those of you who are holiday rental owners, what in your view makes a good departee (apart from clearing out on time)? Do you expect people to have done cleaning already, stripped the beds etc?
Clearing out on time pretty much covers it. Along with not sending me a text to say "my train arrives at 11AM, so I will come straight to the property and check in then".
I ask guests to do their washing up, but that's all. I'm delighted if they leave the properties tidy.
Thoughtful ideas which are really not very helpful:
Putting the used linen in the washing machine on a 4 hour cycle. There is no way for me to dry it, and the next guests don't want to find a washing machine full of wet washing.
Putting the dishwasher on a super-long cycle, because it means I have to make a mad dash back before 4PM (often from another property) to empty it. Best to run it before bed, and then just do the breakfast things by hand and leave them to dry.
Stripping the beds seems a nice idea until it turns out that guests have also stripped off all the mattress protectors, pillow protectors etc - plus as a PP has said, it means you can't immediately see anything that needs stain treatment.
Really bad ideas that don't even seem good at the time:
Using the floor as a rubbish bin
Leaving a sink full of cold, greasy water and a worktop covered in used crockery.
Peeing on the floor and making no attempt to wipe it up.
Dumping a curry on the carpet.
Using nice fluffy white towels for fake-tanning and hair-dyeing purposes.
I'm not worried by breakages etc, as anyone can break crockery/glasses and so on - but it's useful to know. Some guests are very kind and buy replacements without mentioning anything, but most professional holiday letters have a supply of matching spares, so it's always worth mentioning it first.
On a happy note, most guests are lovely and considerate, and leave the properties in a nice state. Early arrivals and late departures are a perennial problem, though.