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?

You’re probably right! I’m just trying to see the best of a dog awful situation!

That’s why aparthotels are so brilliant

No cleaning, clean towels, bedding changed
Facilities to cook lunch etc

I don't really see the comparison. A hotel is no good if you want to do self catering, or don't want to be all stuck in one room together for a week having meals at set times. confused
A holiday let is much better for coming and going as you please.

Oh, we self-cater in hotels. We're out a lot. We just load stuff on our Fire stick and plug it into the hotel TV and watch fun stuff as a family in the evenings.

Crazy - I would never expect to have to do this - the holiday company is being cheap and taking the mick - not OK

@Egghead81 I like aparthotels, particularly abroad. You get the extra space and not having to share a bedroom with your DC, but also have amenities on tap and it's nice and impersonal so no forced interaction with the owners or weird rules. You do pay handsomely for them though generally.

@osbertthesyrianhamster

I don't really see the comparison. A hotel is no good if you want to do self catering, or don't want to be all stuck in one room together for a week having meals at set times. confused A holiday let is much better for coming and going as you please.

Oh, we self-cater in hotels. We're out a lot. We just load stuff on our Fire stick and plug it into the hotel TV and watch fun stuff as a family in the evenings.

TBF we never cook in a self catering property, bar breakfast some days. it's nice not to be tied to a time for that. I think when the DC were tiny it was ok in a hotel room all 4 of us but not as they got older and we all needed our own space on holiday, and a bedroom each.

It’s not normal to do more than take out the trash, strip the beds and leave the dishwasher running in a uk holiday cottage.

Stripping the beds and leaving the laundry bagged up is a covid thing and perfectly reasonable.

I help a friend look after holiday lets. We wouldn’t expect guests to mop up etc but we do actually expect you to leave the bloody place in the manner in which you found it. Dirty footprints, mud, dog hair, human hair, dishwasher full of dirty pots, crumbs and food stains and broken crockery is taking the piss and you’re all dirty bastards. Presumably you have cleaners at home and are simply incapable of seeing your own filth.

Disclaimer: I realise this is not everybody and yes, I had a filthy house to do today. Some people are just minging.

I would expect to leave the place tidy but also for the owner to clean the place between guests. I'm guessing that they've had some people leave the place in a real mess and they think this will make you leave it in better condition. Are they holding a deposit?
We used to have European teachers from a local English language school staying on our top floor for a week at a time and they always left the rooms clean and tidy but didn't often strip the beds for us. We just gave the place a quick clean before the next lot came in.

@thatsgotit

What the actual eff is going on with these 'inspections' people have experienced?? What happens if you just refuse to go along with that?

Sheesh, I never knew this went on. What a way for the proprietors to treat paying guests.

We have vowed to never stay at a place where the owner is 'adjoining' or 'on site' and certainly not ones that involve them coming around to inspect the place before we leave!

It would be lovely to be able to inspect some of the filthy houses we have to deal with before the ‘guests’ have left but sadly they’re usually gone by 10am so we can get on and clear up their mess.

We always make sure fridge is clean kitchen surfaces wiped bed linen stripped and towels placed in a neat pile
Always leave remotes ,guide books etc where we found them
Leave bathroom clean and wipe bath and sink etc

Empty all bins

With Covid you absolutely need professional cleaners! Also, if they had said “please leave the property clean and tidy” or similar wording, I think that’s reasonable. It then should go on to explain that there will be a professional clean to ensure the next guests are protected as much as possible. I pay for cleaning as part of my contract with the letting agents, which obviously the renters pay. No one expects great cleaning from holidaymakers but reasonable cleanliness when vacating is good manners.

They should try harder, perhaps instruct you to paint the walls or perhaps fit a new bathroom or kitchen?

Covid regulations did mean guests were asked to strip beds and leave linen for collection. The cleaning was also taking longer as a result of more surface cleaning.

I do all the basic cleaning and leave by 10am. Next people in from at least 2pm or later as cleaners are in during the day. No way I'm doing a deep clean!

No one needs to do a deep clean, generally the house has only been used for a week since we were last in. We do try and do it occasionally though.

The last thing I want at the end of a holiday is to do cleaning. Absolutely not usual or reasonable

No way ! You pay for all of that in your fees to rent for goodness sake! All you should have to do is leave in a reasonably tidy state , by that I mean no food all over the place bin bag tied up etc , the cleaning beds etc is NOT your job! Are we to assume that people who need full care make their own beds now because of covid ? Of course they don't !

God, this has brought back the stress of trying to clean a French skiing apartment with NO materials or equipment, prior to a 6am departure.

We rented a house and were expected to clean it. We moved in to a not cleaned house and there weren't any cleaning stuff for some of the jobs. First aid kit was also three years out of date. We did some bits but didn't stress about the stuff we couldn't do.

In France though there is normally a discount if you clean and bring your own bedding etc

They are probably using covid as an excuse, tell them you will leave it tidy, but you aren't cleaning.

I've got a holiday home - I ask them to strip the beds and do their washing up and leave tidy. I have a cleaner that does the cleaning- I would cancel

Involved a bit in rental cottages. If someone checks out and switches on the dishwasher and puts the bins out I basically think they are the best humans ever. Bed linen is fine too in Covid. Asking people to much more than that is really cheeky IMO.