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 had a holiday let ( notice past tense ) in the centre of one of the honey pot towns in the Lake District.

one of my first ever guests left a review with low stars complaining the traffic was so bad they had to leave early after 4 days. Well hello… it’s the Lake District on a sunny bank holiday weekend what do you expect ?

as an owner you have to develop a really thick skin and realise that many people are unhinged. I’d love to visit the homes of the people who complained about my property just to see how they normally live !

take it on the chin, swap the pans and move on and try not to dwell on it.

Yes, that's probably the case.

What do other guests think?
I have an Airbnb and the vast majority of guests give glowing 5 feedback but I had one couple who left after one night totally disappointed as it wasn't what they were expecting. They left a bad review which thankfully hasn't put people off as it's one bad one in a big sea of 5. Some people have very strange expectations. Whereas if your reviews come in with a lot of 3/4 star then chances are your property is overall too shabby and dated for what you're charging.

edit the bold was an accident, should say 5 star etc but I can't change it

Llchen on the furniture in the garden means the air is clean. Totally relaxed about this.
Aga; if it's thick, noticeable dust I wouldn't be impressed.
Chipped paint inside a cupboard: meh, as long as it's actually clean.
Pans with worn nonstick surfaces. Not acceptable. Cooking stuff should be in good working condition.
Floor with paint stains from past decoration. Not great; makes it look like the decoration job was slapdash/cheap. I'd put a rug over it or clean it off.

Sounds like the issue is a lack of general maintenance rather than cleaning. Anything old or worn out should be replaced. Paint stains and dirty garden furniture needs a good scrub or maybe jet wash the furniture

Maybe they are trying it on and want a full refund despite staying for a few nights.

At a push I might not be happy with the pans

do you have there profile to see if there serial complainers

there was an hilarious response to a review for a local cafe
they offered a free meal on return not because they were at fault but they felt sorry for her as she’s so unlucky as she’d never had a positive experience in every establishment she’d been to

People are paying to stay.

True some people can be very picky. That goes with the territory.

But, I wouldn’t be pleased with non stick pans that had lost their non stick.
I would not expect to have to phone cleaners either. That is your job. To contact them and ask them to go round.

But to leave because of a bit of dust, pans and paint etc seems rather unusual.

Was there anything else they mentioned but you haven’t said ?

That's brilliant 🤣!

The pans might annoy me.
I think they are trying to pull a fast one. Obviously left early because of personal reasons and hoping for a part refund.

I own holiday cottages.

I don't think anything in your list would make me leave, and I think it sounds like this person is very picky, but similarly I wouldn't have those things in my properties. Having said that, I do all my own cleaning and maintenance so it's much easier for me.

What have other guests said recently?

An acquaintance had a rental and some holiday maker complained about the lack of airfryer. I think people are painfully picky. Just use the oven. Leaving 3 days early is a big overreaction for such minor issues. My mum’s Aga always looked somewhat unclean, it was ancient and only turned off once annually for the service.

Last time I stayed in an Airbnb, I was very disappointed, it was down a steep set of stone steps and felt damp although it wasn’t. There were rave reviews in the visitors’ book, different strokes for different folks, I guess. I’d rather cracking views but my Dh found it and it was in our favourite area, just a poor position.

Sounds lovely to me. Are you sure this isn't a stealth advert for your cottage? 😉😃

Also no - I would never call a cleaner myself. I would get in touch with the owner if I had an issue.

There are easy fixes for most of what you mentioned.

Touch up the chipped paint in the cupboard.

Clean old paint off the floor (try scrubbing with Pink, or use a solvent or white spirit, test on a hidden area of flooring first).

Get rid of the old garden furniture as you've already bought new.

Buy a decent set of cookware. It really annoys me if there's crappy worn out cookware as I and my partner both love cooking, especially when we're away and have a bit more time.

Ask the cleaners to make sure the Aga is gleaming.

Make sure your descriptions are honest and accurate.

I think what you're charging sounds really good for the area and size of property. But do look at what's available locally and check their pricing.

Bear in mind that although most guests will be lovely, there will be some looking to find fault and nitpick over every little thing.

Good luck! 💐

Whilst I normally disapprove of the Air BnB thing of owners being able to rate their customers, if you are one and you feel justified, rate the customer 🤣

so there actually is lichen on the garden furniture? I could live with the paint marks on the floor but not dust in the cupboards and absolutely not worn non stick

Why are you renting it out as a holiday cottage when it could be a long term home for a family?

It was probably that these annoying things were not reflected in the price they paid for the holiday? Sometimes people charge too high a price and customer's expectations are that for that amount it had to be perfect?

I think the pan is the only thing that would bother me tbh.

We stayed in a property that was cleaned by a third party and if I had been the owner I would have disappointed, as I was as a guest.
Mud covered cushions in the lounge, think dust on window sills and on crockery in the kitchen, marks on the paint work on walls and stained duvets and pillows (we were bringing own sheets/covers).
I took photos, cleaned what was bothering me the most/ put away the stuff that was grim and got on with our holiday. The location was lovely, we have dogs so sometimes struggle to find somewhere and it was a good price.
When we left I think it was probably cleaner then when we arrived, the owner asked me to review the property. I left a fairly positive one mentioning the location but that there had been some minor issues with cleanliness and emailed her privately with the pictures taken when we first arrived and listed the things that needed replacing IMO.
I have a feeling she hadn’t visited the property herself in a little while and had been unaware of the state it was in.
The things mentioned by the people wouldn’t have bothered me if I hadn’t paid top money for it, I always go for
mid range- basic due to the kids/dogs combo and the fact we love being outdoors so would rather stay somewhere comfy and clean then top notch and scared yo breathe or use anything.
I used to clean for a living, chipped paint and worn pans wouldn’t bother me as long as toilet/kitchen were clean!

absolutely not worn non stick Same here.

@Helloskeletonface thank you for your message, makes me feel a bit better 🙂 I do think I am over reacting too and I need to develop thick skin just like you said!

Worn non stick pans would bother me, probably not enough to leave but it would be a less than perfect review. Spilt paint would be disappointing as well - but it would depend how much I had paid as to if it was a problem.

Why do you have a home when a homeless person could live there?

@Bulbsbulbsbulbs We’ve had really good reviews too. That the cottage is a dream place etc…