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.

A hotel I worked in.. Someone complained about a tiny snail on the outside of the window 🙄

Have you not read her posts or are you 4 bigger than her 4 🧐

Now that is bat shit. A snail on their bed then sure but outside the window 🤣🤣

Worn non-stick pans are toxic, both from the non-stick surface particles that get into the food being cooked, and from the exposed (usually aluminium) surface underneath. There is no excuse for them but I see them all the time in cottage rentals. I bet the owners wouldn't cook in them themselves, so why would they expect a paying guest to tolerate them?

I read it incorrectly as someone pointed out...I then confirmed that mine is also four beds, and is cleaned - to a clearly far better standard - in less than half the time.

OP's cleaners are taking the piss. They're not even dusting the aga, which is not only pretty unhygenic it's also potentially dangerous.

PP stated that it’s a character cottage without new kitchen etc so priced accordingly. For that price I wouldn’t go with high expectations of a brand new show room standard. If it was then I assume it would be priced much higher. All others have left great reviews so it can’t be that bad

Sounds like the sort of place I like to stay!

@Hellohelga apparently yes 😢

I completely agree with this , i expect good quality kitchen equipment in good condition too.
Cottage rental is hardly cheap and i want home from home .
I expect it to be spotlessly clean , warm with no whiff of damp ,true to the photographs advertised with good quality bed linen and towels.
I expect the same conditions that i would give if it were my own property.

Less than 100 pn for a 4 bed cottage?
The reviewer is absolutely taking the piss. Yes replace pans but then put it from your mind. Theres always people like this and you need to grow a thicker skin. No refund.

This is a giggle as always.

I suspect most people’s 4 bed homes cost less than £100 per night to maintain 😏

Cost should have no effect on cleaning or state of utensils.

Agree.
Damaged non-stick pans are a health hazard. Well most types of non-stick pan are toxic, but they should not be used at all if they are damaged. I don't use normal (teflon type) non-stick pans for this reason, and I would be annoyed to find them in a holiday cottage if they were the only pans . It’s not the owners fault they get damaged, as pp has said, always use the wrong utensils in them. But I think it’s better to get good quality normal pans.
Lichen on garden furniture, is this on wood ? I would think this was attractive and a sign of clean air. Not a problem at all. I would not be bothered by paint marks on a floor.
The pans are the only thing that I would be bothered by. Everything else sounds totally fine, they sound extremely fussy !

It wouldn't bother me at all. The worn pans are the only real issue - I don't cook when I go self catering, but I can see if you did want to use the pans you wouldn't want the risk of ingesting the Teflon or whatever's flaking off. I certainly wouldn't be leaving early because of that, though - and I wouldn't even notice the rest, I don't think.

Some people go through life looking for complaints to make - it's almost a hobby for them. Others are continually angling for refunds and discounts - you've been unlucky that they chose your lovely cottage.

I have family I stay with down that way but if I didn't I'd certainly stay there.

We had very bad experiences in the 70s, 80s and 90s with self catering. We bought a touring caravan so no cleanliness issues, other issues though. Did touring for 32 years in different vans. No complaints.

How can paint splatters on a floor interfere with the enjoyment of your stay? The kitchen cupboard is also such a minor thing - I don't see how that could have caused a problem either to be honest. The pans could be an issue - but instead of leaving early and making a fuss they could have contacted you while there so you could organise replacements through your management team. Lichen on garden furniture is not really an issue - it's what happens when furniture is outside - were they in good condition otherwise and comfortable - did you have cushions? Some people just love to complain.

£650 for a week is a bargain. If someone wants 5 star luxury with brand new appliances and spotless corners then they've chosen the wrong place to stay - and would need a much bigger budget.

Glad to make you smile 😃.

I always base on vs hotel cost and theres literally no hotel anywhere in England ( or most desireable places in Europe ) that you can stay in for £25 per room per night.
This is seriously cheap accommodation.
If it was that unpleasant reviewer wouldn't have stayed even one night.
My 4 bedroom house and garden costs significantly more than 100 per night to maintain and I do not not live in the Cotswolds.

This ! Lichen is beautiful and not ‘dirty’. One of my favourite gardens has wooden furniture covered in lichen as the air there is so clean. Like mossy lawns, I find lichen an attractive thing in a garden.

I think she and DH had a massive row. Flounced home and her complaints covered her ass.

Get the cleaners to take date and time stamped pics when they are finished their shift.

I wouldn't take it personally. Just go down once more and stay there for a night or two if you can to test everything out yourself.

Some people would complain about anything. She could have taken pics and shown you herself - for a quick return visit by the cleaners.

I'd say her own house is probably an awful tip anyway 😊

no pics so ignore her moaning

your key sounds a bargain for the area and size

Spanieljoker · Today 17:10
** we’ve lived there full time 4 years so yes I think of it as my home still

golly do you think of every house you have ever lived in as "home"?

its depends. I don't want to sit on it!

If it's pretty affordable I wouldn't have a problem except for the pans.
That's not because I expect things really new or high quality in an affordable place - specifically, degrading non stick coating would make me afraid of what was ending up in my food and I wouldn't want to use them.

Well, one bad review will harm your business.

Do what I suggested- get your friends to stay for a week and get frank feedback.

OR post it here and we can take a look.

Pans is a bit of an oversight and is disappointing but I do think walking out is dramatic. Perhaps make a note to self to clean the furniture ahead of the start of summer next year and have a check of the standard of cleaning after it's done every so often so you have better peace of mind.

I stay in a lot of self catering cottages and the rest wouldn't offend me, as long as the property was clean where it mattered (eg: not inside a cupboard) then if I had myself, chosen an older or character property I would be generally quite accepting of these things, especially if the price is at the lower end. If you want it immaculate you need to choose a modern property with no nooks and crannies.

I am astonished the cleaners said they could not afford to return. You have paid them to do a job.
I would check out some local cleaners who have a more professional outlook. And who are clear about how they deal with issues that crop up.