Rules when renting a holiday place - bonkers or completely normal?

[DragonMamma]

We are renting a large property for over New Year (for a total of 3 nights). There are 10 bedrooms and 9 bathrooms. We rent houses regularly and have done for many years. This 3 night break is costing just under £3.5k so it’s not exactly cheap.

We’ve just received the list of do’s and don’ts from the owner and it reads like nothing we’ve ever come across before. It’s like they are reluctantly giving us use of the place and barking instructions at us.

Some examples below copied and pasted from their 7 page (!) instruction manual.

*YOU ARE EXPECTED TO LEAVE THE PROPERTY IN A SIMILAR STATE OF CLEANLINESS AS YOU FOUND IT, IF THE PROPERTY IS NOT SO, YOU WILL BE CHARGED AN EXCESS CLEANING CHARGE.
Including all floors to be hovered or swept, bathrooms and toilets cleaned, kitchen to be cleaned, all washing up done and put away.

Hot water will be on in the morning from 7am until 10am, briefly at lunchtime and again from 5pm until 10pm. Options for extra heating and hot water are available please see our website. These must be booked in advance.

NEVER LEAVE THE WOODBURNER UNATTENDED. IN INTERESTS OF SAFETY UNLESS YOU ARE EXPERIENCED USING WOODBURNERS WE SUGGEST THAT YOU DO NOT USE IT.

Swimming pool - Shallow end depth of approx. 1metre, deep end depth approx. 1.9 metre. STRICTLY NO JUMPING, DIVING OR OTHER BOISTEROUS BEHAVIOUR*

AIBU to think that if you’re charging over a thousand pound a night and absolutely insisting on a 10am check out (OR face yet another additional charge) then you simply cannot expect the occupants to clean 9 bathrooms and do all of the general cleaning. There’s also a strict list of what cleaning products are to be used where.

We always leave properties in a decent state - we will set the dishwater off after breakfast, give the bathroom a quick wipe so it’s not excessively dirty. We’ll bag all the rubbish up etc and make sure it’s tidy and do whatever else we have time for before leaving (strip the beds etc.). But this reads like they want us to clean it to a professional standard all before 10am!

AIBU to think this is a bonkers and that it’s not the responsibility of the occupants to do the cleaning for you? And to also have to book extra hot water in advance?

How on earth are we supposed to know when we are going to want hot water? What happens if we go swimming after lunch, do we have to sit and wait for it to come back on at 5pm? They have take a £500 security deposit and based on the list of things we may get charged for is endless and it’s really put us off going 😞

Yeh I think that’s very odd, I’d expect a cleaner to come in after leaving for that sort of rental

The hot water is not on but it’s standard to have a leave how you found it which does really mean spotless as when you arrive you expect immaculate. Most hosts are push overs when it comes to enforcing that basic rule though.

I'd put money on them saying it's not clean enough and want to charge you the cleaning fee no matter how long you spend doing it

Rationing hot water is ridiculous, if they're that bothered they could meter it separately and then it's up to you how much you use.

All the cleaning they're expecting is excessive.

I'd be inclined to tell them to shove it.

No way would I be renting from these people. Leaving property basically clean and tidy, fine. But vacuuming needs to be done anyway by the cleaning company, toilets definitely should be cleaned to a professional standard etc.

My question to them would be: if you want your paying guests to clean the toilets and vacuum the floors, does that mean the place I am paying 3.5k to rent hasn’t been professionally cleaned?

It sounds to me more like they’ve had some guests who’ve left it in an absolute state.

large property over new year is a risky rental and all these clauses are for cover against the drunk, the spoilt, the drugged and the just plain can't be bothered. Many people are quite skanky now and leave rubbish around, don't flush toilets, don't do washing up and so on.

the pool rules are to cover them against drunks breaking their necks.

that's loads of hot water time. Assuming though that as you are talking swimming, this isn't the UK!

OneForMeToo really? We’ve never left it immaculately clean because there simply isn’t the time, plus it’s a holiday let. We leave it as clean and tidy as possible but fully expect the cleaners to take it from cleanish to visitor ready, surely that’s factored in to the price we pay?

Lefkosia this is what we are putting our money on too. But aside from that it’s just so unwelcoming and makes us feel like we are unable to fully enjoy the place!

They sound absolutely bonkers.
Tbh it rather looks like some sort of list of rules for children attending boarding school then a list of rules for adults who pay a LOT to stay at your property. Esspecially the hot water would properly piss me off.

Stay in a hotel, no cleaning

churchandstate that’s a good question actually! I’ll ask them.

mencken it is in the UK- it’s an indoor pool.

We are a party of 10 adults and the remainder are kids of varying ages.

I get the point about hot water but surely we should be free to use it when we want? Not between prescribed times?

Were all these T&Cs available before you booked it - and if not why not? It's reasonable to expect guests not to leave a place wiped over and tidy, but not to expect a professional-style clean unless it was made very clear upfront, and limiting hot water on £1000 per night's beyond parody

Either way I'd say goodbye to your £500 deposit; people like this will never be happy and they'll keep it for a certainty

The rules for the stove and the swimming pool sound odd to me. They sound reluctant to let you use them, which is ridiculous as you are obviously paying for them.

But the cleaning one doesn't sound odd to me, that sounds pretty standard?

That is ridiculous. Are you renting through an agency with a website or directly from the owners? If it's via an intermediary what are the reviews like? We stayed somewhere with a ridiculous list of requirements only made known once actually in the property - including cleaning oven, kitchen and bathroom with specific products, washing floors throughout etc but it wasn't enforced - we left the place "broom clean" (floors swept quickly but definitely not washed, rubbish out but no cleaning oven or whatever) and weren't charged.

However the stupid list put a shadow over the one week holiday - it's not a holiday if you're really genuinely expected to spend several hours doing a professional deep clean early morning on the last of only a few days away is it? I imagine it puts off repeat bookings if it's actually enforced.

What a nightmare property to let. 10 bedrooms! If you think about it I bet they get loads of stag and hen parties, and a total, hideous mess to clear up on more than one occasion.

OP I am sure that's what they are trying to avoid - I expect if you leave it in a reasonable state as you say you usually do, it will be fine. 10am is normal check-out time, not especially early - think how long it takes to change-over a 10 bed/ 9 bath house! Even if there's 2 or 3 cleaners you'd still want 4 or 5 hours, in case it's been left in a bad way.

Also if you think about it, 10 bedrooms, 3 nights in over New Year is very good value; that's absolute premium letting time. It works out at only £110 per couple/ room per night.

Excess cleaning charge? What are the cleaners being paid for in the first place?!

it’s standard to have a leave how you found it which does really mean spotless as when you arrive you expect immaculate

It really isn't. The 10am checkout is to allow time for a thorough clean before the next guests check in

I did a quick calculation of room cost per night. I've actually just been looking at a last min city trip in the UK today. You can get a fairly nice hotel for that much per night. Probably new year would be more. But still even in a bloody travel lodge you can wash when you fancy! And leave the room messy if you wish. For that much money I think they are out of order.

Is it air bnb versus a normal holiday cottage?

I would say it's normal to be expected to leave it 'clean' with rubbish dealt with (bins outside for e.g.) and if anything spilt, then vacuumed or cleaned up. Toilet not left with marks, etc. But, I would expect a cleaner to go in after to actually clean. I wouldn't want to rent anywhere where the previous occupants have been in charge of the cleaning tbh. I know I wouldn't probably put a lot of effort into the cleaning under those circumstances, especially on holiday, so I don't think I'd expect high standards of others 'forced' to do it.

The water - tricky. Sounds like it's a water tank system or something. May be that otherwise it's heated up and then not used so a waste of money. Would be nice if they worded it in a kinder way or in a sort of 'this is the usual setting, please let us know if you think you would need it to be on more often' as some people may plan to be out all day and therefore not need it whereas others might want more.

Pool rules seem like common sense tbh though and good things to point out to people.

I would read it as you can use the hot water whenever you like, but the tank is only reheated at the times stated. If the tank is properly sized, it should be plenty.

Does sound a bit penny-pinching though.

It sounds to me more like they’ve had some guests who’ve left it in an absolute state.
^This

Also I think 10 am is quite an early check out.

We rented a country house that sleeps 8 and has some nice furnishings and so on. Just me, my DH and DD. We were happy to put rubbish out, put on dishwasher, wipe down the surfaces and run the hoover round just as a matter of manners, but the house info only said “clean and tidy, leave it as you find it” type stuff.

I think the pool rules are completely acceptable. They need to protect themselves against idiots who might sue them if they hurt themselves.