to only do the washing up/put dishwasher on and no other cleaning on departing our holiday cottage?

[bibbitybobbityyhat]

Oh and empty bins?

Just having a week away in a not inexpensive cottage. Have to be out by 10 on the last day, am planning to leave nothing dirty lying around (apart from sheets, obvs) but shan't be doing any actual cleaning either.

That's not unreasonable is it?

Laiste, I really hope you wrote reviews and mentioned this. I read reviews before booking anything like this and patently avoid ones with lots of rules.

Over recent years we have rented a number of properties in France, from both French and English owners, and opt for the clean it yourself option. We usually take our own bedding and towels as well.(not cheapskates at all!)

I don't spring clean, I just wipe over kitchen and bathroom and hoover/mop. It usually takes us an hour or two the day before leaving, depending on the size of the property.

A couple of years ago we rented a house in St Malo. The couple who owned it lived in it in the winter and on a boat in the harbor, giving sailing lessons, during the summer. Talking to them when we took over the property they told us they were thinking of stopping renting it out because of the state people left it in. I promised them it would be in the same condition as we found it. When they came to check the lady actually cried she was so grateful that we had looked after her house properly. I think all the owners ask is that you clean your own mess and leave the place in a fit state, not that you do the cleaning for the next guests.

I am not a fan of cleaning by the way, as my own house bears testament to!

I always figure the cleaner only has a couple of hours to get the job done before the next arrival, but I expect they plan to properly clean tubs, loos, kitchen and dust and hoover and strip and change beds. I just empty the fridge and take out the rubbish.

I don't see the handover, the time between my 10am checkout and whenever the next guest checks in as my problem if I have paid for cleaning in the price of the hire. My problem is not leaving the place a state, complying with the contract and getting us all breakfasted, packed up and gone by 10am. If I wanted stripping beds and cleaning to be my problem, I'd book a place where it's not included in the price and expect the price to reflect accordingly.

And you're absolutely right to have that view, expat.

I do love that now you can look round have a virtual tour of holiday lets before you book. Check for comfortable furniture and carpet colour.

I also dismiss any that state 'adjacent to the owners home'.

If someone is so emotionally invested in the property (which I suppose most people would be if it was their actual home), that they cry at the 'state' it's been left in, they realy shouldn't be in the business of holiday lets.

*Really

We once went on holiday with another family and at the end of the week, they started talking about who was going to do the hoovering etc. DP and I were like - we usually tidy of course but we've never hoovered (unless catastrophic incident occurs or etc).

On the morning we left, they went out for a massive long walk with their dogs while we washed the pots, stripped beds and tidied around. The place looked fine and we knew the cleaners were coming to do the rest, so had no worries.

Other couple turned up and did lots of passive aggressive tutting about who was going to do the hoovering again. We just waved goodbye and left. They later went on about "leaving them to do all the work." Pah - more fool them.

Have lost touch with those friends now thank gawd.

'I also dismiss any that state 'adjacent to the owners home'.

Yep!

The best ones are when you never have anything to do with the owners. The key will be in a key safe or at the estate agents.

Glad it's not just us expat. I couldn't bear it.

Oh yes - a big NO to onsite owners

We know one holiday villa where not only did the owners still live there, but they didn't even have a separate entrance and just marched through the house to their 'apartment' which was basically just another en-suite room

All the apartments I look after have a key safe or the keys are posted out - I have no interest in hanging around for people whose flights were delayed or who got lost or stopped off at the supermarket or restaurant on their way in. It's much better for all concerned

DB stayed in one holiday home and it turned out to be the owners house and they camped in the field next door to vacate the house.

Dear god, Costa, I'd have been furious. We never book anything with onsite owners. Too many act like they're doing their paying customers a favour by letting them pay to stay in their additional property/properties. I'm not a houseguest, but a paying customer.

I don't mind being on the same site as the owners but anything that involves "shared use" is immediately off the list!

That's awful Costa.

Theres also ones where the owners living adjacent have a pool which you can use 'by prior arrangement' or between 6and 6.15pm or something.

I know - I don't know how they got away with it - it's a big house, so groups of 16 or so, multiple families/generations/groups of friends. Thankfully they're not still operating but it went on for at least 10 years

'I don't mind being on the same site as the owners but anything that involves "shared use" is immediately off the list!'

Yeah, may as well go to a hostel or camp, it's cheaper.

To me, these things are about hiring space. If I go to a TraveLodge or Premier Inn, I expect that I'm paying a fee to use the space, not trash it and for someone else to clean it after I leave by the required time. So I don't spend time stripping the beds or wiping down the place or hoovering it or dusting. I've paid for the hire of it. Or for the manager to come in whilst I'm in there, inspect how clean I've kept it, etc.

We stayed at one last year next door to owner..not clear on booking.

She kept talking to us for hours any time we went out and her kids were always on the trampoline which had been advertised as exclusive use. In the last day she started messaging me at 930 saying did I know that he check out time was 10..I was packing and just hadn't been outside.

She also had conversation in which she said kids with LDs were lovely and easy and happy and kids with autism are difficult..she assumed DD just had the former.

No more houses with onsite owners

We stayed in a beautiful cottage last year that didn't have a Hoover, sweeping brush etc

The only thing we were given was a dustpan and brush -which for a walking holiday wasn't really adequate and I felt the cottage was grubby by the end of the week

I don't go a week without hoovering or sweeping at home so why would I want to on holiday?

Surely part of a self catering holiday cottage is that you look after the place?

Yes to the 'owners up the road' or '2 doors down' scenario. Our one with the white carpet and book of chores was in a teeny tiny village (Worth Matravers) and the owners lived somewhere nearby. You do feel a bit twitchy.

No i didn't leave a review. I was so torn between fab for the actual house and awful for the list of chores that i couldn't get my head round writing one.

I provide a hoover/dustpan at our place, not because I expect guests to hoover before they leave, but in case someone particularly houseproud wants to clean up crumbs on the carpet or sand in the hall.
We once shared a cottage with another family, and to my horror the mum kept tidying up. All dishes were washed, dried and put away straight after every meal, and after the kids had gone to bed she started bustling round clearing up the toys. I felt obliged to join in so she wouldn't think I was a slob, but it was exhausting.
Quite a revelation to see how others operate. So for people like her, to keep them happy, there's a hoover .