for damages. I allow pets and charge $12. One woman’s dog had an accident, a diarrhea episode in one spot on the carpet. She paid an additional $55 for professional cleaning. We did it direct through Venmo but I could have used the Airbnb resolution center.