Is end of stay cleaning not a thing now??

[Furiousfive]

I've booked a villa in France for next week . Not cheap - we decided to splash out as a treat for the family - and therefore went with a smaller, more personal agency than air bnb, thinking better service and quality (and also air bnb have a bad rep these days).

However I've just noticed in the small print that end of stay cleaning isn't included and it says that we can pay 80 eur for this or do it ourselves! I'm annoyed as for the price it should be included as standard (that's one of the reasons I didn't book with air bnb as they always do this). Also, it makes me wonder what sort of state the villa will be in if the previous guests have done the cleaning themselves. Does it mean there's no professional clean done?

I know I should have checked this before, but proper cleaning is just something I would expect as a given.

I agree ! That seems bang out of order. I'd definitely expect cleaning to a professional standard as individual standards can vary widely !

Very odd arrangement. Never heard of such thing. Cleaning is the last thing you want to do be doing whilst on holiday.

in France

This is the key - it's been like this in France for a long time, as far as I'm aware. Don't know why, but it's one of those things you have to watch for.

Well I always clean any self catering accommodation before I leave. I do not, and never would, expect anyone to clean after me. But then that’s me and I do like cleaning. My aim is always to leave a place as clean as I found it or cleaner.

I've never had to pay extra or clean an air bnb myself

I’m afraid that this has historically been the case in France self-catering accommodation. On arrival you will come across a terrifying list, with items such as cleaning the inside of the windows and disinfecting the bottom of the kitchen bin…

Just pay the 80 Euros and enjoy your holiday.

As a PP said, this has been standard in France for quite a few years - we've had to do it at least twice before Covid.

It's fairly standard in France to have to pay for end of stay cleaning. We've been to places where they come and check the place on check out! Also, you are usually ask for card details to act as a damage deposit and most terms usually say they will take a cleaning fee out of the deposit if not left clean enough

I'd just pay the money, I think it's like paying for seats on planes....somewhere along the line someone has found removing the cleaning fee makes your property look cheaper. I don't go on holiday to clean.....nit that we ever leave it in a bad state. I always empty bins before I leave and if stated strip sheets. I think anything beyond that is ridiculous.

It's probably also a way to make it look a bit cheaper and then when you find out about the fee, you just agree to it, because you've already booked the holiday. It's probably buried in the T&Cs that no-one ever reads.

I've never stayed in this sort of place in France but I've heard it's how things have always been done there. But it does seem odd to rely on guests to do the cleaning as everyone has different standards and some might decide not to bother. But if you have a professional cleaner doing the clean between lets, or the owner does it themselves, that should mean that it's done to a good standard for the next guests.

Yes, this is my experience in many years of renting gîtes.

If I stay somewhere, I don't expect to clean at the end of stay.

I do the basics, empty the bins, check the kitchen area and loo are clean, but that's it. It's up to the agent or owner to prepare it for the next tenant. What about changing bedding?

We’ve just come back from France and stayed in 3 different Air BnBs. One had an extra cleaning charge, which we decided to pay (€60), but cleaning was included in the price of the other 2.

An upbringing of staying in Gites de France means I expect to do a full clean up on the last night of any place I rent.

But those of you who say it's standard - what about laundry? Is that the only thing that gets done by the company? I'd just feel a bit weird knowing that what can look superficially clean being wiped over by previous guest hasn't been properly cleaned by a professional.

We’ve always experienced this in booking self catering in France since our very early days of getting the official Gîtes de France booklet from the tourist office on Piccadilly in London and booking by post using a pro forma letter , then through using UK rental agencies booking through phone and post through to now, all online.

It was always presented as being a separate fee because it was the same amount whether you stayed for 1 week or more ie you didn’t pay 3 times the fee for 3 weeks. It was always mandatory- never an option for a do it yourself fee.

It seems to have remained a French custom - never had it in Italy or Spain, though Italian rentals have often required a higher standard of how it is left, with a deposit not returned until inspected. They then do a professional finishing clean.

I find it odd that they would trust guests to clean it to a high enough standard!

Eh, have you ever rented a gîte?😀

So are they notoriously often dirty??

No because the agents come and check it as you leave and it needs to be perfect or you can forget getting your deposit back.

Saying that we've had some amazing holidays and generally the owners are fantastic and friendly

It seems a daft system. Why don't they just put the price up to cover the cost of a private clean, tell the holidaymaker it's free and everyone's happy!