New Airbnb rules

Husband prefers and AirBnB but I prefer a hotel, him because he doesn't like paying for additional rooms for our kids. We mostly did camping when they were small so actual walls and beds are an upgrade but I still prefer a hotel!

Last AirBnB we stayed in had a 10am leave time and expected us to have stripped all the beds and washed and put away crockery so dishwasher had to go on long enough to complete its cycle in time to empty it before leaving. Bathroom was supposed to be left clean and dry. I wouldn't leave with mess on the kitchen surfaces but having to get up early so that I can perform a deep clean on the last morning of my holiday is a big no thank you from me!

I suspect there were a lot of hosts that required you to do all the cleaning so they didn't have to do anything apart from new bedding on before the next people come in, and pocketed any cleaning fees. And so some places get grubbier and grubbier because guests just don't deep clean.

Me and DH have stayed in lots of Airbnb's (over 50) both in the UK and abroad - France, Belgium, Holland, Sweden and have never cleaned the house!

Of course we leave it clean and tidy as, I would hope, anyone with any decency would although have been a holiday home cleaner and a hotel room cleaner I know plenty of people are disgusting.

For us we like the fact that we can have a whole flat or even a house rather than just a hotel room. We can have a comfy sofa (or even 2) rather than having to sit on the bed in the hotel to watch tv which we both absolutely hate. We like having a kitchen and that, if we want to, we can cook for ourselves rather than having to eat out. If, for any reason, we want to just chill for a bit and read, watch tv or whatever we don't have to do it in a cramped hotel room

Whenever we have stayed in a hotel, whether a budget one or a much more expensive one, there has always been noise late at night/early morning. I am a very light sleeper and it drives me mad. People talking at the tops of their voices, slamming doors, having very noisy sex etc etc. We have never had any noise problems at any of the Airbnb's.

We have stayed in some really lovely places and almost all of them have been cheaper than a budget hotel

So many comments from people proudly proclaiming they've never stayed in an Airbnb. Congratulations???

You've obviously got no bloody idea what they're like then. Each property and owner is different. I've stayed in probably 50+ Airbnb (or similar) properties over the past 6/7 years and can only remember two bad experiences. One was a horrible place in a developing country which was booked by someone else (and would not have gone there if I'd had anything to do with booking). The other was an issue before we got there and just had to arrange a different place to stay (got money back on the other place).

I've also stayed in various hotels and had far more notable issues.

It's fine if an Airbnb isn't your thing, but you're not superior or more smarter somehow for that. And if you've never even stayed in one, or never desire to then it won't effect you anyway.

Anyway. I haven't seen the actual rules, just a few clips that came up on Instagram and it would seem like these are designed to stop hosts putting too much on guests which is good (not an issue I've experienced really). Like you can still request they empty their rubbish, just not that they have to take it home.

Washing dishes is not cleaning.
Most people will do this boy you can bet you life there will be some lazy ar$es who use and leave every cup and plate dirty in the sink

I’ve never stayed for this reason so might consider it now

Totally agree - I’m gently pretty fussy about hotels, but if we’re doing one or two nights in a city and don’t want to spend a lot of time in the room Premier Inn is great.

Far better than mid range brands like Leonardo, Thistle or Clayton

I was wondering the same but I think this is quite common. I advertised on both and maybe got 1 booking per year through AirBnB and all of my bookings coming from booking.com for the exact same apartment at the exact same price (in fact, I believe we advertised it for slightly more on booking to cover additional platform fees). Seems like a PR problem more than anything.

I've used Airbnb loads and have never been asked to strip the bed or put a load of washing on.
It's fairly standard IME to be asked to take out the rubbish. I've no problem with doing so. I also have no problem with not leaving dirty dishes behind.
The ones I stay in at least certainly don't charge the same as hotels, so I don't treat them the same way.
For me and DP they're a handy cheaper option for holidays, and we both prefer having a whole place with a kitchen so we can at least make coffee and the odd snack if needed, and keep a few things in the fridge. We both find being stuck in one hotel room quite depressing and hotels are almost always soulless.
I personally will carry on doing the things I always do when I leave, which I think are totally reasonable.

I’m usually put off by air BnB as most don’t have dishwashers and I don’t go on holiday to hand wash dishes and be judged on it.

I'm a former Airbnb host. I never had any of the rules about stripping beds etc, only request was for guests to sort out recycling and food waste as the local council is draconian. I took the view that the cleaning fee covered all reasonable post stay tasks. Reasonableness is the key.
The vast majority of guests were considerate and would wash up or run the dishwasher and leave the place ready for cleaning, Occasionally one would leave a real mess or cause damage but they were very much the exception.
I suspect that there will be a reduction in hosts allowing instant booking and will now check reviews more carefully before accepting bookings. So people who use this rule change to leave places in a poor state will find it harder to make further bookings.

I think it is absolutely acceptable to do the washing up and empty the bins before you leave. I've always done this, and always will. You do it throughout the weekend/week that you're staying there, so why would you not do it on the last morning too?

People will just move away from air b&b to other booking sites if they don't feel it's worth it to them.

I've never booked through air b&b personally but all holiday let's I've been to have those things as rules and it's one of the reasons I don't like going to self catering places. I don't want to do stuff like that on holiday.

That's great, because there are countries where they have a skip in the area for everybody, and driving around in the heat with stinky bags of rubbish isn't a holiday.

We always have left air bnbs immaculate, and as found it pretty much, dishwasher dishes put away, bins emptied, stripped beds and bagged bedding (left on ends of beds), bagged towels (whites and pool ones separate) swept floors, and quick wipe of surfaces.
I am finding it too much, but they make me feel guilty with the whole "someone's home leave as you find it" stuff. It makes a alot scared of bad reviews too on Airbnb site. I like the rule change.

Airbnb is just a platform. The same property will often be on others such as booking com or sakes.

I dont think the rule against having to strip the bed, or put wash on is unreasonable but who on earth doesn't clean the dishes they have used. Grim

Which is fine if they are clearly shown on the listing. What really IS annoying is only finding out about insane cleaning/departure rules once you're already in the place. They should be clearly laid out and visible BEFORE you book, so you can make an informed decision of whether to book or not.

I've found the ones on other platforms are usually more professionally managed especially on the main UK websites such as cottages.com etc. So if I saw one on AirBNB that I'd also seen on a more reputable platform, I'd be more inclined to book there, but would probably book via the other platform. Anything that only appears on Air BNB I'd not touch with a bargepole unless I was really desperate as it's a bit "Wild West" on there with far too many chancers/amateurs.

i stay in them for "girls trips" because we use the house as a house rather than just the bedrooms. we sit around and drink coffee in the afternoon and watch telly after dinner in-between going out and doing tourist stuff. I wouldn't book one if I was using it like a BnB / hotel room

I honestly think some people just won't tho. they'll pile up every pot and plate in the house and work through every mug etc if they aren't told to clean up. but then some people are just selfish and / or lazy.

The issue with Airbnb is when it becomes a business. It used to be a way of renting your house/flat out while you were away or not using it as your own holiday home rather than bought specifically to let out along with a number of others. Stayed in plenty of Airbnbs where it's clear that it is/was someone's home or personal holiday home and that is why they are not on the market to long term tenants because there will be days or weeks where the owners want to be there. These are the better ones. I want to treat these as i'd want my home to be treated, leave as I find. Don't mind a small cleaning fee, not everyone's standards are the same, but the huge ones are massively taking the p*

The issue is, plenty of people don't want to clean on holiday, but also make an absolute mess that is far beyond what a cleaning fee will cover, and this gives the permission to those people that leaving it very dirty and messy is fine. It isn't. I'm not that tidy in my own house but I'd be embarrassed to leave a property like that. If be embarrassed to leave a hotel room like that too.

We use Airbnb over a hotel often because you can find cool places for less money. We have a dog and kids and want the space to relax and sleep separately, happy to have some meals in and good to have space to store and prep. Trying to feed breakfast, lunch and dinner to 4 people eating out would be extremely expensive. Premier in is fine for a night or two for a city break where you literally sleep there but we find no-one sleeps and me and DH won't get any down time at all. But even when it's just us we'd often choose our own space and don't make much mess. Each to their own though, people don't need to get everybody else's choices.

I agree with you but it seems that many many people are not decent humans.

I have, in the past, cleaned holiday homes and hotels and I honestly could not believe how some people leave places. Just how they managed to leave so much mess, sometimes in just a couple of days, I could never work out.

I think basic decency such as not leaving dishes, bagging up all rubbish and stick in wheelie bin (if there is one). Even in a hotel my rubbish is in the bin, and towels in the bath at the end.
It is the host's expecting rubbish to be taken to a community skip (abroad), beds stripped, floors cleaned and basically immaculate (and they leave you a rubbish dustpan and brush which isn't sufficient for a lengthy stay) despite having paid a hefty cleaning fee. I think basic decency and cleanliness such be expected of course, but nothing more, expecially when it has cost a fortune to stay there in fhe first place.

I always empty the dishwasher when we leave and put away the dishes, but on arrival I am sick of finding dirty dishes because somebody had just given them a quick wipe, rather than just running the dishwasher and leaving them in there. I think it would be a good rule to leave them in there on departure so the host can ensure cleanliness as you would find in a hotel.

I'll repeat my point:

I understand why some people like hotels. Why can't other people understand that for some people, SC is a much better option.

I've stayed in a central Airbnb in Edinburgh and in an Edinburgh Premier Inn. Airbnb was better than a hotel for me because:

We had separate rooms at no extra cost.

We could eat what we wanted when we wanted.

We weren't sharing with other people.

It was cheaper.

We could eat at a table at a time to suit us and play games afterwards.

I stay in an Air B&B when I want the flexibility of more space and of being able to have the use of a kitchen and to be able to cook. I don’t want to eat out all the time as its expensive and I want a lounge space if the weather is bad. I have never had an issue with leaving the place tidy, stripping the beds etc But that might be why I get rated 11 out of 10 as a guest. I leave hotel rooms the same stripping the bed, tying up rubbish in the bin. Hotel housekeeping staff get paid minimum wage so I really have no issue with it. I enjoy treating people with kindness and being a better human.

I have never, ever been able to understand why people stay in them instead of hotels.
Several people including me have said why. I'm repeating myself here, but for me and my DP it's because they're cheaper, and we feel more relaxed having a whole place with a kitchen. We almost always eat out even on Airbnb holidays, but it's handy having a fridge for things like nice cheeses and salads, and being able to make coffee etc without having to call room service or use a silly little kettle that you fill from the bathroom tap. And being stuck in one hotel room is quite depressing and claustrophobic, and IME hotels tend to be soulless.