To think this AirBnB review was unfair?

[QuiteDisgruntled]

Recently stayed in a studio apartment with kitchenette (fridge, sink, hob, small worktop). Washing up liquid, paper towel and sponge provided but no other cleaning equipment.

Before leaving we washed breakfast things and left on drainer. Wiped surfaces and table, stacked placemats and scooped up some crumbs from the floor with my hands.

I’ve just read the host’s review which says “OK, but kitchen left messy”. I’ve checked other reviews from the host which are all in the style of “great guest, recommended!” so it’s not as though they’re generally leaving picky or negative reviews.

Honestly I’m baffled - I think how we left the place was perfectly acceptable. Am I missing something?

Especially when they expect you to clean AND pay a cleaning charge!

There is a shortage of cheap, affordable housing. This is in part because houses are brought up by people who then let them as Air BnBs. This takes them off the market as actual houses. It also means that properties in desirable areas like seaside towns can charge an even higher premium to buy as they know people will pay it and make the money back off renting as a holiday let.

*houses here is used as a catch all term for accommodation

As for OP - leaving the crockery on the side was likely the problem. Some people consider that messy. And I'd never leave a property with items out drying. They are in the way for the cleaners for a start.

I once had a review chastising me for stripping a bed. That explained why I found hairs in the bed! Airbnb is a total crapshoot.

Crockery on the side? Owner should leave tea-towels! I’d leave a comment along the lines of ‘disappointed to see this comment. Without tea-towels or dishwasher, sweeping brush, and dust pan, we left the kitchen as clean as was possible.’

So let me get this straight.
They charge you a substantial cleaning fee.
Then they insist that you clean it to their exacting standards — and if you don’t, they drag you in THEIR review of YOU???
That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.
FTS.
It’s a hotel for me.

I think the whole Airbnb thing has got quite difficult - used to a cheap and "different" option to booking on something like booking.com - so places that were not available elsewhere, with the premise that you left it exactly how you found it, and abided by their rules published when you got to the property. Now, on AirBNB there are cleaning charges (causes mis-understandings) admin fees (OK) and the owners often have their place on sites like booking.com at similar prices, with fewer rules on both sides, although sometimes a deposit is taken. For what it is worth, I think you have to leave the space EXACTLY as you found it. Dishes on the drainer, dishes in the dishwasher, bins full, recycling for someone else to deal with, stuff on floor, furniture re-arranged, stuff in the fridge, stuff in bathrooms, all a no. Bedding and towels, you have used them, so either comply with instructions to strip or leave them tidy. However sad it is, throw away or take away "leftovers" however unused or valuable (my DD would be cross at me for this, she is a cleaner at a holiday resort and loves it when the holidaymakers leave stuff - including bottles of alcohol, full toiletries, full food items untouched) but most owners see it as debris that needs to be got rid of. It is very annoying when they do not leave you with the means to clean with (vacuum, dustpan and brush, mop for example). If you don't like cleaning up after yourself because it is your holiday time (and this is not directed at the OP) then stay in a hotel or an apartment that does it for you in the price, and I say this genuinely without shade - everyone is different.

Hotel or proper B&B for me everytime too.

I'd rather give local people my money and business than out of town rich folk just making money out of our beauty spots.

Ah, sorry I meant to add to my already too long post that if things are wrong when you get into the place, you must take photos and communicate. Not in a whingey way but in a "it's fine for us, just wanted you to know" - otherwise you get the blame for all of the other people that have gone before you - our experience has been broken blinds, lamps that do not work, glasses missing, hobs that do not work, dirty fridges, stained sofa, dog poo in the garden (we don't have a dog) - nothing that would stop you having a good hol but bloody annoying if you have to take the fall for it in reviews. HTH

Yeah Air BnB can fuck off with this shite.

I would only ever leave a hotel room clean and tidy but I’m not washing bedding, hoovering floors and taking out bins. Especially if I’ve paid a substantial cleaning fee.

who are the mugs buying into this?!

The infuriating thing is when they charge a huge cleaning fee, then expect the guest to do the cleaning for them...and have an early morning checkout. So you're left having to get up at dawn and do the cleaning you've paid them for while simultaneously making breakfast, packing and looking after children and trying to get food etc. ready for a long train journey.

God! This is why I avoid AirBnB like the plague, it's supposed to be a holiday yet your expected to clean to the nth degree despite them having a cleaning charge. It's a dreadful platform in so many ways.

Sorry, but it is true and your comment is ridiculous. You are contributing to the housing crisis by using Airbnb, it's a well known fact that it is causing a shortage of homes for individuals and families in popular locations. Perhaps not where people are renting a room or a flat above the garage, but when it's entire houses/flats it is contributing to the housing crisis. We just need councils /government with a spine to crack down on it.

I would message and say. "Property was left clean and tidy despite no brush to sweep up. Also paid XX for cleaning fee. "

An air bnb etc should be washing kitchen equipment anyway, you can’t rely on guests doing it, so it should all be shoved in the dishwasher, a few items being on the draining board is perfectly fine.

We rent out via airbnb, the only ‘rule’ we have is to empty the bins when they get full, or ask us and we’ll do it for them, before we asked this of guests we had guests who thought it was okay to use the kitchen floor as bin, literally food, empty microwave meal trays etc just left on the floor, not just one guest either, but quite a few.

The only thing we prefer guests not to do is strip the beds, before we wash the bedding we need to see if there any stains that need treating, its much easier to so this on a made bed, versus a pile of bedding on the floor.

I won’t stay in airbnb anymore after a recent trip to Nice where the “apartment”’was a tiny room bearing no resemblance to the photos, the host charged us extra for bedding for the sofa bed having advertised it as a 2 bed room, no mention in the listing of charges for bedding. Then left me a bad review 20 mins after I checked out claiming they had washed the towels twice and the stains I left wouldn’t come out … not sure how they had time to do 2 full washes in 20 mins 🤪 unhinged, never again!

Yes, you should have put the dishes away in the cupboard.

I stayed at an Airbnb in Dorset a few months ago. The kettle lid fell off into my pot of pasta. I told the owner that the lid was broken and he swiftly replaced the kettle. I mentioned this in my review, that he had been very attentive when we had a problem with the kettle, and had replaced it immediately. I also mentioned that it was a bit cobwebby and that we’d had a couple of huge spiders visit (which the owner also quickly removed for us). He was clearly enraged by my review and sent me a scathing email telling me that I could have admitted to having broken his kettle rather than pretend we found it that way!! I blocked him and complained to Airbnb.

We mostly avoid Airbnb for this reason now. Used it for years and years and it was great. It's a pile of shit now, I'd rather pay for a hotel.

This is the only thing I can possibly imagine they’re referring to but I just find it very surprising that a couple of clean cups and plates left on the drainer is enough to warrant a bad review.

One of the many reasons we'd rather stay in a hotel or b and b, why would you pay to walk on eggshells for your stay? I do wonder if Airbnb is about to run out of steam a bit as a money making hustle....

Was there no vacuum or dustpan and brush? I'd expect to remove crumbs from the floor if there were enough to be able to scoop with your hands.

We've used Airbnb maybe 20 times and not yet had any issues.

Sorry, I’m paying to stay somewhere I’m not scrubbing the place when I’ve finished. I think you’ve done all that’s necessary OP, I wouldn’t be putting the dishes away either!

This is reminding me of the landlord of a holiday cottage we rented, who accused us of loosening the lightbulbs. He said he could see footprints on the pool table.

Pre Air BnB, thank goodness. Imagine that accusation going public.

Mad bastard.

Well I left a comment under the review saying:

”I was surprised to read this as we would never intentionally leave a mess behind. We washed the dishes, wiped work surfaces and swept crumbs from the floor. If we missed something I am sorry.”

Hopefully that makes it clear we are well intentioned and is factual about what we did without accusing the hosts being unreasonable or making stuff up.