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I think it’s a semantics issue. No one is fining their guests, they are charging fees for various things but some seem like they are effectively a fine. To me, the way you explained your cleaning fee set-up is effectively a fine. From what I understand, you don’t have a cleaning fee but the guests are expected to leave the place clean and if they don’t, then they are expected to pay a fee for cleaning, after the fact. The (small) fee I charge for cleaning is so that everything is clean for the arriving guest, it’s not a fee to clean-up after the departing guest. I am sure this could be looked at either way (our fee basically covers the laundry service for the linen so that’s why I look at it the way I do). Either way, it seems that a fee is charged in advance but a fee charged after something happens (e.g. not-cleaning) seems like a fine, even if you are not attempting to collect on it.
Also, leaving a guest a poor review is punitive and that may effect your bottom line as far as repeat business, referrals and also, some guests do read the reviews that host leave other guests. I’m just thinking out loud about it, I truly don’t have a judgement about it. But it raises a lot of questions.
It’s interesting what you’re doing with the cleaning fee. I think it might work for other hosts too. It seems like a really good experiment and I hope you’ll continue to update us on it.
‘Tis a lie though…she turned it off early on the day and didn’t turn it back on until late that night and possibly only because I told her I wanted to come address it. She insisted I not do so unless she let me know later the next night that there was still an issue.
As for the sentence, it just inconvenienced her for a while. She got exactly what she wanted in the end.
You are right. I’m not so skilled there like you are. I probably would be better about it if I didn’t also get double screwed by AirBnB as well.
And I’d rather have an empty bed than a disrespectful head. I even have something about that in my private room listing in my shared house…All respectful paid guests and their pets welcome…something like that.
This is great but doesn’t help you any. I hope the increase in bookings helps offset it for you. Perhaps that is how you justify it. However, not charging in a case where it is warranted is indeed a disservice to not only you but the community and even the guest…especially if they then come to my place and think that they can disrespect the rules and not be charged because you didn’t charge for the required cleaning when you said you would. But makes them think that either all hosts Likely bluff on stated charges or think that the bad condition they left your place in is perfectly acceptable…until the review and then they revert back to just thinking they can get away wit it not hurting their pocketbook! Would you have them back?
I have never had the place left in bad condition since I eliminated the cleaning fee. Mostly its been good but some peoples idea of clean is not my own. If I had a guest leave my place in a BAD condition then I would likely ask for the fee, I have room for a couple 1 stars reviews but not many, I gotta keep my powder dry so to speak.
This is it, I think they THINK they did a good job, but hey I don’t feel like emptying the trash or a few dishes are no big deal…
So either way I have to wash the dishes but I am not getting bad reviews and washing the dishes.
