AIBU to expect this to be covered in a holiday rental clean?

[zazas]

We recently rented a house in Switzerland for 16 nights, 2 adults, 4 children and the owner is keeping half our deposit for the following reason, even though we paid £100 cleaning fee. First of all she said it was because we used her linen, which we didn't as we brought our own so when I questioned what she meant, this was her reply: "The mentioned bed covers were mattress covers, I didn't know the word and wasn't looking it up in a dictionnary. I had to wash all of the six covers which were really dirty. Of course they belong to the house but don't belong to the usual cleaning. I do not know what you were doing with the beds and I don't want to discuss this point because I was not there at your departure- but the fact was that they were dirty and didn't look like you used linen."

I don't know what to say regarding this? My husband made the beds before I arrived (we had to travel separately) so I didn't check the mattress protectors and I washed our bed linen when we returned and didn't feel it was disgustingly dirty! We swam near every day and the kids showered before bed every night! Is this just weird???

[DamnCommandments]

Very weird. Oddly Swiss, somehow - but weird even so.

[LIZS]

Did you change the beds during your stay? Swiss are very particular and cleaners are well paid so £100 wouldn't go very far. Maybe she expected you to wash and dry them before you left.

[Mintyy]

I think you reply:

We bought our own bedding with us and used it. If the mattress covers were dirty then that was the case before our arrival. We have only been at your property for 16 nights, it would be impossible for the mattress covers to become so dirty in such a short time. Please refund the rest of our deposit immediately.

[zazas]

We washed ours but not the childrens's and it was only 13 nights for 2 of the children and my husband (complicated travel arrangements!) I cleaned the whole house too, vacuumed, wiped, cleared all rubbish, dishes etc, just didn't disinfect as no products to do so. She asked us to wash tea towels and dish cloths which I did but never mentioned the mattress protectors. She did the cleaning herself. In an earlier email she said the covers were dirty than to be expected and we had obviously slept on them! As if!?

[SaucyJack]

There's no chance you happened to take any photos of yourselves whilst in the bedrooms (complete with beds dressed in your own sheets) is there?

Could forward them to her. Just a thought.

[zazas]

I thought about that Saucy Jack, I didn't but I'm going to check my DD's phone!!!!

[zazas]

Mintyy - I think I might just do that!

[catfordbetty]

How much will you be out of pocket?

[TheExMotherInLaw]

Under Milk Wood
MRS OGMORE-PRITCHARD

...and putting their feet on my carpets and sneezing on my
china and sleeping in my sheets...

[CrabbyPatties]

I think they're trying it on. We recently went to France (self catering) and I left my credit card details as a damage deposit. 3 weeks after we returned home I received an email saying they would change my card 50 euros for leaving it in a poor state. I queried what they meant and demanded evidemce - they sent me photos of a hair on the floor, crumbs inside the microwave we didn't use, a tissue in the bin. I refuted that we didn't cause these 'issues' and said I would complain to the company we booked through and I asked why they didn't inspect the property before we left. They eventually let me off - I think it's a way of making a bit extra money from you after departure.

[zazas]

catfordbetty only £30 - although that makes one expensive wash! It is the principle though!!! Especially when she was going to charge us £30 per person for linen which is why we brought our own!

CrabbyPatties this was't done through a company (just the owner through the Tourist Board) but she wasn't able to meet us at departure...so it is her word against ours...

[Preminstreltension]

I think this is Swiss weirdness. You get fined if you slop too much water on the road while washing your car .

Of course you wouldn't check the mattress protectors. She needs to get a grip

[zazas]

TheExMotherInLaw - yes indeed! She also locked the gate into the back garden in case we wandered into it!

[shutupanddance]

If she doesn't refund, leave her a review stating what you have here.

[Catsize]

It's just how the Swiss roll...

[catfordbetty]

It sounds as though you behaved reasonably and, as a PP has said, this owner is trying it on. Having already stumped up £100 for cleaning, and extra £30 would stick in my craw too. Whether you can do much about it is another matter but YANBU.

[Scremersford]

Some of these holiday lets are beyond a joke. Why leave items in the accommodation she didn't want used? Isn't cleaning included in the rental price?

I stayed at holiday chalets in Norway this summer with shared toilet blocks, and was told on arrival that it was guests' responsibility to clean them. Needless to say they were so filthy they were almost unusable - I'm guessing most people don't want to clean up after random strangers as soon as they arrive on holiday!

[zazas]

Preminstreltension and Catsize having lived there that I know only too well. Still if she had told me that as ridiculous as it is - that the mattress protectors were not part of the clean - I would have washed them for her or maybe even brought our own! Just for a bit of peace and lack of hassle afterwards!

I think I am going to have to leave it though (in terms of further complaining and leaving reviews) as the reason we rented this place as it is very close to our friends and I can only imagine the upset that this might cause in the village!

[penguinsarecool]

WTF the guests clean the communal loos? Who wants to clean the loos when on holiday?!

[zazas]

Scremersford they really are. We once years ago had the owner tell us that we had not left the place spotless (although we had done a pretty thorough clean including finding things under the sofa that we certainly hadn't left!) When questioned she said there were some streaks on the fridge's external door . I explained that we had paid extra for a clean and she said "but that was for the place to be clean when you arrived." It apparently was up to us to clean it for the next guests???!!!

[mojitomo]

having to clean the property is a total pain and more and more places insist on 'leave it as you find it'
Often have to be out by 10 which means getting up at 7:30 to get everyone packed, breakfasted and the place cleaned - on holiday!
The rental price should cover the cost of cleaning between stays - it shouldn't be the guest's responsibility
Drives me nuts

[zazas]

Totally agree mojitomo - impossible with a 10am departure for sure!

[Fatmomma99]

Generalisations are bad, but the Swiss as a nation are weird! I think this is less about stinging you (although it might be) and more about them being sticklers for what they think of as their rules.

If it's not ok to dis them on a website, talk to your friends. (and let them know you're ready to dis them on a website) and see what that yields.....

[Pico2]

It really isn't a holiday if you have to spend the end of it cleaning. British holiday lets seem to mostly include cleaning. I have no idea why it isn't universal.