Sorry for another post on cleaning fees but I donāt think this particular case has been covered.
Iāll be staying at a hostās place and hereās our message exchange:
HOST: āHi Lee, sure! We have a ā¬40 cleaning fee. If that is ok, go ahead and approve.ā
ME: āExcellent, yep, the 40 is no problem: good to know its enough to keep the place tidy but not need to deep clean when we leave! Thank you and very much looking forward to our trip!ā
HOST: āI think the way HEās cleaning fees are meant to work is that the cleaning fee is for getting the place ready. Since I an working that day I need to get someone to do it, once the kids have left. You are welcome to use my cleaner as well, when you leave, she charges ā¬10 per hour, and Iām sure the house wonāt need 4h after you like it does after our kidsā
I know there is a lot of division around whether cleaning fees should be allowed and generally it seems the best case is to agree things in advance and I personally offer the option of āleave it as you find it or cover the cleaning costsā.
I find this case of charging for cleaning in advance and then also requiring me to clean at the end/pay for more cleaning is however unreasonable but I wanted to get othersā opinions before responding!
Thank you, @SusanJbrn and @CapBimet!
I have messaged the host and hope we can still work this all out amicably but its good to know that the HE Support team can help!
Thanks Melissa, I think that is helpful but it is still not explicitly saying that fees can only be requested for cleaning at the end of the exchange and not for cleaning prior to it. Is there any chance that the page can be updated to clarify?
I would also perhaps explicitly advise that if cleaning fees are required, the only cleaning responsibility of the guest is that rubbish should be removed and dirty dishes washed by the guests to ensure no odors remain in case there is a gap between the end of exchange and the cleaner arriving.
I think its very rare that a host would ask for a cleaning fee before guests arrive, but if you really wanted to exchange with this person I think Iād agree to the fee and add on 2 hours for when I left. It isnt a very high fee and Iād prefer to be sure the house was clean when I arrive
Hey, I totally get the frustration around cleaning fees. Honestly, I donāt mind a small fee if the place is spotless, but sometimes it feels excessiveāespecially when guests are still expected to take the trash out and do half the cleaning themselves. I think if hosts are charging a cleaning fee, it should actually go toward a proper professional clean, not just basic tidying. Just my two cents.
I disagree about trash. It has to be done when it has to be done. The house smells to the gills if they eat fish or chicken and leave it in the house bin. I came back after just one extra day and had this experience. You could smell it from the front door. Washing your own dishes and putting out the trash is not cleaning. Some things are maintenence. You sweep a floor and wipe counter more than 1 x week. you donāt drop wet towels wherever because of a cleaning fee. It is just disrespectful. Cleaners donāt magically show up immediately when you leave and the trash man only comes 1 x a week where I am. I donāt agree with the above situation but donāt get the donāt lift a finger idea either.
Cleaning fees are turning this site into a scam - a tax free Airbnb. HE talks about trust and care as its core values but what trust and care is there when you pay 100 euros ācleaning feeā for 2 nights (like I was recently asked). This is an encouragement to trash the place more than taking care of it.
I trust that someone will leave my place as clean as I have left theirs. That is trust. That is also respect and that is the spirit that this site has started with.
