Airbnb host check out demands - AIBU to ignore

[Senseonhorizons]

Been staying in Airbnb for last 3 nights, out of many, many we have stayed in this is our worst experience. There are lots of positives about the place, however it is f'ing freezing. Non functional heating on one floor so bedrooms were 12 degrees and we were all so cold in the night and now are ill, may or may not be connected.

I did contact host re heating on arrival and was given a load of instructions that don't work.

I have now received list of tasks to do on check out, none mentioned in property listing. They include stripping off beds and taking all sheets and towels downstairs, emptying bins in kitchen and bathrooms and taking to bins half way down the lane.

I feel like f'off do it yourself. We paid enough for the place. I know people did it in covid with sheets etc, but there is absolutely no reason to now

AIBU to ignore their demands?

How is it rubbish? There are plenty of lazy hosts who don't use outside cleaners. Not all change the bedding between guests. Especially after short stays. The ones who ask you to strip the beds are not going to be the ones reusing the sheets.

I think the original point of having a separate cleaning fee on AirBnB is so that it benefits those staying for longer, rather than building it into the nightly price. Generally, there is a similar amount of cleaning if someone has been staying 2 or 5 or 7 days. Same number of beds need changed and laundered, same usage of towels, all floors will still be hoovered and mopped etc, so it seems unfair for those staying longer to have to pay a higher nightly price.

However, I think it riles people - we don't charge a separate cleaning fee anymore, and have just put up our prices across the board and don't accept shorter bookings.

A lot of people perhaps don't realise what is involved in cleaning a holiday let to a high standard. Most professional laundries will charge at least £15 per bed, and it takes me & my cleaner 6 hours to clean our holiday let between us. It costs minimum £135 per changeover.

I think being asked to dispose of rubbish to an outside bin is reasonable - not even cleaners relish the idea of coming across used nappies, sanitary pads, ear buds or condoms, or the remains of last nights dinner when emptying rubbish - especially if it has been languishing in the bin for up to a week in the summer . When our cleaners arrive to our own house I would never expect them to empty bins and always do it before they arrive.

I find there is a 50/50 split of bed strippers - we don't ask people to do it, but appreciate when it has been done. Towels in the bath is miles better than damp towels left on beds or floors.

The heating situation is dreadful and you should complain about that.

Surely though, as an air b n b host, if you're expected to actually clean the property on departure (!) if you plan to re-let the property the same/next day and want to save on using cleaners, you'd have to be satisfied with the standard of cleaning left by the previous people staying there. If you weren't, then what would you do

As a PP just said, you'd leave longer between the hires (many already leave about 6 hours anyway) and not rely on guests to do the cleaning

And yes of course the cost of this should be included in the price - it is after all a business - but doubtless it appeals to some to then load on another charge, especially if they hope to pass the actual work onto the renter and enjoy the tantalising possibility of keeping some of the deposit too

Long since stopped staying in any Airbnb. The list of demands was kind of fine when the price wasn't more than I'd pay for a hotel, but now just feel like it's a waste of my time faffing with the checkout and having to hope the owner isn't a fruit loop.

@NigellaAwesome I have worked as a cleaner, Emptying bins really is no big deal. The issue is people who leave used condoms in the bed or used sanitary towels on the floor.
I would not book anywhere I needed to empty the bins.

I've stayed in tons of self catering places and have never stripped bedding. I will always empty bins though, and make sure it's tidy. The no heating would be a big issue for me, so I would flag that up.

Fair enough if it doesn't bother you, although if it isn't a big deal, then I don't understand why that would be a barrier to booking somewhere which may otherwise be an ideal place for you to stay on holiday.

AFAIK Airbnb now have any check-out instructions available for people to see before they book.

@NigellaAwesome because I think so many air bnbs owners are taking the piss.
You do know any cleaners who clean houses routinely empty bins?. It is not an unusual part of the job.

I do. £200 gets me 2 nights lodgings, full cleaning service, housekeeping and breakfasts.

I look on Airbnb and that just covers the nominal "cleaning fee" that I pay £200 extra for the privilege of doing myself.

I've had an Airbnb account for 6 years now, and up to last year I've checked it for a better alternative every time I've booked a hotel. I've never used it and have given up even looking about a year ago.

It’s not in Somerset is is by any chance? 🤣

It takes just as much energy to remake the beds as it does strip them. If you are going to be all ‘I’ve paid enough’ about it. Just get out the bed and leave it.

I disagree.
Throwing the duvet back over the bed is a two second job.
Taking the duvet and 2-4 pillow cases, and removing the bottom sheet takes longer. Make not be a really long job but it's definitely much quicker to just throw the duvet back into place.

I always wonder too if you're supposed to remove mattress and pillow,protectors in these rentals.
If not, I wonder how many guests between each wash.

I wash the mattress and pillow protectors from our spare room between any guests, I'm suspecting this isn't the case in many holiday lets.

I do now most of the time, unless the people we are travelling with insist on otherwise. Hence having used Air BnB twice - both times with friends which they booked. I cannot be doing with the list of jobs to do, the increasingly early check out times and the extortionate fees if you do request a later checkout than 10am.

We used to use holiday/cottage lets many years back when dd was small, in the uk and abroad. Never had to strip beds back then where we stayed, and we never paid an extra cleaning fee - it was, I assume, just part of the total rental cost.

I think it depends on how much you've spent and where it is. I have a little Airbnb and it's so quiet at the minute. I've never controlled the heating or turned it off, guests will only mark you down. Also, I hate people stripping the beds. It's normally when they've got something hide. Never go to an Airbnb with a professional host. I live down the road so I do my own deds, bins etc but the increase in utilities really stings. I would, at the mo earn more money renting out full term. Just give them 3 stars. An owner would get that for not having enough Olive oil. I'm not really surprised about the heating at this time of year but certainly dragging the the bins out and doing the beds isn't really on...they possibly don't earn enough money to pay someone to do that. Sorry you had a bad time. P.s when you look at what they charge per night, it probably has a 20% booking rate. Like everyone else.

@Longma no, ime (sister cleans holiday lets) you don't strip the protectors off.

Re bins, people are gross and leave all sorts of disgusting things in bins and just laying around. Unwrapped used sanitary pads snd tampons, contact lenses glued to the bedside table. Dirty nappies.

That’s standard to have to do at the end.

lack of heating is bad, though tricky to deal with if you’re leaving

Maybe they could rename it AirBnC. Instead of the breakfast you get to clean. AirBnB has always failed on half the task of being a B&B.

Seems more like air pu&fo - pay us and...

I would leave a one star review tbh. You should’ve just booked a b and b.

I agree. As an owner...with only one property can do that for myself. At least when they leave, with all that for me in the bins I don't need to get a plumber in!

I wouldn’t even consider not emptying the bins before I left. I only strip the beds when asked but make it obvious which beds have been used.
Used towels in the bath or shower floor

How is it rubbish? There are plenty of lazy hosts who don't use outside cleaners. Not all change the bedding between guests. Especially after short stays This is absolutely gross!

Apart from wheeling the bins down the lane- how far is that?
the end of a driveway for collection seems reasonable - beyond that, less so.

Same. Amazed at all the people saying that stripping bedding is a standard request! I stay at multiple AirBnB and other self catering places per year and am never asked to do this.

I would suspect all individual hosts leave their homes immaculate. Especially as they normally live next door. Not always brand new, but clean. And do bathroom bins. I really don't mind doing them as it's part of my job. I just wish I had more travellers in!