To think many people have confused their paying holiday rental with house sitting?

[HeleenaHandcart]

Back from a week away and I’m starting to give up on UK holiday homes.

I obviously am happy to respect the property and be generally clean and tidy, but more and more I see higher and higher costs and higher and higher cleaning expectations. As well as earlier and earlier leaving times.

I don’t want to work as an unpaid house keeper before a long drive, nor generally add towards upkeep of the house I’m paying a ton for. I used to strip beds for example, but not with kids and an early leave time as well as wanting it all bagged up it’s a bit much before 9am. Frankly I’m not watering anything either. Now as well more and more places say you must leave by 9am, yet can’t enter until 5/6pm due to ‘cleaning’ but you must clean the place fully. Bins out and a list of chores for you.

Last week I was asked to be in for the washing machine repair man even (I said no). It’s not a bloody holiday- it’s house sitting and paying to be a house-sitter. My particular annoyance is stating ‘all surfaces to be cleaned and wiped, including the bathroom’ and they don’t leave a single cloth or cleaning product in the property. It’s like they also expect you to either purchase or bring a house cleaning kit.

Oh and ‘quirks of the property’, stuff that generally requires extra work to use stuff like ‘each day the windows all must be opened for 10 min’, ‘the shower cubicle has a daily water mark spray’ or ‘the boiler needs x, y…’

Its time to go back to hotel stays

I’ve never had this but I absolutely am not willing to do that level of cleaning. I’ll wipe the surfaces in the kitchen and load the dishwasher but that’s it.

The other thing that annoys me is when somewhere advertises itself as dog friendly, pay an extra fee for the dog and the cleaning it may cause - and then when you get there, there’s a whole list of rules about the dog! “The dog is only allowed in the kitchen” etc and no dog bowls provided so you just know the previous guests have given their dogs the human crockery.

Yes!! We've been going to the same holiday home for the disabled with hoists for years. Not subsidised , we are expected to leave the house completely spotless, take our rubbish to the local tip and also had to wait in for the washing machine to be delivered and plumbed in . Despite its amazing location we are never going back. It's bloody difficult housecleaning a whole house while meeting a profoundly handicapped persons medical needs ( when you've also been up with them through the night ) And - once we are crammed into our disabled van , having to put bin bags around her wheelchair and go and queue at the local tip to take the rubbish . I come home feeling like I need a holiday from the holiday . Tired just typing it 😂😂

staying in for a repair man? that's taking the mick imo! I understand they don't want their house trashed, but they can go too far. I assume they have to have insurance for damages anyway?

If there's a cleaning fee, the only cleaning I will do is take the trash out. I'm not wiping sides, vaccing, etc.

I haven't noticed so much of an increase in terms of cleaning demands, but I have noticed more and more "rules", mainly aimed at keeping disturbances down for the neighbours. I understand that, I don't think it's generally unreasonable, but it can make the place less appropriate as a holiday destination. I think AirBnB need to require owners to put all rules on the property listing and shut down cleaning requirements if there's a cleaning fee.

Same here 😢Sykes are gobbling up a lot of the smaller,local agencies.I will never deal with them again.
We actually approached the owner of the cottage when this happened and we now rent directly from them,saving money into the bargain!Worth a try?

They do this because the sites charge no commission on the cleaning fee, so it is a way of increasing the fee without paying commission.

I think Air Bnb owners think that we're all in fear of the bad review. I paid £599 to rent someone's shed last week in the Uk for four nights. They acted like they were putting us up out of the goodness of their hearts! My SN DD had a small accident, I offered to pay obviously, they declined to accept the money but suggested that I told everyone I booked with in the future about my daughters autism. Sod that! I can't take the fear of a savage review anymore. Had one before about not replying to messages quickly enough (I work full time) and one for moving their dryer balls from the tumble dryer to the space on top of the tumble dryer!

@Zagan so you pay them the £200 and then when you've left they either give it back or keep it depending on whether you match their cleaning standards. They don't keep it in a special account I don't think. Just goes to the agent or host.

I’m happy to strip the beds and run the dishwasher but that’s it. Avoid Air BnB for this reason.

I’ve found 10am check out, 5pm check in and strip the beds yourself has now become the norm because of “covid”, which is quite irritating since there is no way they’re doing any extra cleaning.

I think most Air BnB owners live in fear of the bad review. I know I do.

We actually risk being removed from the platform if we get bad reviews. I fall over myself to.please guests.

I hate this newish development as well. Checkout has become so early that we have on occasion just left the evening before, as the final morning is pure misery (I.e. cleaning) anyway. I’ve recently rediscovered hotels and there is no going back.

I cancelled a holiday last year and lost the deposit. The cleaning fee was £50 and they had a list for cleaning, I messaged and asked where the Vacuum etc are kept. They said there’s no vacuum 🤔 how are you meant to vacuum floors with no vacuum 🤷‍♀️ or are you now meant to take one on holiday with you and you had to take your own cleaning products. Check out was 9am. They then posted pictures of one cup in the sink and the clean dishes on the drainer. With a long message of, we might name and shame these disgusting people if you leave a holiday home like this I wouldn’t like to see the state of your house. It was awful and the amount of comments calling them a tramp etc was shocking. I thought fuck that I wouldn’t of been able to enjoy myself so we went somewhere else with no cleaning demands.

The only way a lot of families can afford to go on holiday is to have the ability to cook ... and many don't fancy sharing a hotel room with their children if they don't have to.

I think what would suit a lot of people is a good quality aparthotel - so 2 bed apartments but with hotel facilities- you get quite a lot of them abroad but suprisingly few in the UK - people end up with cottages or pure apartments- which can be very hit or miss- this is where places like Butlins and Haven or centre parks I feel have an advantage if you pay for the top end of what they offer - although I appreciate they aren't everyone's bag!

I agree completely, last Airbnb we rented we couldn't check in until 4pm and has to be out by 9am. The one before that cancelled the booking with less than an hour before check in due to a family emergency!

Any advice on searching for a suite at a hotel? We only book flats so that we have a separate room with DS securely tucked up, I'd like to compare the suite costs but booking.com seems to think that just 3 beds in a room amounts to it being a "suite", so it's quite a time suck trying to go through options.

I've never had too much of a problem with Airbnb stays we have chosen regarding odd rules or cleaning beyond what is reasonable. However I am with you on the check in and out times taking the actual piss when you pay for 7 nights and the check in gets later and later and check out earlier!
Bloody ridiculous. I don't believe people can't do a decent clean if check out is 11 and check in 2 say. I actually paid for an extra night once just so we could leave at a reasonable time but that depends on what bookings they have.
I booked a couple in Spain this year and all the owners have been very chill about adjusting my check in and out times to suit flights or onward travel a breath of fresh air.
I think some of the problem is uptight UK owners.

@MRex try using the filter for'aparthotels' sometimes their are good suggestions

We got invited to somewhere in north wales by some family and god, it would have made Fawlty Towers look like the Four Seasons

the owners lived on site and clearly wanted to keep a close eye on everyone, and would randomly pop up at intervals
They were so incredibly nosy about our plans, it felt like a constant inquisition about our dinner plans, where we had been during the day

Everything was mismatched, appliances needed a ‘knack’ to make them work (read: were absolutely knackered by the owners were too tight to replace them) and I would put money on being a fire hazard (and of course they don’t have to legally fire test like a hotel has to)

and they had a mad spaniel who absolutely stank and would appear whenever we sat outside

if anyone is tempted with self catering near Barmouth, I can give you the name of a place to avoid like the plague

Yes!
Agree
In France in. Dated caravan we had Madame burst in at 9am rudley inspecting and demand ing cleanliness

We did this on our last UK holiday. I couldn't be arsed getting up early, doing all the cleaning and then the long drive. So we cleaned and packed over a leisurely few hours after dinner. Left at 9pm, drove on lovely empty motorways and the DCs got a midnight McDonald's which they thought was the best thing ever!
I didn't even resent paying for a night we weren't sleeping there as the beds were awful compared to mine. I think this may be the way we do it from now on!

@TheGrumpiest Yes some do act as if they are doing you a favour. We have paid you a lot of money. You are not doing us a favour. A favour would be letting us stay for free.

Thanks, I'll give it a go

I've never understood the urge to rent houses or villas. Give me a good full-service hotel any day

The private pool, the space, everyone has their own bedroom, getting a drink that has cost you pennies from the supermarket instead of ££s from a bar.

Eating when and what we want to eat and the lack of people around you.

Dh has had several operations and he is conscious of the scars. He won’t go in a swimming pool when other people are around

Hotel rooms I just find stuffy and expensive.

also I don’t open my windows at home.

i have in door cats and where we live isn’t the safest area for cats even if they wanted to go outside.