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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Holiday home left in a real mess

353 replies

BigOldOakTree · 02/01/2020 10:16

I wonder if I can call on the wise of Mumsnet to help me with a question? I manage a couple of holiday homes and we've had a very busy Christmas. I'm not new to this and know the ups and downs of this business. Our guests in one of the cottages over Christmas were given a complimentary welcome pack on arrival, I'd checked beforehand and they were vegetarian so it was catered for their diet. The cottage was decorated with a real tree and I went to a lot of effort to make it warm and welcoming for them. It is a five star holiday cottage and they paid quite a lot of money to stay, but they did receive a lovely property (in my opinion). It's not my cottage but I take a lot of pride in making it nice.

There are a few basic instructions, nothing too bossy, but the main one is please bag up your rubbish and put it in the outside bins on departure. When I went in to clean it after they'd left I've never seen anything like it in three years. It was utterly disgusting. All of their rubbish was in the house, some bagged, some not. They'd moved furniture around. The bathrooms were not fit for a dog. The kitchen was full of dirty pots and pans, food on the counters. The place was a real mess, not just the things I've written here. I couldn't believe two adults and two teenage children (older teenagers) could make such a mess.

We won't withhold their deposit as it could all be cleaned (even though it took me 7 hours to get it back to how it should be) (3 bedroom, 3 bathroom cottage). This is because it will only lead to a negative review and that is so damaging to the business, but am I being unreasonable to think this is out of order?

OP posts:
ItsNovemberNotChristmas · 02/01/2020 10:32

You should have withheld the deposit, don't see the point of taking one otherwise, and put the photos online if they leave a bad review. If the cottage is 5* and as nice as you describe then I'd have no qualms about booking it

Original poster
BigOldOakTree · 02/01/2020 10:32

We'd withhold the deposit if they'd damaged something beyond repair, there have been occasions where we've withheld the deposit, taken photos, and had an almighty row with the guest (who was entirely out of order).

@Wheredidigowrongggggg
Regarding bins, it's not the cleaners job to empty your bins. If, for example, the property couldn't be cleaned on the day of departure, or even a few days after, the bins would be stinking. That's why we ask for bins to be taken outside. 99% of guests do this.

OP posts:
RedHelenB · 02/01/2020 10:32

I expect a holiday home to be clean when I arrive. I dont expect to have to clean it at all myself as I am on holiday. Having said that rubbish would be put in bags and I woukd wash up etc.

ClutterbuckFarm · 02/01/2020 10:33

Some seemingly normal people just think that if they are paying for something then they can forget all about basic decency and social standards. These are the same halfwits who will turn up at a nice coffee shop with their delightful children and leave the place with food mess all over the floor and table. They will think that as they’ve paid for coffee, a servant should come and clean it all up.

These people are frankly scum.

FabLaura · 02/01/2020 10:35

I think the guests were very unreasonable. We always leave the place as we found it and sometimes slightly cleaner as I hate dirt.
I have though been away with friends and they totally think it is acceptable to leave places manky. When I start bagging up the rubbish they get the right hump. I now issue orders so I don't have to do it all, and lucky they're used to it now Grin

Original poster
BigOldOakTree · 02/01/2020 10:35

@RedHelenB I don't expect it to be as clean as it was when they took it, and don't expect them to clean up, just not leave it in a state. I always clean the holiday home after guests have left, regardless of how clean they've left it. But this was something else.

OP posts:
EvilPea · 02/01/2020 10:36

I leave holiday rentals better than I leave my house. It’s not mine so I want to look after it. Some people are just scummy

I can see why you didn’t want to withhold deposit, if you can do anything else though make sure you do that.

MirandaWest · 02/01/2020 10:36

What would guests need to have done to not have the deposit returned?

IAmcuriousyellow · 02/01/2020 10:37

Did the guests come through Airbnb or direct? We get some through them and you can wait for their review to come through after 14 days (if you want to do this you don’t review them when prompted). After this you can respond to them. If you’ve already reviewed you can’t respond to theirs. There’s also an option to decline to host them in future, without them knowing.

There is a place where you can identify troublesome guests for the hospitality community. There’s a group on fb called just that and people share their horror stories (and some very good advice). The best tip I got from there is to buy a little ozone generator which you plug in and it will clear smells in the room. Cooking smells, smoke, food smells, it works really really well and cost about 20 quid.

But yeah they’re rude and ungrateful, I’m sure you made it really beautiful for them to have a lovely Christmas. Make sure they don’t come back! And tell your local business networking groups about them.

listsandbudgets · 02/01/2020 10:37

That's awful OP.

As a general rule when staying in holiday cottage I do the following before leaving

Load and run dishwasher ( ir wash things up and leave to drain)

Wipe surfaces

Sweep kitchen floor

If I have time I run the hoover round as well

Strip beds

Ensure bathroom is at least bot covered in toothpaste and there are no mucky bits in toilet

I'm not the cleanest tidiest person in the world but I would at least try to show some respect for the place I was staying and whoever had to clear up after me.

BlueCornsihPixie · 02/01/2020 10:38

Of course you empty the bins inside at the end of a stay in a cottage!

They are twats. You know this. I think you should have withheld the deposit, they know there's no recourse for their behaviour so will continue to do this at other properties. Of course you should blacklist them! Sounds like they trashed the place pretty much, you can't have them back.

Original poster
BigOldOakTree · 02/01/2020 10:38

@MirandaWest - damaged something beyond repair. Broken a window or furniture. Wilfully damaged something.

Things like accidentally breaking a plate or glass are all part of the cost of the holiday, we wouldn't charge for that.

OP posts:
Ginkypig · 02/01/2020 10:39

It's disgusting to treat someone else's property like that!

I think you should definitely blacklist them and I would probably also have a quiet word with any of my friends or if I was close other let owners in the area in case they tried to book with them one day. (Like if they try to book with you again and realise they can't so try somwhere close by)

In terms of the bin though I always get a bit confused now due to recycling.
Some places tell me to put the bag outside but other tell me to leave it so they can sort it. The best ones for me have an outdoor bins clearly labelled (Andy easy to use not hidden behind a spidery wall!) so I know which bin holds what, that means throughout the time I stay I can recycle as I go.

listsandbudgets · 02/01/2020 10:39

oh and empty bins..

LEELULUMPKIN · 02/01/2020 10:39

I understand your reasons for withholding the deposit however they will now just go and do it to someone else as they have no consequences this time around in behaving like disgusting skanks.

Appletreehouse · 02/01/2020 10:40

We always self cater. To answer on expectations:

  1. washing up - would never leave it, but don't always empty the dishwasher. We pop it on to clean as we're leaving normally so its clean not dirty crocks left in.
  1. Bins - usually take out kitchen bin rubbish but may not do the last one of our stay. I don't empty bathroom or bedroom bins (unless it had nappies in)
  1. Furniture - if we moved things around for travel cot or seating in lounge to suit us we'd put it back
  1. Clean and tidy - we don't go on holiday to clean so I don't wipe out microwave/toaster/oven but do wipe down worktops as part of general washing up etc.
Nanny0gg · 02/01/2020 10:41

As you can counter, with evidence, any negative reviews (and if your cottages are so lovely I'm sure there are many positive ones) I fail to understand your returning of the deposit.

It should have no impact on your ratings and will send a very strong message to that client who has got away with impunity.

Does the cottage owner agree with your way of thinking? Because I wouldn't.

RhiWrites · 02/01/2020 10:41

I’ve picked YABU because this post makes no sense to me.

Yes, some people are spectacularly messy. No, you won’t find anyone here who says it’s acceptable to be that messy.

You say in all your years of managing property you’ve never seen such mess. But you didn’t take photos, you didn’t charge for the extra cleaning. You’re not going to contact the guests - although you might secretly blacklist them (which will do nothing at all).

Why are you here? To say it’s disgusting to be messy? That’s so pointless.

Equanimitas · 02/01/2020 10:43

Is the property let through an agency? If so, let them know so they can blacklist these people.

BlueCornsihPixie · 02/01/2020 10:43

I always think a cottage should be left as you would your own house before cleaning it.

Everything tidy, furniture in the same place you found it. Surfaces wiped, floors vacuumed, rubbish outside and washing up done. If I have made something abnormally dirty I will clean it.

It will need to be cleaned regardless so I wouldn't do any actual cleaning like of the bathroom. But there shouldn't be extra jobs for the cleaners to do, such as washing up. It shouldn't be obviously dirty or messy

Frenchfancy · 02/01/2020 10:44

I understand why you didn't withhold the deposit. In 16 years in this business the only time we had a bad review(and it was very nasty) was because we took money for damage.

I no longer take a deposit for family groups, it just isn't worth the hassle.

I have seen properties left like that, but it is rare. It all comes down to respect. These guests have no respect for you or for the property. They think they have paid so can do what they want. I like to think that karma will repay one day.

Dieu · 02/01/2020 10:44

If they're that manky and unreasonable as people, then it can't be guaranteed they'll leave a good review anyway ... despite their deposit having been returned.

CatteStreet · 02/01/2020 10:45

Oh dear, OP. You've been a complete pushover and sent them a terrible message.

Absolutely don't rent to them again.

We make sure we leave holiday rentals pretty much as we found them. We don't do a full deep clean, but we wipe over the kitchen sides, give the floor a quick sweep and perhaps hoover, maybe wipe the bath/sinks. We also strip the beds. Washing up done and put away, fridge empty and clean, and rubbish out is an absolute minimum, surely?

Original poster
BigOldOakTree · 02/01/2020 10:45

Yes the cottage owner agrees with me entirely having had to deal with the negativity of previous examples. As I said, it was cleaned up and is now looking as lovely as ever. No permanent harm, just a few hours extra cleaning.

I was just wondering what you all thought? Perhaps I'm over sensitive about the cottages because I manage them, I wondered what the normal opinion is. I know how most people leave them, but rarely speak about it to guests.

@RhiWrites thanks for your constructive comments.

OP posts:
Ginkypig · 02/01/2020 10:47

Iv just seen your update.

I wonder if they had planned to some of it in the morning slept in and when you arrived they felt they had to leave even if it was a pigsty.

The best places Iv stayed are when I leave the key somwhere so if I run slightly late I can ju Stay the 10-20 mins to wash the dishes or sort out the few bits Iv missed without feeling I'm going to get charged late checkout.