Holiday cottages- what state should they be left in?

[Shadowboy]

So we are off to a quite expensive coastal area of the UK for a week and have rented a quite expensive cottage (relevant) at £2800 for 7 nights. It’s via a professional cottage company. I have never stayed in a cottage from a property company like this before.

All linen etc are provided.
We have to be out by 10am when we leave.

What condition should the property be left in? Ie are we expected to strip beds? Hoover? Clean bathrooms?

I’m hoping for the price paid, if I leave it with bins emptied, fridge clean, beds stripped but un-hoovered and bathrooms not cleaned out this will be acceptable? No deposit is held- no instructions given.

Or should I hoover etc? I don’t even know what cleaning equipment they provide?

I put dirty towels in bath, empty bins, clean down surfaces and tidy up but I don’t strip beds.

I make sure toilets and sinks are respectable, do a quick sweep and Hoover round the night before, clean out the fridge & wipe kitchen sides, empty bins and make sure everything is put away where we found it.

Usually we run the dishwasher overnight and just hand wash the breakfast things so that everything is put away before we leave, but this year I forgot so just put the dishwasher on after breakfast so they'd be finished by the time the cleaner came.

Just got our deposit back so must have been ok.

Last time we got thanked for leaving the place so tidy, so maybe we do a bit more than expected, though!

For £2800 a week 😳 it should be being cleaned professionally between lets.

I leave it tidy, but that’s it. It’s a holiday cottage, not friends place you’ve borrowed

Usually there are some instructions on whether they want beds stripped or not but most places we’ve stayed in we strip beds, empty bins/fridge etc and clean the kitchen, and a quick wipe down of bathroom if really grubby. We don’t usually hoover unless we’ve left a major mess (ie loads of sand everywhere).

I find it bizarre that people strip the beds and Hoover. Its like going to a restaurant and staying to wash the plates you have used. You are paying nearly £3k for a weeks stay - I cannot believe that doesn't include cleaning between stays. We often stay in properties like this, I just leave it tidy and there has never been an issue.

I never put the dishwasher on when we leave a property as you don’t know what time the cleaner will arrive.
When we have stayed at Center Parcs they ask you to be out by 10am and we have had cleaners turn up just as we are leaving the property so I assume they wouldn’t be too happy if the dishwasher is running then.

When we leave a self catering property we do all the washing up, empty bins, quick wipe down, empty the fridge, towels we have used in the bath. Don’t usually hoover, unless we have had the dog with us. Certainly don’t do a proper clean as I assume the cleaner will have a routine anyway. Obviously wouldn’t leave it in a state either.

I'd be seriously unimpressed if I stayed somewhere that wasn't professionally cleaned between lets. There's a reason you usually don't get in before 3 or 4 and then have to leave by 10.

We only paid £550 for our week but I still expected it to be cleaned to a high standard, not whatever the last person considered clean.

We rent out one that sounds similar to your's OP. We ask for

fridge empty and bins emptied (because bins emptied on changeover day)
furniture returned to original position (i.e. if they've moved stuff around)
bbq left clean if used.
Dishwasher on (doesn't need to be emptied).

We leave all cleaning products but that's mainly so guests can tidy up/ hoover as they go along if they want to.

We prefer beds not stripped as the laundry goes out and it's put in bags by bed.

I rent out a holiday property. I can tell you that large portion of the fees you pay goes on cleaning and laundry. We expect the house to be left tidy but no expectation cleaning will have been done.

I am in a holiday rental right now. I will leave the bedrooms neat and all towels in the bathroom but I won't strip the beds. I will wash and put away all dishes in the kitchen and make sure the fridge is empty, bins are empty and wipe over the work surface. That's it really.

I don’t do much beyond emptying the fridge and the bins, putting the dishwasher on and washing any extra dishes. We tend to try to keep the place as clean as we would at home, so sweeping/hoovering the majority of the sand throughout the week. I don’t strip the beds, though I do make it very obvious which towels are dirty. I have no idea if we are good guests, but the cottage is probably in fairly similar condition to our house when our cleaner arrives. I’ve never not had my deposit back though...

I always leave it as I would leave my own house, clean & tidy but not spotless.

I always strip beds mainly to make sure the kids haven't left anything in the beds, used towels in the bath.

I wash up, wipe worktops, take any rubbish out, empty fridge and make sure the property is clean and tidy. I put anything I've had out (books, games,etc), back in their place.

I don't vac unless the floor is very bitty and l don't strip the beds.

Usually says in the welcome pack or folder of bumf they leave you.

We always do towels in the bath. Will strip beds if asked to do so, not all cottages ask you to. Make sure the dishwasher is emptied and everything put away.

I don't clean, dust or hoover though.

Leave the place tidy, kitchen surfaces wiped down, dishwasher on before we go, all used towels bundled together and possibly bins emptied (if instructions for bins/recycling etc. left). Wouldn't hoover or strip beds unless specifically asked.

As an owner all I want to find is that you have taken all your belongings, otherwise it means I have to post back to you, take to charity shop or bin it.

Please please don't put rubbish in any bin that it doesn't belong in, it makes more unpleasant work to have to sort the bins out because it's not fair on the next guests to have no bin space.

I would much rather do the job myself ie emptying the fridge.

I have bin coloured coordinated tubs for recycling, stickers on top of the bin lids, inside the bin lids, notices from the council of what to put in each bin, it's written in the information pack and still people get it wrong.

Just because you can put different stuff in your particular coloured bin doesn't mean that's the case here.

I would like to find all towels used in the bath. I don't mind if you don't strip the beds, that gives the chance to check for stains, pulls, holes etc.

I don't even mind if you leave your breakfast pots in the sink/dishwasher as everything will be going through the dishwasher anyway.

I empty one cupboard at a time all contents goes in the d/w the cupboard then gets cleaned.

I have found wet dirty plates put back in the middle of the pile, so nothing is left unwashed.

Soaking and scrubbing the oven is a pain especially if spills could have been wiped up earlier without it being baked on.

I'm sure there are other things but off the top of my head they are the biggest bug bears.

Is the cottage £400 a night ? Maths not my strong point but I would not expect to clean the place and be out by 10am.
I’d leave it in much the same way I’d do a hotel room, depending on time, a quick tidy around so the cleaners didn’t think I was a harridan.

we booked with homeaway and as well as having to pay their outrageous fee, I'm playing a load for cleaning so won't be doing any tidying up at all. will leave it like a hotel.

Also, I have never kept a deposit for skankiness, only for damage. However, there are some guests who we wouldn't have again.

I've never stripped beds and probably wouldn't hoover unless it was really in need of it. Cutlery, crockery etc would be clean and put away and surfaces wiped if needed. But I wouldn't go OTT. I don't go on holiday to clean!

Yep, do what the instructions say.

But I would think if you cause mess beyond a normal level, you clean - I'd expect a professional cleaner to have time to clean loos/baths, spray and wipe fridges, hoover, maybe do the windows - but it shouldn't be filthy.

I mention this because recently my parents paid for all of us adult children to go on a holiday with them. DB and SIL allowed their children to throw food on the floor during meal times, spill stuff, etc. etc. On the last evening my mum, DP and I were all frantically getting it back into a decent state, and DB and SIL were sniffily explaining they didn't expect to clear up as they thought cleaners had been paid for as part of the price.

They would have left the poor cleaners with splashes of food on the floor in the kitchen and dining room, nappies in the bins, unstripped beds, and crumbs everywhere.

I was really disgusted by that and I'd judge anyone who imagines that level of cleaning is the cleaner's job.

I always strip beds and pile up sheets and towels, empty bins, wipe surfaces and make sure toilet free of skid marks. If its beach holiday I do quite a bit of f
sweeping as we go to avoid the whole place being swamped with sand.

Otherwise I leave it to the cleaners

I leave it tidy, but not cleaned ;though i’d Wipe down surfaces in kitchen daily anyway. I’d put dishwasher on, but there wouldn’t be time for it to finish and be emptied.
I never strip beds.

I empty all bins, clean out fridge, wipe the worktops, quick wipe around bathroom and make sure that everything is where we found it.
I pile the towels up in bath, only strip beds if asked to.

We take the bins out, towels into bath and only strip beds if asked. Nothing else. Just general. They will clean.