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’ve read lots of threads on here with housekeeping staff asking guests not to strip beds. So I wouldn’t do that.

I put towels in the bath, dishwasher on as we leave, all bins emptied and put wherever specified. Fridge empty, sand hoovered but no other hoovering or cleaning.

I don't like putting sheets on floor so wouldn't strip beds only to pile sheets on floor where someone might walk on them.

15 bags of rubbish is grim.

You need to make it clear to the owners when you speak to them how annoyed the cleaning staff were, and the extra demands on your time.

Nobody wants to lose reliable good cleaning staff these days, and I think they would be well within their rights to refuse to clean if these people are allowed to rent again.

We have never stripped the bed unless the guest information specifically requests it (only once, in a villa in Spain). We always empty the fridge, bins, make sure surfaces are wiped. We always get amazing reviews back from owners thanking us for the excellent condition we left the place.

DH always tries to make the bed but I tthink when the sheets are still hot from your bodies it's a bit disgusting so always just pull the quilts right back and leave it at that so at least it's airing.

I just put the bins out and wash up.
I wouldn't hoover or make/strip beds as you already pay a cleaning fee for an air BnB which I presume covers this.
Leaving open bin bags & food in the garden is out of order. Blood on the sheets isn't always avoidable.

They are U. We leave the kitchen and bathrooms clean, sweep the floors before we leave, put bins out and strip beds if we're asked to. Some holiday houses have a list telling guests what they want them to do when they leave - you could do this.

Leaving the bin bags in the garden is just vile and filthy.

If you're not happy with how guests have left the property, you need to tell them at the time. You could add a good housekeeping bond that you can retain if guests leave a mess too.

I wouldn't let them rent the house again, and I'd tell them why.

@Livinginanotherworld - quite a few holiday houses we have stayed at started asking guests to strip beds during Covid - presumably less risky for the cleaners?! I don't know.

Does the house come with instructions for guests? If the booklet says strip the bed then I strip the bed. We also follow instructions regarding emptying bins and washing up. Generally I would be sweeping the kitchen/wiping counters most days anyway as I hate seeing crumbs.

I hope you took photos of the mess they left.

I follow whatever instructions have been left for us so wouldn't aways strip the beds.

Generally I'll empty the fridge/ food cupboards, wipe down kitchen surfaces so they aren't filthy, take out the rubbish, put the dishwasher on. Used towels go in a pile in the bath or shower.

I wouldn't clean the fridge unless I spotted a big spill.

So it would be tidy and a little dirty or dusty, something a competent cleaner could sort easily.

Don't rent to them again. The rubbish alone is excessive - will the bin men even take that much or do you have to go to the tip?

Actually just remembering the holiday let we have used for the last two years include in the price something like an additional £150 charge and in addition to this they also have a £25 additional fee for one well behaved pet not to be allowed on furniture or in beds or bedrooms. If you comply with emptying the bins, doing recycling, stripping beds, starting dishwasher, basic wiping down of kitchen work surfaces then both years we have received the £150 back after our stay. So this could be an option for you.

I wouldn't strip beds unless it was a specific requirement set out in the guests instruction book.

I always check and follow the rules about bins and recycling - they are often different depending on the area.

I clear towels and put in a pile in the bathroom , wipe all surfaces and make sure the fridge is empty and clean. I'd check and wipe the oven out after cooking

I only hoover or sweep if there were obvious crumbs or sand showing on the carpet.

If there was any blood or urine soiled bedding I would wash if facilities allowed and call the management company if not or if I couldn't get the stain out.

These people people sound awful and I'd be cancelling next years booking.

People saying the volume of waste is excessive - a few key points. We have no idea how many people created that waste. It would appear to be an extended family celebrating Christmas for a week. My extended family is 39 people (cousins, aunties, uncles). I doubt it's quite that big a place but OP hasn't stated.

One bag was full of glass bottles - is there no recycling facility for occupants? Food waste bins? Cardboard and paper / tin and plastic recycling etc?

Asking them to contact someone over the Christmas period to manage your waste is unreasonable. There should be sufficient facilities for them. If you have foxes, bin storage is a basic provision for the benefit of all.

Waste will always be higher in rentals as people can't necessarily travel with half eaten food or drink so they clear it out on leaving. Same for Christmas wrapping paper, boxes, empty bottles etc.

I have a holiday cottage- and I don't charge a cleaning fee btw.
I wouldn't have these guests back - it sounds a revolting mess!

However when I have Air b and b guests they think they have paid a cleaning fee, because Air charges them a considerable "service fee"- this is in fact Air's commission and kept by them, not paid to me.

I ask my cottage guests to:
Empty bins into the correct recycling bin. (Very strict recycling rules here and it is downright revolting to have to pick empty bottles out of the sanitary bin in the bathroom or out of the food waste bin🤮)
Put used linens into the bath.
Wipe up spills as they go so they don't get dried on.
Clean up after their pets.

Cleaning fees are generally covered by the rental charge. I think you mean you don’t charge a separate cleaning fee.

The service fee and cleaning fee are listed separately on Air BnB, they are not the same thing

It's on you if you choose to include it in the rent rather than break it down.

NancyJoan my guests get an invoice which lists rental fee, local taxes and service fee - cleaning fee isn't mentioned. My guests have mentioned that they think "service fee" in this situation means "cleaning"

One thing to consider, I'm disabled with no strength in wrists due to operations so whilst I will leave clean and tidy I cannot strip beds or do any heavy work.

One thing I always do is put everything through dishwasher when I arrive as I don't trust whoever's been there before to have washed up properly!!!

These people sound horrendous.

We have a little 2 bed cottage we occasionally rent out. We always leave it spotless for our guests. I mean I go around skirting boards with a cotton bud. We have very few cleaning 'rules' bar take the rubbish to main bins at the top of the drive.

Most guests leave it clean and tidy. I don't expect a Hoover or mop. I don't care where used towels are left. Unmade beds are the best as I can strip myself (sheets are hired, duvets and pillow cases are ours so I need to seperate). Crumbs etc are all cool, I expect it. We've even had boys groups and hen parties who have left it perfect but the worst are always the ones with small kids;
Cookies smashed into the rug and sofa
Remote controls hidden in random locations
Coffee splashed up the walls in bedrooms
Microwave left looking like an explosion in a dairy
Rotting leftovers in the fridge
And always, always they are the ones that cram the bins until bursting and don't remove them. The worst stayed for 5 days and just piled used nappies up on the bathroom bin like a stinking tower of Pisa. The main bin is at the top of the drive 10 seconds away ffs. They also left the kitchen like the Marie Celeste, a half sliced loaf with an open jar of jam (we provide these as little welcome gift and they are homemade) with several knives on the countertop dripping with it. 4 cups of half drunk coffee in random locations. An upturned bowl of Weetabix on the dining room table that had turned to concrete. Milk (again we provide for free) was upturned and splashed everywhere in the kitchen including the walls and floors. Once the kitchen bin was full they just left stuff on the counters.

They left me a review which only mentioned the fact that the washing machine broke (which happened on their last day because they used it almost continually over that 5 days and the reason it broke was because a child's hair tie got stuck in the motor)

Most hosts don't expect perfection at all but there's a point at which normal mess turns to sheer disrespect. I have to say I cried after I cleaned after that vile family.

What I meant to finish that with was we were able to provide a fairly clear review for that family on Airbnb and state we wouldn't host them again. That means they can't book our place again and other hosts are warned. They also couldn't instant book ever again.

If you are on Air BnB then just decline
If with an agency tell them why
If they booked direct just say 'oh sorry we have family staying all next year

I always leave holiday cottages clean and tidy, i strip the beds, run the dishwasher and put the rubbish out . I wipe the work tops, I don't hoover. I empty the fridge.
I would keep the booking but i would charge an extra cleaning fee . Possibly £140- 200 which would be enough for two girls for several hours .
I would explain that the amount of excessive over and above the usual time cleaning team would normally need. If they don't pay you could offer to refund.

So disrespectful

I bet they wouldn't do that in their own house?

Yes that is just horrible.

I think expectations should be clear in the guest book.

Please return dirty dishes to the dishwasher and turn on (with soap) before leaving

Place dirty towels in the bathroom

Remove any food and drink that you do not want

Take out bins

Spillages, breakages, and accidents should be cleaned up by the occupants.

Any excess mess will incur an additional cleaning charge.

…

So just to update this, we’ve now added a good housekeeping bond for every booking, so if a guest damages anything (apart from normal wear and tear) or leaves the house in a state requiring extra cleaning, their card will be charged an amount.

I’ve also updated our guest guides left in the house with some check out instructions - nothing arduous, just throw away left over food, close doors and windows, wipe up spills, let us know if there are any breakages etc.

A guest left yesterday after a last minute booking and the place was disgusting. There was blood wiped on the walls in one bedroom, used bloody underwear left in the bathroom, sheets and towels used to mop up blood and other spills thrown wet into the kitchen cupboard, dirty socks lying in the living room and kitchen, used face masks, tissues, empty toiletry bottles lying on the floor in the dining room and bathroom. Rubbish literally strewn around the place (empty water bottles, tags from new clothing, screwed up paper, etc).

They’d also broken the kitchen tap, scratched work surfaces by cutting directly on them with knives despite the face we have three chopping boards there, broken a picture hanging on the wall and damaged the catch on the patio doors.

I know people can be disgusting but I was absolutely floored at how awful they had left it.

So they will be getting a charge in their credit card and we’ve blacklisted them.

If anyone else runs a holiday let, please feel free to share your tips here!

It's interesting that you've had two such awful sets of guests in close succession. Has anything changed recently - marketing agency or property description?