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So basically … swings and roundabouts. We all charge as we feel is appropriate. That extra person fee over a 5 day period adds up to significantly more than my cleaning fee … i personally believe that even with two toilet flushes and two showers the cost is the same. That said I do pay a flat rate for water.
Not saying you’re wrong @KKC just smiling that we’re all arguing over apples and pears.
Here in the desert where the average rainfall is 9 inches a year we don’t pay a flat rate. And I have turfgrass and flowers in some areas. In the summer there are restrictions and water is on a sliding scale. Since I started airbnb my summer water bill is about $40 a month higher. But I’m not too worried about that. As I said I just prefer one person over two and think they should pay less because they are less.
I think that’s getting to the point. We all charge in a way that gets us the type of guests we prefer.
Well, if you have two beds (as I do) that’s two sets of laundry and towels plus 2+ showers a day plus two breakfasts, so it’s a considerably extra cost and justified in such circumstances I think. I’m not trying to convince anyone to change their hosting style, btw, just engaging in a lively debate. There’s no right or wrong answer. I have to say, though, that as a guest the cleaning fee does influence my decision sometimes when it makes the listing quite a bit more costly.
@PHX The answer is that I don’t do long-term renters and I don’t do one-night stays. My max stay is a week, in case they are annoying people, and my minimum stay is two nights because one-nighters are too much work. I’m a budget kind of place so it’s just not worth it for me to do one nights.
Which plays to my point. If you did take one nighters you could charge a cleaning fee which makes up for the extra work.
Kind of a fascinating discussion! I have always assumed that this is a way to maximize profit, influence guest behavior (low = more one night guests, high = more long term-ers), and recoup your turnover costs. I didn’t think about the fee too much - I just looked at what my competitors were charging and nestled right into the pack. And honestly, the cleaning fee does not recoup the amount of time it takes me to turnover the place OR what it would cost to hire someone (likely $120-$140 in my town). Background: I have a 2BR/2BA in a major U.S. city, charge $169 for a weekday night + $75 cleaning fee. My fee increases for guests beyond 2 ($10 each) and during certain busy times, I have charged up to $239/night.
Hi @jaquo
Parson my inquisitiveness. but I’m confused. Do you use the complex’s washer and dryer? And if so. why? As opposed to using your own? And if you don’t, why is it relevant?
So you have two beds and that’s why you charge for an extra person. Because it’s extra cleaning and utilities i.e. Extra sheets to put on the bed and wash. So to say you don’t charge a cleaning fee is well… untrue. You charge for it in a different way.
Hi Faheem,
The simple answer is that our apartments (my own and the rental) are pretty tiny (about 480 sq. ft.) and so there is no room in either for a washer and dryer - even a stacked combination.
The small complex of 11 apartments was built in the 1940s as second homes/vacation rentals. So the answer was to provide a small laundry room with coin-operated machines for everyone to use. This is still the case today. (Although the machines have been upgraded since the 1940s! 
)
It’s an added amenity that I can offer to our guests (at no charge to me) and many guests are surprised that they can wash and dry a full load of laundry for $2. If they don’t have the necessary coinage I’m happy to supply it. I would estimate that only about 20% of guests use it but those who do love the fact that they can arrive home with clean clothes rather than having a mound of laundry to do when they get home.
Hi @jaquo,
I see. Thanks for the explanation. Though 450 sq. ft isn’t really that small. I would have thought it could squeeze in a washer/dryer.
Actually, 450 sqft is about the size of my one-bdrm long-term rental units and they are very ‘compact’. There’s no room for a w/dryer or dishwasher, and besides, you wouldn’t want the noise in that small a space. A full size refrigerator would fit in the kitchen(ette) but I only put in apt. size ones so there can be a bit more counter space to house the 30-gal. under-counter water-heater.
I recommend that you check out tankless water heaters. We got one because our house is small and we love it. Not only is it outside; we have unlimited hot water.
Yes, you’re right in that they are good and provide unlimited hot water. I put one in one of the apts. a little over 7 yrs. ago. At the time, I’d never even heard of such a thing but the contractor swore by them. Trouble is, the apt. had to be re-wired (40 yr. old bldg.) and the entire job cost over $800! Got taken to the cleaners on that one.
Last year, I had a smaller unit installed next to the coin-op washers in the parking area. Now the tenants are happy as clams with hot water all the time. I believe it was installed for $275/thereabouts. I would put tankless water heaters in all the units but the re-wiring would be prohibitive.
Mmh…I don’t see it that way. To me, it’s fair to charge a bit extra for an additional guest because the costs are higher as you say (utilities, laundry, breakfast) whereas general cleaning is the same whether it’s one guest or two. So I don’t charge extra for that. Anyway, it’s an endless debate! And I say again that I didn’t intend to dictate what other hosts should do, simply giving an opinion.
Nope! I don’t have the time to do it for one thing.
Exactly
One of the things that makes this forum so great is that there’s no such thing as a ‘cookie-cutter’ host. We’re all different and that’s what makes travelling fun (I hope!) for our guests.
Here’s what I do to calculate my cleaning fee. I take very objective / business-minded approach.
Well that’s a very professional, and kind, way of phrasing it.
Looking at it from an economist’s point of view - which is what I am - two people staying with me are simply able to afford to pay more, which is why I am charging them more.
Also, two people are usually couples, or close friends, and are often able to share a car, which means they save money on transport, which they are then able to spend on an Airbnb room which is slightly more expensive than single occupancy.
Finally, single travellers are often younger, poorer, and generally less happy than couples, so they have less money to spend and that’s why they are being offered a cheaper room rate.
I don’t have a progressive room rate. It’s the same whether the person has a lot of money or a little money; besides, I have no way of determining that. Two people pay more because they use more.
Nor do I have a sliding scale based on happiness as I have no way to determine that in advance either.
The dismal “science” indeed. You have amazing powers of prognostication from a simple Airbnb profile.