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?

I do :)

If I’m paying a cleaning fee no way am I cleaning. That’s literally what I’m paying someone else to do. I’ll tidy up as I go along and wipe down the surfaces I’m using etc. but I’m sure as hell not stripping beds, emptying bins, vacuuming or anything like that. That’s what you’re paying for. I don’t pay a mechanic and service my own car. Bonkers.

Airbnb owners SHOULD give precise instructions for guests IMO. They can’t read your mind. I think Airbnb should make it mandatory for listings to include what guests should do in terms of tidying/cleaning, so you can make an informed decision when booking.

Stripping beds isn’t standard IME outside of the pandemic period. I make sure there’s nothing perishable in the fridge, leave dirty dishes in the dishwasher and take the bins out when I leave. When you’re paying a cleaning fee (often hefty) I think that’s perfectly adequate.

I don’t understand the argument that guests should do cleaning tasks to give the cleaners more time. Why not just give your cleaners the time and pay to do a thorough job, including both deep cleaning and things like stripping beds?

OP, I’d definitely apply for a partial refund. Hoping the weather warms up is not an adequate response.

I don’t understand the argument that guests should do cleaning tasks to give the cleaners more time..

Quite. Why shouldn’t the cleaners do it to give guests more time? Who’s paying here?

Your post is contradictory. On one hand you say I SHOULD give precise instructions, on the other hand you say I should pay my cleaners extra and not expect the guests to do anything.
I don't expect the guests to do anything so there are no instructions for me to give. I just appreciate it when they do leave the place reasonable but if they don't, my cleaners will deal with it.

No such argument was given. The poster inferred it due to their poor reading comprehension.

It’s more about the position in the market. In the old days lower end rentals might ask for stripped beds (in some cases people would take their own bedlinen and towels), and you might be asked if you wanted to clean yourself or pay for a final clean. At the higher end though, cleaners were always expected.

What has changed since the advent of Airbnb is that properties of all types charge a cleaning fee. Once you do that you cannot ask your guests to clean as the expectation is that it will be done.

You said: it is always very appreciated if they can leave the place tidy-ish as this means the cleaners can spend their time doing an extra deep clean.

If you need a deep clean as well (why would you mid season?) then pay your cleaners to do it. You didn’t say they should do it, but it’s not even necessarily helpful.

Having had a property abroad where the bedlinen was sent off to a laundry company - if beds were stripped and the bedlinen lumped together it just created muddle which took the cleaners more time.

For me there's a difference between not leaving a mess and cleaning.

I'm dismayed when I enter my Airbnb and find overflowing bins, rubbish and chunks of food on the floor, glasses and cups left everywhere, spills not dealt with etc. I think that's good manners not to leave that. Think, would I leave a friends house in that state. I feel personally slighted when I find my place like that. It's actually upsetting.

Floor crumbs, dust, a slightly sticky work surface, sand (we are next to the beach) some muddy footprints if it's been raining, toothpaste in the sink is all fine and part and parcel of living. I would expect to find that and it get taken care of as part of the cleaning fee

I hate to find my beds have been stripped. I don't ask and only 1 guests from nearly 100 stays have done it.

That's fair enough - at home I do it every second sheet change myself - but in a rental place I'd at least expect it to be clean, which too many simply aren't

For me, if hosts want to charge "professional prices", they need to provide matching services, and a quick run over with the hoover/wipe round with a damp rag doesn't count

My comprehension is fine, although thank you for the snotty comment.
Your comprehension, though...

I said 'Airbnb owners'. I didn't say 'you'. For even more clarity, though, I'll reword and expand: I think everyone using Airbnb should have to put in their listing the exact details of what if any cleaning and tidying they expect guests to do.
Separately, I think it's a bit passive-aggressive of you – here I AM talking about you – to not give instructions, but then say you appreciate it if guests do some of the cleaning work themselves. And by inference that you prefer those guests to ones who haven't read your mind or don't think cleaning is part of the deal when you've paid for a holiday.

And if your cleaners sometimes don't have time to do a full deep clean because they have to do other cleaning tasks, then clearly you need to either make it very clear to guests what cleaning they should do, or allow your cleaners more time (and therefore pay them more) to do it all.

I totally agree! Stayed at an airbnb property recently with those times. It was a 2 night break, cleaning fee £65 (it was a small chalet so wouldn’t have taken hours to clean). It actually wasn't that clean when we arrived - cobwebs on ceiling, sweet wrappers under bed etc.

I usually strip beds when I go away but this time I decided not to in protest! I did wipe surfaces and empty bins though, so wasn’t a full on protest!

I've always stripped beds in self catering, also means unused bedding doesn't have to be washed again, same as emptying bins & putting dishes in dishwasher. I don't do other tidying. However, I've not got kids, and there are only 2 of us, so far less hassle than with kids. On the plus, if you're the person after me, the cleaner will have time to clean more thoroughly. If they didn't say & especially if there are kids, then leaving is fine.

But, again, why should a cleaner in this scenario not have time to do a thorough job in the first place? It just sounds like owners are trying to minimise the cleaners' time spent in the place and therefore minimise what they pay them.

I don't mind this (your own experience notwithstanding – that's obviously not acceptable).

The window gives cleaners and owners time to sort out any nasty surprises they might find. And I stayed somewhere a while ago where the host did her own post-stay cleaning, in her lunchbreak from work, so couldn't come to the flat until a certain time of day ie she needed until 3 or 4pm or whatever it was.

I once stayed somewhere with seven pages of instructions including - cleaning the glass shower surround after use with window wiper things, water plants (!) ridiculous list of recycling way beyond what we do at home, list of rules about shoe wearing (not allowed) bedding to be stripped put in special bags labelled coordination and carried down two flights of stairs to the front door 🤨each bed! There were five in total.
washing instructions for individual pieces of crockery and cutlery. Warnings that coasters must be used at all times everywhere or a fine will be issued or repairs bill for any damage whatever was greater. There were cameras everywhere outside but pointed towards the house which were creepy and made us feel ‘watched’ all of the time.

They provided beds but just with a cotton sheet! So if we wanted duvets we had to make them up ourselves. Used food in the freezer and cupboard 🤢

Dreadful experience!

I'm actually completely happy to water plants, although I prefer it if it's in the listing so I know in advance, and I always assume shoes aren't allowed in the property (I'm shoes-off at home and I don't feel relaxed if I've got them on indoors). I also stayed in one place with a wet room-style shower where they asked us to use a squeegee on the floor after showering. Fair enough.
But seven pages is very excessive, as is the special bags, how to wash individual items, coasters etc.

And the cameras I hope you left a factually informative review and feedback.

We raised it with air bnb ‘luxe’ as the cameras were invasive. We have teen girls that didn’t love them

Did you get a response and solution? The only reasonable thing would for the host to get rid of the cameras or not be allowed to use Airbnb any more.

We were ‘fortunate’ that we happened to see a rat trying to get into the house - he lived in the BBQ so we had a strong case to say we were pissed off as we had photos - got a £500 refund but it was a lost holiday as we couldn’t relax! Apparently he is allowed cameras for security purposes…

Oh, that's shite.

This is not normal. This is the sign of a cheeky owner who does not want to pay cleaners.

We always strip the beds, leave used towels and bedding together, tidy, empty bins and make sure it’s as tidy as we found it, it’s just basic good manners and consideration but we are tidy at home.

I think the whole attitude of we’ve paid enough… they mortgage, insurance, utilities will be costing a fortune, if you don’t like the price then don’t book but don’t leave it messy in retaliation.

@MarkWithaC A lunchbreak for one person is not enough time to give a place a proper clean. That is change the beds, put out clean towels, quick hoover and a very quick wipe clean window.

Stripping beds and taking out your own rubbish has been normal for decades in holiday lets. So yes, YABU!