To think you shouldn't have to spring clean a holiday cottage?

[Takemetomiami]

Staying in a cottage booked through one of the large companies. I use a lot of air bnb and it's standard to leave the place as you found it which I always do.

In a holiday place booked through a company I clean the sink/loo, rinse bath, make sure fridge and bins emptied, wipe down kitchen surfaces. I assume they have professional cleaners coming in who will do a thorough job.

This morning got email from the holiday company with a long list of jobs including stripping beds, mopping through, cleaning shower, basically "leave it spotless". Is that now expected?

Not usual!!! That's absolutely ridiculous. I'd be appalled.

Exactly as others have said. I'd strip the beds and wouldn't leave dirty pots around but I'm not doing a full end of tenancy clean!

What happens if you just don’t do it?

I'll wash up but that's as far as my cleaning would go.

We were made to arrive later and leave early in the summer due to Covid and it needing a “deep clean” they’d barely shoved the hoover round - dirty floors, sink toilet etc! Fuming.
They offered to send a cleaner later that week - but we couldn’t leave it. Didn’t even get a discount!

Stripping beds is normal ime. Leaving the kitchen and bathroom clean and tidy by emptying bins washing up empty the fridge and quickly wipe down surfaces is also normal but I've never scrubbed them clean. I have never vacuumed or washed the floors.

I think the jury's out on bed strippers. I've always been in two minds when a guest and I usually leave it and leave the bed 'kinda made'. Some hosts also say they like to check for 'stains'

As a host I prefer the bed to be left 'kinda made'. Some linen is mine (lovely duvet covers and pillow cases) and some is hired so if it's stripped I have to riffle through a heap of stuff and check it rather than creating my own orderly pile so I don't send my v expensive linen back to the hire place. Also it's a 3 minute job which I don't mind doing and I know it's another think off the list if my guests as they are struggling to pick, leave and get transport.

Unless specifically asked I probably wouldn't strip.

@Holly60

What happens if you just don’t do it?

I suppose the risk is that if you've paid a deposit, you won't get it back.

What shocks me is the people who say they've been told they must clean, but aren't starting with a clean property to begin with.

Surely if a house is cleaned properly every week, and probably thoroughly out of season and isn't filled with normal possessions, it shouldn't actually ever get particularly dirty?

Yes the deposit will be forfeited.

What annoyed me last summer, even more than the extra cleaning, was the change to arrival and departure. Arrival was changed to 7, from 3pm. For a family property it was a nightmare, forcing rush hour travel (weather wasn’t the best and everywhere was outside). It also messed up dinner plans for the kids. We ended up losing a night and arriving the following morning.
Then on departure they wanted us out by 9am, with a massive list of extra cleaning rules.
We ended up this time booking a lodge on a caravan park and it was far less stress. Still arrived at a friendly quiet site for 2pm and left at 10am with the usual standards expected. No stress and a lovely quiet location

Yes I experienced this too. Yet the charges were the same.

What was annoying about it was they expected it to force people to leave early, I had two emails and a text whilst there asking if I’d leave the night before so they could ‘let the cleaners know’.

I host an Airbnb and charge a separate £50 cleaning fee. This pays the cleaner a decent hourly rate. She also washes the bed linen, towels and tea towels. (2 bedroom, 1 bathroom self contained apartment)
I could hide this by increasing my price per night to incorporate the fee. I pay the £50 directly into her bank account.
I do ask that guests leave used towels in the bath. I’ve also recently introduced a request that the beds are stripped. (To comply with Airbnb Covid cleaning regs)
However, people are on a break. The cleaner leaves the place sparkling clean and aired throughout. I don’t want or expect guests to mop, vacuum, dust etc. I certainly wouldn’t book somewhere that did either. No chance.

This is what I do and I’ve had no complaints from owners:
1 Everything back in its place
2 Washing up done and put away
3 Bins emptied
4 No visible spills, crumbs, stains etc anywhere
5 Bed linen turned back but not stripped (would only strip beds if asked)
6 Used towels in a pile in bathroom.
I would not vacuum, mop or dust unless there’s a spillage. We’re on holiday!

Oops 😬 meant to add fridge emptied too.

When I've somewhere, I make sure I clean up as I go and strip bedding and put it with towels for washing but thats it, never been expected to do anymore than that.

Those of you who think it abnormal to be expected to leave holiday accommodation in the same state as you would expect to find it have probably paid a premium to cover the costs of a cleaner within the accommodation price. I suspect that most of us hiring caravans or cottages are used to those expectations. I wonder if this difference in attitudes could be a North/South thing? (Puts on tin hat...)

bedding and towels was just to make it easier for the owner and only very quick job but I didn't have to do that bit.

It sounds more like a Covid risk assessment response. I know a guy who owns a holiday cottage and he has been told by local authorities to do this because it's meant to limit the cross contamination of the cleaners going in and having to gut it putting them at risk, it's similar to the fact that some places won't open toilets because of the cleaning regime included with cleaning after every customer. As it is they do usually do another clean to be on safe side but they are asked to request that you strip beds due to bodily fluids and mop places where any bodily fluids may have culminated. Probably not down to the business themselves so I'd take no offense. I'd do it anyway out of courtesy especially with the current pandemic. But maybe it should have been worded a little better. I know my friend explains that it's due to Covid precautions and current risk assessments and that he'd like to ask that people respect this.

Doesn't sound like a good holiday to me

I go away to escape cleaning and domestic chores

But that's why I hate self catering: rather have hotel

Stayed in lots of cottages/villas over the years and it really varies. They need to make it super clear when you book and not surprise you with it after you've arrived. The only time I had to properly clean afterwards was in France and they came to check on us. Not the most relaxing end to a holiday. By contrast, we were leaving a villa in Lanzarote and the (British) cleaners arrived and (nicely) told me off for wiping the surfaces, saying I'd put them out of a job!

I sometimes think I'd like to run a self catering place and I think of all the things I'd do to make it the best experience for customers whilst being fair to whoever has to clean up afterwards. On my list would be: wash up and put away everything you used; put back anything you have moved; report anything broken; leave nothing of yours behind except non perishable cooking items like oil, salt; gather all linens and towels together. That covers everything I think.

We ask guests to open windows, strip beds and wipe down kitchen surfaces and put the dishwasher on. We don't expect guests to do much more. Before Covid guests were not expected to do any of these things.

Hell no to that! Plus I wouldn't be happy to arrive on my holiday wondering what the previous holiday makers did to clean up after themselves...
YUK!! Their standards of cleanliness could be a lot different. The Owners should be doing it or employing a cleaning company.

Surely for Covid purposes they have to do a very thorough clean anyway, so I don't see the point of this. The most I expect to do in a holiday cottage is make sure all the washing-up is done (or at least the dishwasher's loaded and switched on), strip the beds, tidy round generally, wipe kitchen, bathroom and table surfaces, and maybe sweep up any crumbs/sand etc on the floor if necessary. If they expect you to do a deep clean they should make that very clear before you book, otherwise they can't impose it as a requirement.

Leave it as you expect to find it. Cleaners are just that, they shouldn't be expected to clear up the mess some people think is acceptable. It's common courtesy to leave it as you find it and I 100% agree with a cleaning deposit.