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

So they asked you to turn on the central heating to dry their towels on a hot and sunny day in summer

and you said - yes, I’ll turn on the central heating for you to do this? And then when the towels were dry, you turned it off?

You're the one profiting off having an extra property that's used by people who have travelled. Suddenly getting all offended by the carbon footprint of this when - and only when - it costs you extra money rather than making it is pretty transparent.

Good point

I'll be reporting this comment.

I have two holiday lets in my garden that would not be suitable for full time living. It is my sole income and yes I do go on holiday a few times a year. It is my business. A bit like owning a hotel or bed and breakfast.

I have two holiday lets in my garden, it's my business and sole income. So not a good point at all.

Why? Very relevant

I am on all the holiday boards and so aware of you posting about flying and holidays!

no one begrudges your renting out a couple of lets in your garden

But to moan about guest’s carbon footprint but also to post regularly about flying - seems somewhat hypocritical

Do explain. Really don't understand why me going on holiday is a problem for you or related to my business?

I do care about the environment, I don't expect my guests to as some dont and its not my place. I simply don't understand why it is just OK to waste resources just because you have paid for something.

I fly 2x a yr
Clearly I don’t have a problem with flying!

andni have No issue with people letting out properties (I have done in the past and now I love staying in them)

what I do take issue with is hypocrisy. So I wouldn’t call our someone asking for heating to quickly dry towels on the grounds of poor carbon footprint, if I’m then flying to Bermuda 3 days late Later

Oh, I get it. Because I fly I should just not care about the environment at all! I see. Thank you I didn't realise that's how the world works. I'm going to be straight back on the single use plastic now, and fuck those beach cleans. I can also stop recycling, its a pain in the arse anyway isn't it?

I'll use the time I save stalking people on Mumsnet to prove my points. Sounds like a plan.

I don't think that flying means you can't care about the environment in other ways (though two long haul flights a year is going to dwarf anything else you do). By all means do all you can to make sacrifices yourself in other ways. I do think that it makes it hypocritical to judge if someone else's holiday indulgence is to put the heating on and to declare that they should be thinking of the environment, when you really mean they should be thinking of your energy bill.

This thread has been hilarious.

It’s okay to be annoyed about your heating bill - we all are. And no one likes to see their money wasted. But if you are taking loads of long haul flights you are exactly An environmental champion. So just be honest and admit this is about money.

You are hilarious @Movinghouseatlast !

of course you can fly and also do your bit for the environment. As I do.

Many of your guests AREN’T flying - they are holidaying in Uk. But then they are being environmentally greedy with the central heating in your eyes.

It is daft hypocrisy.

it is your judgemental hypocritical stance that I and others posters have picked up. NOT the fact you fly! 😂

I also if I am honest find it strange when people compare their prices to a five star hotel and say their property is 5 star. Because the point of a five star hotel is not just the rooms, but a concierge service, housekeeping who will come straight away and deal with any issues, daily cleaning, room service, amazing breakfast and a nice bar and restaurant. Always a gym and sometimes a pool included as well.

And I would not rent anywhere where the owner had control of the heating. If you rent a house or apartment you should have control of the heating.

You wouldn’t know until you were in the property, and air bnb are notoriously bad for arranging refunds.