$300 cleaning fee for 2 night stay

Booked a Airbnb in Toronto for 2 nights and the cleaning fee is $300! 2 nights for 5 people is $1750.
When i message the host she replied, it is a 2200 sq foot place lol, it doesn’t change no matter how long you stay. I should have been more careful when booking and noticed the exorbitant cleaning fee. I don’t charge a cleaning fee at our airbnb, but understand why others do though. Do you not think $300 bucks is a bit steep

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No, I don’t.

We charge $150 in winters; it costs us, typically, $240- $250. Our place is 1,300 sf. Your place is a lot more square footage.

It’s time consuming to make a place pristine, and all the maintenance: it costs.

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Guest incur maintenance fees? Isn’t maintenance on the host?

It would take me all day to thoroughly clean a 2200 sq.ft. place, and wash bedding and towels for 5 people, so no, I don’t think it’s exhorbitant.

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Yes, maintenance is on the Host, as is the cleaning.

I’m just saying that the costs to clean and maintain an Airbnb at I high level is expensive. It’s all on the host.

I pay close to $300 ($250) in cleaning for a much smaller home.

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On what basis do you think ‘$300 is a bit steep’.

Have you done a comparison with similar properties in the area to see what they are charging for cleaning costs for similar properties in that location.

You are correct it’s up to you as the guest to make sure you are happy with the total cost before you book. Not book and then complain afterwards because you didn’t notice the cost and have decided that the cost is steep. @Thunderlake

As an experienced host yourself you will know that the host you booked with is correct - the cleaning fee doesn’t change just because you are having a shorter stay.

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I wanted an opinion, not a scolding. I get that you think the price is fair. Thanks for the input.

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If you are talking to me @Thunderlake I gave you my opinion.

How do we know if $300 is steep for cleaning fees for that size of apartment in that location is fair when we don’t have anything to compare it to. That’s why I asked you what you were comparing it to, to think that $300 was steep for cleaning a substantial property and linen costs.

I have no idea if the price is fair. And nor does anyone else here.

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My apartments are both one-bedroom. One is under 500 square feet, the other just over 600. Our cleaning fee is $200 and the rentals are both full year-round. So I don’t think that $300 for over 2000 square feet is in the least bit exorbitant.

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@Thunderlake As a host yourself, I’m sure you realize that cleaning fees are more expensive for short bookings as they are a one time fee. And you can’t retain good cleaners if they can’t depend on a regular salary. If you booked 10 days, the fee would amount to $6 each per day for 5 people.

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I have a whole house rental (1778 SQ) and I charge $158 cleaning fee but I do have a five night min.

Yes, you should have. And you should have realized that the cleaning fee for the place was not a negotiation point, or a fee that is ‘exorbitant’ without knowing the situation at the airbnb. And finally, most of the hosts here are committed to paying fair wages. In my area, a cleaner gets an hourly wage, and we support that, even tho it would be better for us to pay ‘less’.

And one more thing - the cost of your stay is based on many things, and was presented to you before you agreed. Costs are not broken out and are not ‘line items’ for you to evaluate. We all hope that your review will not be based on your decision that the host is charging you the ‘wrong’ pricing’. We DO hope that you mention the cost as a factor in your review, so that it can be removed - revenge reviews are now removable…

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As I previously stayed I do not need a lecture. I rarely if ever leave negative feedback. If I have an issue it is in the form of a private message. Why when I asked a question about cleaning fees is it now about me leaving a review. I have concluded that the common thoughts are that $300 is a fair price. Time and time again I have come to site for opinions and I get lectures and more. I’m out

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I will be in Greece in June and staying at one of our houses on Lemnos.
The prep cost to ensure it is ready is 250 euros. In reality it is about 50 euros…. 2 years of the pandemic has destroyed the local economy. This is not a tourist island. We are happy to pay this on the way out as well, as it is about the only way we can help.
In my listing, I am half of the turnover team. My cleaning fee is enough to pay my offsider as I have no mortgages and running at 90% booked and most of the bookings are direct.
Don’t you think that no cleaning fee means the cost has been rolled into the nightly price and you pay it anyway……?

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That’s what I never understand when guests complain that hotels don’t charge a cleaning fee. Do they really think the hotel owner pays the cleaners out of his own pocket? Of course guests are paying for cleaning, as well as security staff, front desk staff, those little bottles of shampoo and conditioner, laundry, the “complimentary” coffee, and everything else.

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Yes I do think it’s steep. Air needs to do even more to promote hosts who incorporate cleaning expenses into their nightly rate, so that the “cleaning fee” increases with the number of nights booked.

You might be able to cancel the reservation without penalty if you contact Air and say you just didn’t realize how big the fee was. I don’t know if they’ll do it or if you even want to do that, I’m just suggesting it’s something I would do in your situation.

So hosts as guests don’t read either?:smile:

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But whether guests stay for 2 nights or 10, the place still needs to be cleaned, and the cleaner has to depend on getting paid the same amount each time they come. Shorter bookings do not necessarily require less cleaning time- some guests can make a bigger mess in one day than others make in a week.

It’s easier to bake the cleaning into the nightly rate if the host does their own cleaning (it make take far less time to clean up after some guests than others, so it averages out) and if they tend to get similar length bookings. But if a host has to pay a cleaner and might have bookings ranging anywhere from 1night to 2 weeks, I don’t see how it works to add it to the nightly rate.

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I think if they didn’t realize it because they were trying to do something that afternoon besides book an AirBnB, they might try to get the reservation canceled if they should want to do that.

It’s a lot of work to book an AirBnB if you want to avoid disappointment. A lot of that work is studying reviews, the house rules, and messaging the host if you’re not sure about something.

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In some cases maintenance is fixing or replacing something a guest broke. I just finished replacing the blinds for two windows and replaced three mugs.

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