How would you leave a self-catering house?

[Littlechickenhead]

For transparency, I manage a holiday let (it’s not my house, it belongs to a company) and I’m trying to work out if I’m being unreasonable in applying an additional cleaning charge for some guests. I’m relatively new to doing this so still finding my way.

I’ve regularly stayed in SC over the years and I would always strip beds and leave sheets in a pile next to towels in the bathroom, wipe down surfaces, get rid of food, put the dishwasher on, put the rubbish out etc.

The guests left a mountain of 15 open bin bags in the garden which had nappies, food containers, general rubbish, food waste. Despite instructions, they’d left all the food waste outside so foxes got at it which meant I had to spend 30 mins litter picking all around the house. One bin was completely full of bottles and too heavy to lift. The oven is going to require a professional clean, the fridge and freezer were filthy, there were spills of food/drink everywhere (floors and furniture), blood on the sheets and mattress protectors and dirty dishes in the sink. The cleaning company were (rightly, imo) pissed off. They’re extremely conscientious and do a fantastic job.

The same family have booked in again for next year.

I am tempted to chalk the last one up as experience but ask the agent to apply an additional cleaning charge for their next stay.

Is this really how families expect to leave a holiday let? Or am I being a bit precious and if you pay then you should be allowed to leave it how you want? The thing that keeps nagging at me is that they surely wouldn’t have left their own home like that.

I would not accept their booking either.

I think in the 'old days' of the 1980s or so, the expectation was that guests left holiday houses clean and ready for the next guests. Was the case with gites and basic cottages anyway.

Whereas now the expectation is that a cleaner will come in. So it needs to be tidy, fridge cleared and rubbish disposed of etc but not actively cleaned.

We've always stripped the beds at the end of the holiday, folded up the bed clothes and put them on top of the bed, folded towels and put them in the bath, given the carpets a quick vacuum, emptied bins, washed up and wiped down any surfaces. We think it is only courteous to leave the property in a tidy state, and don't mind spending some time before we leave doing this. Re the bed clothes, the very first self catering property we went to asked guests to do this as the cleaners had very limited time so it helped them out; we've done this ever since.

Without RTFT, my answer to the title question is:

• beds stripped, unless there are confusing multiple layers of protectors and sheets
• all rubbish in the bin and the bins taken out if outdoor bins were obvious and accessible
• quick hoover
• work surfaces and dining table wiped clean
• fridge emptied
• sinks cleaned
• loo free of marks left by yucky DC and given a squirt of bleach if available

Basically, clean to the casual eye but not polished to within an inch of its life. I'm on holiday!

I would usually strip the beds but not always - that sometimes depends on what time the flight is and how early we have to be up.
I would put towels in the bath/shower.
I would wipe kitchen surfaces and wash the dishes but I'd be happy to leave them draining.
I would empty bins if instructions had been left (they usually are) as to what to do with the rubbish bags.
I wouldn't clean properly though - I assume a cleaner comes between each rental and that that cost is included in the price.

Definitely don't have them back OP! The bodily fluids on beds is particularly grim. One of my DS still occasionally wets the bed so we always take our own mattress protectors and fitted sheets so there is no danger of him wetting someone else's mattress or bed.

I throw the towels in the bath, deal with the rubbish as requested, remove food from fridge and put the dishwasher on. I’d clean any spills when they occurred and would probably give the table/counter a quick wipe over.

I only strip beds if asked to. Would never hoover or clean the bathroom when there are cleaners coming to do that exact job.

If there are long lists of chores to do I’d mention that as a negative in my review and wouldn’t stay again. I’m paying money to have a holiday not to be a cleaner.

If disposal of rubbish is such a problem I would expect sufficient bins to be provided especially if it’s a large property.

Don't strip beds. Cleaners need to know if there are any difficult stains. Much easier to see when they are open on the bed. They can then note it down.

If the guest book required me to strip the beds, put used towels and sheets in the bath or laundry bags etc I would, no hardship. Similarly, I would put the rubbish/recycling in the place specified. I would put the dishwasher on automatically and give the work surfaces a very quick wipe down. I might do a very quick non thorough hoover if lots of mess.

I certainly wouldn’t be cleaning the oven, wiping down the fridge, cleaning the bathroom or frantically hoovering and dusting a holiday let (especially as most places have to be vacated by 10am these days).

We treat it like we treat our own home, so:

• Beds stripped (the cottage we usually stay in leaves those big blue IKEA bags for laundry)
• Towels in the laundry bag too
• All surfaces wiped and sink cleaned
• Fridge and freezer wiped
• Hoovered
• Rubbish sorted/bagged appropriately
• Dishwasher emptied

We don't have DC though, so it doesn't take long, as we keep on top of it during the week too.

It wouldn't even occur to me to strip beds. Do people who do so do that in hotels too? Genuinely interested. If anyone had soiled bedding then yes we would strip it and wrap it up so the soiled part is on the inside, I'd probably leave a note for cleaning staff to advise them too tbh. This has never happened though thankfully. I usually take Drynites sheets with us and put them under the bed sheet for DCs as an extra safety measure too. Never actually had them wet sheets or anything but just in case.

Any spills would obviously be cleaned, bins would be emptied and rubbish disposed of as we go according to what we are told by the hosting place. Places we've stayed before usually tell you in advance or at check in where to take rubbish so we follow that. I wouldn't necessarily empty the bins the final time when we are leaving though unless very convenient or we have been asked to do so in advance.

I wouldn't put a dishwasher on unless it was already mostly filled and I wouldn't wash up especially for check out. Honestly didn't realise people expected that or did it commonly! Obviously we wash up and use dishwasher as we go, but it's not occurred to me to ensure everything is washed ready for check out. I assumed cleaning staff would rewash things anyway because how can they rely on guests to wash things properly? And also I always thought of it sort of like if I went to a restaurant and paid for meals I wouldn't wash up afterwards. A holiday stay is sort of similar to me, of course I wouldn't leave it in an awful state or anything horrible but normal mess like I would have at home, I'm paying for the fact that I'm not at home so don't need to do the cleaning! That's part of the appeal of a holiday for us, with two little ones and a messy house that we struggle to keep on top of and can't afford a cleaner.

Definitely wouldn't hoover or clean surfaces or anything specially for check out.

Why on earth have you let them re-book?

Tell the agency that you refuse to ever host those guests again, and why; and recommend they don't inflict them on anyother property owners.
If the agency runs a members page for property owners, I'd post a warning there too.

Unless told not to run the dishwasher, leaving dirty dishes is so rude!
As for bedding, generally self catering places will specify if they want you to strip the beds. If they don't say then I'd probably strip them and leave them on the bed.

Animals don't behave like pieces of shit 🙄

Cancel their booking. Mangy bastards

SC apartment in Scotland. Floors brushed. Bins emptied. Towels in bath. Surfaces wiped over and dishwasher on. Fridge cleared. Didn't strip beds.
On booking paid a refundable damage deposit to cover any damages incurred during stay

👏👏👏

My mum stripped beds when we were growing up, so yes I strip them too, including in hotels.

I wouldn't have them back.

We've always stripped the beds. All bedding left in a pile with towels.

All dishes washed and put away. All kitchen worktops wiped down.
Hoovered or brushed up downstairs.
Any bedroom or bathroom bins emptied. All bin bags put out in designated wheelie bin.

If there's a log burner, we brush everything up and clean the glass so ready for the next guest.

We regularly stayed at a cottage in Windermere, it was ideal. Until the last time we went it was filthy. The floor was rotten, the big toe nail we found put us off going there ever again. The fire hadn't been brushed out. You could tell this time they hadn't bothered cleaning the place at all.
We've never been back☹️

I stay in the same cottage several times a year.There is a list of what to do before leaving.

Strip Beds.Towels in bath.Clear out fridge and freezer.Remove ashes from wood burner,if they are cool enough.I always leave the cottage almost as clean as it was when I arrived.

Hotels hate you stripping beds. Housekeeping need to indicate stains and tears. They can't if you've removed them. Stop doing it.

I agree on the dishwasher point - if you have a professional cleaning team in they’ll have multiple changeovers and the dishwasher running is a pita. Stripping the beds really helps!

I do wonder if people are getting grubbier and less respectful. This week I had multiple cigarette butts dropped on the decking and not collected, dog mess, broken glasses (not mentioned by the guest), a broken bed (again not mentioned) rubbish in the bin with no liner, so much dog hair that you could stuff a cushion, patio doors smeared with dog paws and children’s hands so badly that you couldn’t see through them, litter on the decking and towels left outside.

I’m going to speak to the owner contact today to ask if they want to go ahead with the booking (not my call, unfortunately!) and if they do, I’ll suggest an additional cleaning charge. I’m not sure that we can apply one retrospectively but will speak to the agent.

Thanks for the feedback, this has been very helpful. Personally, I wouldn’t expect a holiday to be super polished and guest ready on leaving but I don’t think basic cleanliness is an unreasonable thing to ask for. We actually had an adult group for NYE and I was half expecting the place to be left in a mess but they left it really tidy!

I don't strip the bed or clean the house when I leave a self-catering property. I am paying for that service so I am not going to do it myself. However, I am a clean and tidy person and wouldn't leave anything in a mess so I don't think you are being unreasonable. 15 bags of rubbish sounds excessive!

I wouldn't let them stay again, next time ensure you have photos of the state someone left the property behind and maybe think about a deposit for additional cleaning required.

Do you have a clear guideline what is expected? I normally don't strip unless it's specifically stated as some properties actually told us not to strip.

I tidy, wipe down counter and table. Several properties told in their guidance NOT to put the dishwasher on as it often is still running when the clearners come and they can't check if anything is missing and will need to spend time emptying it. Also, how much breakfast dishes do people have?

Basically I’d leave it as I would a hotel room.

dirty towels in bath
rubbish in bins (or taken out if that was the instructions)
id strip the beds if I’d been told to do this but otherwise not.
id have washed up but probably left stuff to air dry.
id have wiped surfaces.

I would not under any circumstances have expected to:
hoover
clean an oven
clean the fridge
clean the bathroom

particularly if you’ve charged an extra cleaning fee!