To think holiday cottage company is taking the p**s

[HettyMeg]

We don't stay in holiday cottages very often so I don't know if we are a bit out of touch. But the one we're staying in has got a list as long as your arm of things we need to do before check out, including strip the beds and place all bedding and towels in a bag for laundry. It also says categorically do not put glass bottles in the bin, but there is no recycling for glass or information about where to recycle so we just need to take them home with us. If you get makeup on a towel you will be made to pay for a new one, which seems OTT to me as they can surely wash out a bit of foundation?!

None not nine!

We stayed in one in France which stipulated that the dustbins be empty, which was frankly ridiculous and meant we had to drive off with a car full of rubbish and recycling as naturally bin collection day did not coincide with check out day (and in fact was at the start of the week like a day into the stay). We also had to drive around for ages as the town seemed to have paper and plastic recycling bins in one place but glass in an entirely separate location.

I think it's fairly standard these days to be asked to strip the beds (albeit the ones in France seem to require you to make the beds too) albeit a bit annoying, and I expect to empty the rubbish bins (in the house, not the actual dustbin) and leave it tidy, but I would be annoyed at having to do more than that / not be able to leave the dishwasher on when I leave.

Another former self-catering-cottage cleaner here..

We'd always prefer guests to leave the bedding on the beds! Far easier for us to spot any problems (rips or tears as well as stains) and not a hugely time-consuming task to strip the beds.

Similarly, would much prefer dishes left in the dishwasher for us to put away, rather than left in the cupboards (we would often have to re-wash cutlery/ crockery/ glassware to ensure it was properly clean for the next guests).

We had up to 6 log cabins to clean; there were usually 2 or 3 of us. As well as the basics that needed done every single week, we'd also fit in some extra deeper cleaning (eg washing the windows) whenever we had spare time left over.

The costs of the cleaning always used to be included within the holiday let rental fee. I agree that airbnb has changed things, mostly for the worse, and think this is why greedy/amateur owners now seem to charge high 'cleaning fees' on top of the rental, and at the same time seem to expect the guests to clean everything. The only way to combat this is to vote with your purse, and stop booking these places/ using this kind of platform.

I've really started avoiding holiday cottages for these reasons. The cleaning demands are huge and they still charge a cleaning fee. It's a HOLIDAY cottage, the clue is in the title and it doesn't feel like a holiday if you have to spend the last evening cleaning and get up extra early to complete all their complicated tasks with recycling etc the next day.
We're considerate and tidy but I find them unreasonable and am starting to look at hotels more favourably especially as you often get a breakfast included.

Personally I would not use Holiday Cottages
Co.uk.
They are all about the MONEY, their customer service is dreadful. Nice at first until they have your money.

This is why I don’t stay in cottages or air bnbs - if I wanted to clean, I’d do it at home for free!