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 😞

× don't stay in

Good hotel suite with balcony is the way to go. Privacy ensured. I've been in some with tiny but adequate kitchen areas too. Perfect and no cleaning worries on leaving. Not a mingling sort, but I don't go on holiday to stress about cleaning!

I do understand that rentals work with family units, but I really would not like to share a property with others. But each to their own.

Can’t wait for the update -hope it wasn’t as horrendous as you feared OP

Happy new year everybody!

It was ok-ish! @Molecule wasn’t wrong when she said they had the worst linen known to mankind. That, and the furniture, was dreadful. The house generally was/could be nice though.

There was also not a toilet roll or tea bag in sight, which I find utterly bizarre. I can’t see what harm it would cause to leave the loo roll, salt, pepper etc that previous occupants have left.

I think they must go out of their way to strip the house of anything that would make it feel welcoming .

What was utterly bizarre is that there were CCTV cameras in the house! There was one in the kitchen, one on the landing and one in the pool area. Apparently it is for ‘safety purposes’ but the more I think about it, the more annoyed I am about it. Surely this is a massive invasion of privacy? Who does this?!

We were out by 9.55am and left the place cleaner than when we started. The owner didn’t come along though so it’s now a case of wait and see whether we’ll get our full deposit returned.

Did you take photos when you left?

Were you aware there was cctv when you made the booking? I’d have thought that was illegal if you are unaware. I think I’d have been tempted to put a towel over the camera.

Oh that’s not right re the cctv! Especially in the pool area. What if you wanted to walk around starkers?
Not comfortable with that at all!

Happy New Year DragonMamma, thanks for the update, had been following your thread and wondering how you got on. The place sounds pretty awful and the fact that you left it cleaner than when you arrived answers the question of whether they employ professional cleaners, they obviously do not. Like the pp I am wondering if the CCTV is legal, especially as they hadn't warned you. Hope you get your deposit back. I'm guessing you will not be returning

I wouldn't feel comfortable with CCTV in the house or pool area, especially if I wasn't aware in advance. In years to come you'll no doubt laugh merrily about this experience!

I suspect the CCTV by the pool may be their insurance in case someone does some thing spectacularly stupid and winds up dead. I can imagine, in those circumstances, a whole load of accusations flying around (and a party of drunken people not wanting any guilt to land on them), so I'd think it was reasonable as long as the cameras weren't angled to ogle people lying around in swimwear but just at the pool.

We didn’t know about the cameras before we booked - we’ve never stayed anywhere with CCTV inside the property so it didn’t cross our mind. As I said earlier, I can almost understand the pool camera for the reasons that Zaphodsotherhead has mentioned but the kitchen? Nah, that’s just plain nosy. As if somebody could claim for burning themselves on an Aga

On the subject of cleaners, they don’t actually use them! It’s the owner and her husband that does the cleaning, which explains a lot, I think.

We didn’t take pictures when we left (I know, I know!) because we were rushing to leave and it’s so big it would have taken an age to photograph everything. Plus we’d be celebrating the NY until late

We are semi-resigned to losing some if not all of our deposit because it seems to be a way to achieve an uplift on the original fee...

If they keep your deposit, we'll help you write your review OP.

That's bonkers. Can you PM me the place. We hook large houses and I want to avoid this one.

I can't get over cameras in the house. Seriously why have these people even bothered to set up this business, they clearly don't want anyone there.

Cameras outside the house are acceptable, even though I don't like them. Cameras inside the house are a complete invasion of privacy. You have rented the property therefore you are the tenant. Landlords do not have the right to film their tenants.

I have a 4 bed holiday home and I have been very tempted to write a rule book, believe me, but I don't want to be that person. I do my own cleaning because I'm too fussy!
I hope that guests will leave the house in reasonable order - it's not a hotel after all - and it is impossible to get it turned round by 3pm otherwise. I do offer a 'get up and go' cleaning offer for £40 if booked a couple of days in advance so I can employ extra help.
Cameras inside - not at all nice.
Restricting the hot water when you've paid that amount of money - definitely not.
Only use the woodburner if experienced - bonkers
As an owner you have to take the rough with the smooth and you shouldn't be in the business if you can't.

Sounds like the owners may be a bit new to the rental business and hence over protective. I'd send the instructions to the agency you went through, stating you have rented properties before and you find the water restriction / shouty instructions a bit ott ? Maybe they can speak to the owners ?

I'm hoping it turns out that they're over zealous in their approach and instructions because they've had their fingers burnt with trouble makers in the past but actually are reasonable in response to reasonable guests.

I still would have taken pictures though!

I think we will all help with reviews if you don't get your deposit back OP. Super stingey on the toilet roll

This sounds insane. For the price you're paying, they could absolutely throw in a multipack of toilet paper to get you started even if they don't want to provide it for the duration. This and the fact that they don't employ a proper cleaner for at least some of the work tells me a lot about the owners, and I'll be very interested in hearing how the deposit works out. Fingers crossed for you, OP

I'm wondering why some posters on here think that an owner isn't a 'proper' cleaner? I use an agency when I'm on holiday myself and believe me, they make it all look very pretty and tidy but they don't clean behind and under beds etc.

It seems way over the top and too strict. When we rent places it usually just says to leave it reasonably clean. We basically wash up and put the pots away. Wipe the bathroom with baby wipes usually. Always clean the toilet anyway so we do that. Remove all food from the fridge, take rubbish out and strip beds. We always hoover because we usually rent near the beach. Our kids drop crumbs and sand around so in our situation we do that.

I always find the last day of holiday is about squaring the property back up for a couple of hours. I presume there are several going with you. So perhaps all of you just do a brief tidy and clean in two rooms each.

As for the hot water situation that is ridiculous that you have no control over that. They are taking enough money

I suppose they are worried the property will be trashed over new year's. But it would make more sense to only charge if they go Into rubbish everywhere and a trashed house. I don't think for a weekend you should be needing to blitz the place. I suppose they are also covering their stars incase drunk people go for a swim and jump in and loose control etc. It's tricky but doesn't make it sound a relaxing place to go.

Please name and shame these twats.

These terms are what I would consider normal for Scotland and the North of England
I've been holidaying in self catering cottages for some time now in Scotland and the north of England, only once have I come across a clean before you leave policy. It was absolutely miles from anywhere. They said it on the site, so no emailing days before, they also mentioned the rule was because of the remoteness of the house. It was also very cheap for what it was.
Am hunting for the actual house now. I remember it because of the cleaning rules. Which went onerous just rare.

Glad you’ve had a nice time @DragonMamma. The cctv inside would make me very uncomfortable. They should have made you aware of it. Tbh I think I would have covered them.

If they are difficult about your deposit, Ud start making a complete fuss over the CCTV, where the footage is stored, has it been deleted, invasion of privacy ( especially children and swimming pool )
Sounds a vile place to rent tbh