tobe annoyed that the owner of our self catering cottage turns up an hour and a half early on check out day?

[NigellaTufnel]

Just had a lovely holiday, but when we were doing the frantic packing and cleaning to leave the (incredibly posh) owner turned up at 9am, just to say 'hello and see how we were getting on'.
Why? Why? Why?

here Gem, 45 minutes south of Salzburg

Yes, usually cleaning is itemised as an extra amount, don't know why, but it's common practice. So if you leave it tidy with the washing up done and the bins emptied that should be enough. Obviously you can do more but that's the expected minimum.

Perhaps she was checking you weren't going to pack more than you'd brought with you iyswim! Maybe she's had people lift stuff?

Thank you, that's very helpful. Your place looks really lovely and is now on my spreadsheet for next year, I've wanted to go to Salzburg for ages.

We're going to a two-bed apartment in Spain in a couple of weeks, and they're asking a whopping 45 Euros (upfront) for cleaning.

We certainly won't be doing any more than emptying bins and washing up for that...it's more than the going rate around here for cleaning a 4-bed house.

I leave it tidy,strip beds and do the washing up and bins or whatever else is stipulated in the contract-no more.

My friend has a holiday rental and I'm sure she charges £60 for cleaning

Jane - that sounds about right. our charge covers the final cleaning and also the washing of the towels and bed linen, but for guests from the UK we usually just incorporate it into the total price of the holiday. There are places who charge less but they don't provide bed linen and towels.

Princess Toadstool www.helpfulholidays.co.uk I think the ref is A14 (thatched cottage)

I used to clean holiday cottages as a teenager and always strip beds / clean oven /clean bathroom before leaving anywhere we rent because these were the bits that took the most time

Bumpsoon - we'll gladly knock off the cleaning price if you fancy a stay in Austria!!

This is fascinating stuff.

I do the beds, collect all the towels together, do the washing up, empty bins, and give the surfaces a wipe.
And in the winter we always clean out the fire.

This cottage was lovely, but it was in a Premier range so all towels were included (which I would expect really) and it did say that cleaning was included. Actually, we have stayed there before and there wasn't even a tea towel, or salt and pepper.

So, I wouldn't expect to be mopping a floor. I do enough of that at home!

Nigella - you'd be amazed by the state some people leave it in.Overflowing bins, furniture moved around ( a bed taken out of a bedroom and put in the lounge when I was pregnant, so poor dh had fun with that on changeover day), food encrusted surfaces, broken plates, glasses, piles of washing up.....etc, what we love is when English guests leave English food goodies that we can't get here!!!

mumblechum that is is some cottage @ 2.5k, where is it?

I used to do change-overs in Salcombe and they were usually a nightmare

People late leaving, early arriving, place a tip

but you would quite often get to keep all the stuff left behind, books, magazines, bottles of wine - and a whole set of crockery once

iPirate, between Chagford and Drewsteignton. We've stayed there a couple of times before and it's v. nice & private, but q. small. I was thinking of asking one of ds's friends along then thought actually, no, it's far too small for that.

just amazed at how much these places cost!!

I live near Salcombe, knew it was pricey there.

I used to live in Malborough, ipiratethief, the bit everyone drives through to get Salcombe

ah, i live in the nearest town with a supermarket, the one everyone goes to for just that, clogs up the aisles then buggers off back thru Malborough to salcers again.

what what!!