Cottage holiday - Cleanliness

[Spanieljoker]

We have a cottage in the Cotswolds and we had guests staying there. The property is managed by a thirdparty and we had cleaners there staying (4 hours!) and they state they cleaned the property from top to bottom.

The couple left 3 days early because the property was not up to standards…
she claims :

there is lichen on the furniture in the garden

the aga had some dust and one cupboard was dirty (i know this cupboard has chipped paint inside but it was dusted and cleaned) It is an old cottage kitchen and we didn’t renovate

pans with worn nonstick surfaces

floor with paint stains from past decoration

They claim this was too much and they could not have a restful stay and therefore left early?!
I really don’t understand. It is a lovely rural cottage with character. Is this that bad ? It is scaring me and wondering if this business is worth it. If every guest will complain for anything and make our life impossible.

I used to rent our cottage out as a holiday rental and I cleaned it myself so I knew it was clean but people will moan about anything and everything if they think they will get a refund .The company we used to let it said they had professional moaners and they were usually black listed.
Don’t worry about the occasional moaner they were probably looking for the impossible regardless of what they were paying.

Lichen on the furniture might mean it couldn't be used if it was seating.

I wouldn't want worn non-stick pans. Not for the sake of £25 in IKEA — they have a range of hardy pans which aren't non-stick and take all sorts of battering.

Paint spots are easily fixed with decorator's wipes even old ones (I would be annoyed someone hadn't bothered to do this but I wouldn't complain about it!)

I wouldn't care about the cupboard.

I have complained about holiday cottages in the past — for genuine reasons. These are minor issues.

Mine included: In A: A washing machine where you couldn't open the door, kitchen cupboards full of the owner's out of date food, medication and used toiletries in bathroom, problem with cooker. In B: stairs handrail coming off wall. In C: Items missing from Inventory which included essential pillows and blankets and a clothes dryer. They were really sweet and replaced the essential items within 24 hours.

We stayed for the duration in all three and only the first one required any form of compensation. We got offered a huge discount to stay there the following year so we went with that.

Maybe they just want togo home early? Did they get a refund ?

Oooh also to add OP, I had someone leave half way through before and their complaints included;
The toaster and kettle, whilst working and clean, weren't aesthetically pleasing
They were disappointed that one of our free cereals was coco pops, when they are adults
They disliked the cobwebs IN THE GARDEN

People are mad, don't take it to heart

Ahahah. 😂😂😂
I have new furniture in the conservatory for them to enjoy but I am very stressed about the cobwebs. If the cleaners are there in the morning it’s most likely that one will appear in the afternoon. I’ll get plenty of complains for this too I suppose 🤣 but complaining for cobwebs in the garden is madness omg. Crazy

they just sent a long email explaining why they left early and were disappointed that’s all. No refund asked so fingers crossed. I am waiting for their online review though as I’m sure it will be atrocious

To be fair I’ve never been there and I’m not planning to. Just not my thing

Old cottages just sometimes get them don't they, unless you're on 24/7 cobweb watch you're totally stuffed. I wasn't sure what to say about garden cobwebs, I think I replied to the review with "sorry you didn't enjoy the nature in the garden, in line with our love of the outdoors, I don't destroy the homes or kill animals outside, I am so glad you didn't find any inside and that the house was clean and cobweb free" Who is dusting the garden?!

Ahh okay, thanks.

Seems a shame not to tbh, just to see what it’s about - especially if it’s within walking distance. Maybe I’m just saying that because my interest has been piqued though!

I will probably visit when my daughters will ask me I think 🤣

I do love a visit, grab a fancy coffee in the coffee lounge, walk the grounds with the dog for free and then browse the homeware, clothing and farm shops for some light entertainment, it's immaculate and incredibly tastefully decorated but also just who is spending £85 on coasters!? They have a website if you want to play guess the price virtually! You can get a lovely Christmas hamper for a steal at £1000

🤣🤣🤣
Yes the prices are ridiculous I’d never buy anything there. I didn’t know you could walk your dog there though! I might check this out

You can walk right through Lady Bs stableyard which is very very beautiful, and it's lovely and quiet.

Interesting that you mention it as a selling point for your property but you’ve never been!

Dogs on lead I suppose ? I have crazy spaniels

Hi!

I’ve not read all the comments. But have a holiday cottage (old character building). I’m on the fence do haven’t voted. I do a mix of my own cleaning and have a cleaner. I do think my own cleaning is better tbh… and often find other cottages not as clean as mine but I think I’m a bit picky.

Lichen?? Not an issue as it’s a sign of air quality.
Pans - I’ve just changed to cast iron/stainless steel ones because of people scratching them.
Aga - have a Rayburn and they can be a nightmare to clean when they’re as they’re hot so need to be kept on top of.

Other bits - this is difficult to judge. I HATE cottages which feel like they’ve been filled with cheap or random items.

Price wise - often find people on a cheaper deal have higher expectations…

Have you some friends who work in hospitality etc? Ask if they can stay a night and assess for you.

Also some guests are just bizarre… you do get them! Had some last summer who had a meltdown about there being no wood for the fire and no microwave. It’s set out that wood isn’t provided in Summer (it gets too hot) and that there’s no microwave (there’s an oven and an air fryer, as well as a village pub…). Also that she wanted the heating to come on earlier in the day (it’s set for 3pm onwards). Also the house wasn’t big enough for them and that she had to put her dog on a lead as it’s in a village which made her feel unsafe??? Obviously none of this communicated until she left and complained even with my mobile in the property and I live down the road.

Staggering! Maybe they are on this thread berating the OP!

FWIW we live in a country cottage and also often stay in holiday cottages and wouldn't complain about lichen, paint stains etc. The pans would be annoying but happens often enough that we normally take a couple of small pans with us just in case. Your rates seem very reasonable indeed OP.

Sounds like OP's guest is an entitled townie who likes the idea of a country cottage but not the reality.

Where is it again? Wouldn't mind stating there myself for that price lol

Did you go to the cottage to verify?
Did they take photos and share them with you?
TBF..if they are correct, it doesn't really sound like it would be overly expensive to make good.

Can you send me cottage details aswell please

I’m sorry but I’ve been warned about trolls and I’m scared to share the cottage details now 🙄

I think it depends at least in part on what you are charging, and also whether the listing photos represent the reality of the accomodation.