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 😞

Places I've stayed usually include a cleaning fee in the cost.

The hot water thing is odd.

Swimming pool and wood burner yes if only for health and safety.

Cleaning absolutely not!
We rent via Airbnb and Sykes and only sleep six.

It takes me a full five hours to clean to guests standards. Buffing taps, sinks, ovens, kettle, toaster and door furniture takes ages, makes such a difference and is WAY beyond guest responsibilities.

Definitely forward that email to the agency and question it.

Hot water should never be restricted either unless notified prior to booking.

Hot water would do my head in - we often go out hiking, running or biking in the morning and want to shower early afternoon.

The rules do seem harsh, I can only assume they have had problem guests in the past.

I never rent of properties without a good amount of reviews, they often point out stuff like this.

I left a review for a holiday let last year. In amongst all the good stuff I wrote, I mentioned a factual aspect of access that would be an issue for less physically mobile renters.

My review was not published and subsequently I realised none of the previous reviews I had read when choosing mentioned it either. In hindsight it feels like they are actively suppressing that aspect, potentially in order to get more unaware renters who are then stuck wit it, and no prior warning.

I would be straight in the phone to the agent about the cleaning and hot water. I’ve stayed in many holiday rentals and whilst there has always been an expectation that you don’t leave it a mess, do the washing up and take out rubbish I certainly would not expect to clean the venue thoroughly. The agents need to speak to the owners about this.

Take a lot of photos of how you leave it. I'm paranoid now after one bad experience. Or do a walk through with them at the end

Honestly you and most posters are reading the hot water issue incorrectly.

As one PP pointed out, the times will be when the hot water is being heated up, between times it will stay hot. The only issue will be is if all 10 of you have massive baths / showers between 10am and 5pm. Its not that you can't use the hot water, it is that more won't be heated up outside of those times. Our water is only timed on 6am-8am and 6pm-11pm. They want it to be 'booked in advance' so they can adjust the timers is a family needs it different.

We've twice rented a cottage out for 8 of us. Second one was fine (and ironically much 'posher' than the first).

The first one .... wow. Nearly put us off ever renting a holiday home again. A number of small instruction pamphlets left around the downstairs referred us very strongly to the Main Manuel which was in the middle of the dinning room table - so impossible to miss.

The list of things they expected us to do before departure (10am) was verging on funny. It included cleaning the skirting boards!! Plus lots of threats about extra charge and bad reviews of US on the site as renters if we didn't comply. If we had done everything on the list it would have taken about 4 hours and left NOTHING for a cleaner to do.

Ironically when we had arrived on our first day the cleaner was still in there ... cleaning? and we were left an hour waiting to enter the property. God knows what she ever finds to do if even half the tenants follow the manual

I am confused that several posters have said that it is standard to thoroughly clean before vacating. What sort of places are they talking about? Any house that we have rented is thoroughly cleaned by a professional team prior to our arrival and then again on our departure for the next people. It is all in the cost. £3.5K for 3 nights should cover the cleaning fee. What sort of holiday let do you stay in where you clean? We do normal stuff like putting the last minute things in the dishwasher but that is all. It is all going to be redone anyway and we sort of keep the places pretty decent whilst we are there so nothing is filthy.

@BuzzShitbagBobbly Yes, The worry about the threat of being given a bad rating as a renter was what stopped me leaving a bad review of the cleaning expectations of the property we stayed in. If that makes any sense!

I've stayed in holiday rentals where the written instructions were very unwelcoming and verging on unreasonable - some owners have a very unfortunate tone. However I have always had my deposit returned.

You say this is a new rental property (no reviews), so possibly the reason for the overly stringent instructions is precisely because it's new and the owner is terrified that for NY she will get a group of people getting pissed and trashing the place, setting it on fire, or drowning themselves. I doubt there will be any comeback as long as you leave the place as clean and tidy as you would usually.

As it's an agency you've used before, you could send them a copy of the instructions for their info. Then if by any chance the owner does raise a complaint, they can see their requirements are not entirely reasonable.

We used to have a rental property in Orlando. We had some absolutely awful guests who left it in a terrible state. Plates of food left under beds, hole in an internal wall, bbq tools thrown in the pool leaving rust marks, towel rails hanging off, toilet basins cracked etc.

We sold the house in the end as people were pretty disrespectful of it and it was soul destroying to have to keep repairing and replacing things.

We would ask for the house to be left clean to discourage this kind of behaviour. We always had a professional cleaner in after each guest, but having had to spend 7 hours clearing and cleaning ready for the actual cleaners before, every little helps as the cleaners only have so long for each property.

I think these owners must have had similar problems and so are trying to minimise their losses. The water thing is odd, but people have probably in the past just run off loads of hot water, leaving the owners out of pocket. Nothing at all would surprise me these days. It’s not a money making scheme by any means, you usually use any profit to maintain the property and buy new furniture etc. They usually just pay for themselves, leaving you to have a few weeks a year in it yourself.

I hope you have a lovely time on your break and try not to think too baldly of the owners. They are probably just trying to protect their house.

They just want you to pay their cleaning bill.

I wouldn't go! After paying that it's CFery.

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?

Absolutely. We have rented dozens of places over the years and I'll make sure all the dishes are washed up, towels in the bath, beds stripped if that's what they've asked us to do, bins/recycling put out. That's standard. But I would not expect to be cleaning.

I don't understand how they can issue terms and conditions after you have booked. Isn't that changing the contract unilaterally?

The cleaning thing is bonkers. I always leave places tidy and clean but never do bathrooms apart from general decent state or mop floors. And I always get rave reviews from landlords for how I've left it. I'd say 11am check out is a bit more reasonable.

I get the rules for the stove and swimming pool.

I'd also speak to the agency. They can't condone this kind of change to the rules after booking surely as it doesn't put them in a good light.

I accept the point about the pool, they also threaten (another) charge if the water level drops below a certain amount.

I wonder how that gets topped up.....

We stayed somewhere like this once - nightmare! We didn’t realise until we got there as they left all the instructions in a welcome pack, along with signs pasted all over the house! We were terrified to let our children move as they specifically left notes saying things like “do not let the children put hands on the walls” (they basically didn’t like children, so why they had a room with kids bunk beds and a cot and advertised themselves as a family-friendly home I’ll never know).
We left slightly veiled feedback in the visitor book and noticed that the visitors book was full of similar comments and the home owner had actually written in their own visitor book extra notes like “this guest left the house filthy!”

We didn’t go back and I’d never recommend it. I suggest you make new plans.

Have you contacted the agent? What does it say in your contract? If no cleaning and hot water rules were specified before booking, the owners can not enforce these rules. If you run out of hot water, I’d be requesting a partial refund.

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.

It would have to be a massive tank. Our tank could do one full bath, one hot shower and then a slightly tepid one with no more hot water. The timings rely on people going through from 7am to allow water to heat up.

(Of course there may be electric showers in which case the water may be enough)

fully expect the cleaners to take it from cleanish to visitor ready, surely that’s factored in to the price we pay

I would have thought so, yes.

I also think hot water should be on demand.

What's with all the capital letters shouting at you? Is this a sideline to being school-teachers?

We always leave places clean, but not 'new renter' clean.

Exactly. Every holiday let, even private ones, tend to have a cleaner come through for a few hours. If you have a big party and leave it in a total state so the cleaner needs to stay longer then sure you should pay extra for that but some cups and plates in the dishwasher and the bathroom scrubbed to perfection I wouldn't normally do.

I also think I'd be expecting limitless hot water for such an expensive, large property, especially one with a pool!

Did they just spring this list on you? The cleaning thing rings alarm bells. I don't pay to go on holiday to do the cleaning. Leaving it tidy, yes, but full on cleaning, nope. I would video all of it as you walk in because they're planning to swizz you. I'd complain to the agency TODAY. The hot water is totally not on. Who hired the place? I'd be very displeased with this. It's a business, not a favour. They're taking the piss. Just want the money.

Their having had problem guests in the past is not the problem of present clients.