Hi all.
I’m new to this forum and hoping some of you have an answer to my quandary. We’ve been on Home Exchange a couple of years now and really love the concept. Our home is well situated in Vancouver and I always make sure that our guests receive the best care. LOTS of towels, new sheets and everything they would have in your own home (shampoo, soap, full stocked kitchen, etc). I don’t have as high an expectation for other homes but lately we’ve looked at homes where the host doesn’t supply towels or sheets!! We stayed in one place where I had to go out and buy towels for our 10 day stay and another where they supplied 1 bath towel for a 2 week stay (no washing machine). I am gobsmacked! Is this the new normal for home stays? We are almost always travelling to Europe or Asia from Canada so to bring our own sheets and towels is not really an option with the cost of travel nowadays. I’d love to know your thoughts. Thanks
It definately is not. In most ofmy exchanges, beds are made, new sheets are available if we want, and towels are provided. However, this is something that I always check. When I travel just with my husband we have lots of room to bring our own. Especially with new members I offer this, but I also tell them that normally, those things are provided.
Always check, especially if you travel by plane. You could even not finalize if hosts expect you to bring everything yourself!
I have had people offer to bring sheets and towels for a short stay but I haven’t run across the absence of linens. We have hosted more than been hosted so that may explain it but I can’t imagine why you would not have sheets. That should be mentioned in the description prominently and I would consider if not providing them should make the house worth less if you travel by points. I don’t have some things others do like lots of bath products and hair dryer but no towels and sheets seriously?
I’ve found that what @Lianna says is, unfortunately, quite common—especially when booking second homes. Some of them do offer house linen, but only if you pay an additional fee.
Just a moment ago, I came across a listing in Portugal that said:
“Our Cascais apartment is managed remotely, with the help of a trusted housekeeper. We kindly ask guests to pay a €90 fee directly to the housekeeper at checkout to cover key exchange, fresh linens, towels, and cleaning. This helps ensure the apartment is properly prepared for each guest and allows us to continue hosting.”
I agree with @cafrobase that when house linen isn’t included, the listing should clearly indicate this in the search engine, and the property should receive fewer points as a result.
I have not come across this personally on our exchanges as a family, neither have I seen this discussed in the groups, so I wouldn’t say this is a common occurrence. I have offered to bring our own sheets and towels when travelling domestically for just a coupe of nights, to make it easier for the host, but I have never has this offer accepted. If the host does not include these essential items then I would expect this to be clear on their listing and house guide.
Also welcome to the Forum! 
If you’re swapping homes in ski resorts, I’d say it’s becoming somewhat of a rule on HE to either bring your own bed linen or pay for the service.I’m saying this based on my experience searching for ski holidays. This never happened to me on my previous home exchange websites, where no Guest Points were involved (and which have unfortunately now disappeared).