Cleanning Fee - cause messy guests or not?

Research
1

Hi, I am a new host and currently not charging cleanning fee.
As part of my house rules , I put a request to leave the house clean as they got it.
I was debating if adding a cleaning fee can cause guests to be messy, as they can interperate cleanning fee as - I paid you for cleaning so I don’t need to clean after me.

I must admit that my current guests leave the house very clean.

I was wondering based on other host experience if they notice any change on guests behaviour when they added or remove cleanning fee.

2

I have not found any correlation. I charge a cleaning fee and never had had a problem with guests trashing the place. Most leave it very clean. I get it professionally cleaned between every guest so I need to pay for this regardless of how clean the previous guest left it.

I would not want to stay in a place with that as the house rules? are you expecting the guests to scrub the tub and toilet?

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3

No I didn’t. I used to have a small fee but removed it and raised my price slightly. The main use of a cleaning fee is to make a one night stay relatively more expensive than a multi-night stay. Also I see listings that say “No cleaning fee!” as if it’s some kind of bonus. Maybe people are attracted to that and don’t really consider the overall price.

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4

Remember the guests are rated for cleanliness. It is in their best interest to not leave a mess. As mentioned, the cleaning fee becomes very insignificant the more days that are booked. It basically is there to cover short term stays and turn overs.

I really don’t think people think you’r cleaning fee is anything more than that.

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5

Thanks Brandt,
My house cleaning rules is the basic as most hosts put - I am not expecting my guests to clean like a cleanning company but do the basic cleanning before you leave your own house ( put all trash on desire bins, put towels on the laundry bag …). I heard so many feedbacks of messy guests and wonder if someone actually did a research on that or not.

Thanks,
Liat

6

I do have a cleaning fee and almost every guest leaves the apartments in fabulous condition. I don’t mention anything about cleaning in the house rules. (I only have very basic ‘no smoking, no parties’ rules). The only thing I do is make sure that there are adequate cleaning materials in the apartments.

I do not see the ‘cleaning fee’ as being to clean up after guests. It is a ‘preparation fee’ to prepare it for incoming guests. And the apartments are prepared beautifully for them. (Any guest who begrudges that fee, or asks me to waive it, can stay somewhere else).

Guests are paying for cleaning one way or another - it may be a cleaning fee, it may be in the nightly rate. Guests aren’t stupid. The only way I would be dubious about cleaning as a guest would be if accommodation is offered at a ridiculously low rate.

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7

I stopped using a cleaning fee because my newbies don’t get it and it’s too much like work to explain it.

Having said that, I mention same in my rules and ask them to actively participate in cleaning up after themselves.

I am also not above asking for help in exchange for a slice of cheese cake!

8

I wouldn’t just have the generic comment “to leave the house clean as they got it” if there are specifics that would help such as emptying the fridge, empty rubbish, ensuring all washing up is done - then say so.

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9

I have a cleaning fee and my guests have always left the apartment very clean. Actually on a couple of occasions I waived the cleaning fee (through another platform) and the apartment was not as clean as with my guests with a cleaning fee (the apartment was not dirty or anything, but just a bit more messy). The reason I have the cleaning fee is that I have costs that are there regardless of the length of stay, so it is difficult to add them to the nightly price. When I travel as a guest, the cleaning fee is not so relevant to me, I look at the overall price and expect the place to be clean, and, cleaning fee or not, I will leave the place tidy.

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10

I’ve always had a $20 cleaning fee. Pays for a cuppa when I’m done cleaning the place…

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11

I’ve always had a cleaning fee, although to keep my overall pricing competitive, it has gone down significantly over the time I that have been doing Airbnb. Long term guests hardly notice it, as it is usually in the range of $6-10. I think when I started it was in the range of $20-25. It would be great if it was possible to charge a weekly fee for cleaning, but Airbnb hasn’t caught up to that idea yet. I’d like to be able charge nightly guests $5, weekly guests, $5 and monthly guests, $5 per week ($20).

As it is now, I think of my fee as a way to recoup the cost of cleaning products, electricity and gas to run the washer and dryer, and wear and tear… there’s probably additional things to consider, like my time or paying for someone else’s time to clean. However, I don’t hire out, for cleaning services. I do what I can to keep my overhead low. I share the space with my guests and rent private rooms in my home. The main goal is to attract guests, so do what works for you. If you think your place would be more competitive without charging a fee, adjust your prices a little, like @KKC, and try it for a while and see… There is more than one way to run your Airbnb business.

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12

My dryer just cost me $670CAD to repair what looks like a black rubber hair band.

hmm. About that cleaning fee…:joy:

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13

I was just wondering this exact thing! My cleaning fee includes linens so it’s a little high. Recently, we’ve had folks leave trash in the house and a sink full of dirty dishes. I was wondering if the cleaning fee had something to do with it because they are asked to “leave the house as they found it.”

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14

I didn’t charge a cleaning fee and guests were leaving the place messy; dirty pots and pans, dirty stove top and oven, etc. So now I charge a cleaning fee.

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15

I charge a small cleaning fee of £5 which covers laundry. Its only fair and makes 1 night stays possible.

16

I charge a $75 cleaning fee on a $250 per night listing, on VRBO I am allowed to name it as I wish and I call it a preparation fee because that’s what it really is, a fee to prepare the house for them. I have had mostly tidy guest but my most recent guests, 4 adults one night left every dish in the house dirty and water splashed all over my oak table. Thankfully I was there just after checkout and the table was not damaged. I have now purchased a table pad for $225 and I figure the last 3 cleaning fees covered that cost.

RR

RR

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17

I think some guests will be messy whether or not there’s a cleaning fee. I believe most of them remember the total price they booked at, and then divide it accordingly by the number of nights. iMO, It’s really pointless to charge a separate cleaning fee because guests don’t care how you structure the price, it’s only relevant to hosts who need to keep track of their cleaning costs.

18

Well actually its in the guest favor because they are not paying tax on the cleaning fee. Although they do not know that unless pointed out.

RR

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19

There is no way to pro-rate a cleaning fee across your rates. That is why many hosts have one charged to guests.

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20

I charge a cleaning fee and on occasion, I do have people complain that it is too high and that it should be included in the fee. I explain to them that if I added it to the price then it would mean they were being charged to clean every day.

Some attempt to negotiate to reduce the clean fee if they do it themselves. For this my reply is that the fee is to prepare for their arrival.

I think Airbnb confuse the issue by calling it a cleaning fee. Really it is a service charge that includes cleaning. Guests rarely think about how much it costs to clean the linen. I think they think it is just about hoovering and changing the beds.

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