Why don't holiday cottage companies do these things? AIBU?

[TheStroppyFeminist]

I have been searching for a holiday cottage for next year and so far haven't found the right one but FGS, why don't cottage companies:

1. Show you a floor plan? I want to see where each bedroom is in relation to other bedrooms because of snoring etc
2. Show you the bathrooms properly? I want a huge walk in shower and I want a separate attachment as well but you can hardly ever see whether there is one
3. Insist on a 10am checkout and a 4pm or later check in? It's annoying and we sometimes leave the day before to avoid getting up early

I also won't empty bins or strip beds, I'm on holiday! AIBU? What are your self catering hates?

YABU, understandable, they CBA
YANBU, they really should provide this info

@SnaggingaSalmon @Nadeed Can you not just say no parties?? NB We didn't have to pay for the wine glass and it took us 25 mins to clean the kitchen and do the recycling/rubbish. We didn't have to strip the beds (but I pulled the sheets back even though I was sure there was no underwear!!) and I had cleaned the bathroom last night but checked it today! We left at 9.30am.

@TriciaA1991 you can say no parties and no stag and hen groups. You just can't say no all women or all men groups.

I rent out a place by the coast so this is good intel. Floor plans a good idea - our agent has never offered to do this (nor any previous ones we used).
Check-in/out - ours is 4pm/10am which does sound late, but our agency uses cleaners who go around many properties on changeover day so they need that time. Surprised that many say they want beds stripped, bins out etc - at ours you do none of that. That’s what the cleaners do.
We do allow dogs but don’t have a massive list of rules - just a stair gate to say keep
them downstairs at night please. That seems to work.
Small walk-in shower - saving up for ‘large’.
We do have a book as testimonials are really useful for feedback and future marketing.

Our visit to a Sykes holiday property comes to an end on Friday. This morning I received a long email list of commandments (including bed stripping) to follow before we check out. The housekeeping agency has also been in touch twice, reminding us about the Good House Keeping Bond, and how they will do an inspection after our departure, before deciding whether or not to charge for any extra cleaning.

I recall renting from Sykes toward the end of COVID, and it wasn’t this stringent, even then. I think we stripped the beds,but that made sense given the pandemic.

Since the we’ve stayed with Coquet Cottages, Aspects, Cottages.com - and never had anything as heavy as Sykes have been this week. Or maybe it’s the owners of the property who are orchestrating all this, who knows. But I’m now a bit on edge about the inspection and bond, even though we’ve made no mess and haven’t damaged anything. There were a few things that didn’t work properly, we reported them straight away to the housekeeping company. But I expect that the rental fee we paid should cover a normal clean between guests?

I don't think I could relax in some of these cottages

Our visit to a Sykes holiday property comes to an end on Friday. This morning I received a long email list of commandments (including bed stripping) to follow before we check out. The housekeeping agency has also been in touch twice, reminding us about the Good House Keeping Bond, and how they will do an inspection after our departure, before deciding whether or not to charge for any extra cleaning.
You should have been told about that at the time of booking. That would put me off for sure.

There’s definitely something in the booking conditions about the bond, although it was a long way down the page and I confess I didn’t read all the small print. And if I look at the property listing now, on Sykes website, it mentions the bond at the very bottom of the listing, literally the last thing that’s mentioned. And I’m not sure of the definition of ‘extra cleaning’ - yes we’ve occupied the place for a week so of course it will need cleaning, but we haven’t spilt or damaged anything, and the only meal we’ve prepared in the kitchen has been coffee/toast in the mornings. So I’ll have to wait and see.

Totally agreee my husband is disabled after. Stroke and I need to see where the toilet is and how much space there is around it,and the same with showers and beds.
a recent place the toilet was so tiny I struggled! We had to make a make shift commode to get through the week as there was no way he could get in! Also the bedroom had so little space around the bed - less than a ft - ridiculous!

If you ever want to go to south Wales, I can recommend an amazing place. Really accessible and so beautiful and quiet.

Could you share a link?

I have a favourite cottage I holiday at. Every time I'm leaving, I wash and dry all crockery and cutlery, empty fridge strip beds but leave linen at top of the stairs. I wipe all surfaces... I can't carry the bin contents out as have disc disease but the cottage owners are happy to do that. They are lovely people 🏠

Sure. https://www.walescottages.com/unique-holiday-cottages/riverside-holiday-cottage/

Not all are accessible but I think two are. We stayed in the smaller one by the river.

I notice they now have floorplans too!

Thanks, it mentions being suitable for / accessible to wheelchair users, but it looks like there’s no dining table, only a breakfast bar with bar stools?

Is the breakfast bar height adjustable to enable wheelchair users to use it?

find self catering pnn my aces in France more demanding than the UK. In the uk, as long as beds are made, plates in dishwater (switched on), and the place is reasonably tidy, you’re good to go. In France, they want the place cleaned and tidied.

That's interesting. But I'm guessing self-catering accommodation is cheaper in France than the UK.

This wasn't my experience at all at our recent French AirBnB stay.
She asked us to empty the bins, including taking bottles and food to the village central point, empty the dishwasher and wipe the side down.
That all seems entirely reasonable, especially as I knew the place would be vacant after us. You can't leave anything about which would attract bugs (or worse) in that warmth.
We did strip the beds, which is something I always like to do in case there's a pair of pants or caught up, and it ensures you check under the beds as well.

Good point...
Not that I remember. The stools were repurposed from farm machinery/tractor stools. They may have been adjustable but I somehow don't think so.

I have mobility issues but not a wheelchair user so don't think I noticed so much.

We rented an apartment in Germany.
The owner is being berated by the local council for not charging ' tourist taxes' on her place
You pay tourist taxes in some hotels in Spain ( Majorca etc) which is so many euros per person in cash !
The council is axing some local bus routes bex

.. posted too soon , because people are not charging tourist taxes ! Something else that'll be brought in no doubt ( for renters and not just hotels )

Most places that say they are accessible are not. There are some face book groups where wheelchair users share holiday tips and they share details of truly accessible hotels and cottages.

Before DH had his knees replaced we had to book a place that had a bath so he could soak if/.when he got baker cysts and a bed with no foot board so he could stick out the end, photos helped no end.

We had to pay a daily tax on a recent trip to Italy

Speaking as a host (without onerous check out chores!), I’d be more concerned to know the holiday let complies with the latest fire regs (Oct 2023), PAT testing, gas safety certificate, EICR etc.

So would I!

But guests and the hosting platforms like Airbnb aren't bothered it seems.

We stayed in one last autumn that broke every rule in the book. Having just had the full risk assessment done on my own let, I was fully up to speed and this place was scary. Had a fire started downstairs, there was no way we could have got out that way. We wouldn't have known about it either until too late as the only smoke alarm didn't work and even if it had, would not have gone off in time due to its positioning.

The only way out would be via the bedroom window and to jump onto the hot tub cover (the water in that was never tested either!). Relying on a fire brigade rescue would be pointless, it was far too far for them to have got to us in time.

Shocking! This is where the industry needs regulation like in Scotland - a registration scheme to sign up to showing your holiday let is fully compliant. Hopefully it’s coming which means the dodgy hosts will have to shape up or ship out!