Cost of holiday let changeover

[Gratefulsmile]

Hi ladies,

If anyone has experience in cleaning / housekeeping at holiday lets, please could you give me an idea of how much you would charge for cleaning, changing beds and putting a welcome pack in place for a 2 bed double-storey cottage in the south near the Cotswolds? No laundry or other tasks involved. Just a good clean of the living room, 2 bedrooms, kitchen and bathroom. Need to check if anything needs topping up and top up if required. All materials and cleaning products etc are provided by the owners.

Would you charge by the hour for holiday lets or just charge a flat fee per changeover?

The owners are really struggling so would love to help but don’t want to end up loss-making so would be really helpful to hear your thoughts.

Thank you

Can't help with pricing as that is entirely up to you! I would say (ime) that it will take a minimum of 3 hours even if cleanish and potentially a lot longer if grubby (and please steel yourself if you've not done this kind of work before 😂)

We have just sold our let and DH works for a large cottage company.

£120 a clean is pretty standard. Cover s the ones where it is bad (might take 6 hours) and those where it is easy.

Changing beds etc takes time.

I have a 1 bed and I pay for 2 hours for a clean, so I think 3 hours reasonable for a 2 bed.
2 hours is enough time for a thorough clean too, so it can be done quicker but I don’t want to be stingy.
i pay £35 for 2 hours and also charge that on airbnb. I think £15 per hour is a good rate but am generous because my cleaner is v good.

if it’s you doing the cleaning make sure you consider your travel time, is it v local or not?

I would suggest doing a trial to see how long it takes you to do a thorough clean to include hoover under beds, sofa etc though these don’t need doing every time.

Will you have to buy the items for the welcome basket, teabags, cleaning supplies etc…if so maybe invoice separately for those?

£75-100 minimum. This is not just a domestic house clean, you’ll be checking for damage and missing items, washing up, making beds, wiping windows, checking drawers and cupboards for dirt, changing lightbulbs, water plants, doing bins etc. Expect it to take at least 3 hours. Be clear who provides equipment and products.

We have a short term let, 5 bedrooms, 3 story, 2.5 bathrooms edwardian townhouse. Takes 2 cleaners 2-2.5 hours and they charge £135 including laundry and topping up consumables.

It partly depends what they can afford to pay (Cotswolds they're probably charging a lot for the cottage so can afford to pay you) How much travel do you have to do to get there? We're in the north of England and our cleaners charge £15 an hour. I'd say 3 hours is ample for a two bedroom cottage. A two bedroom cottage is unlikely to get trashed. Maybe see if they'll pay £25 an hour or £75 for a clean. You would need to clean the windows, make sure there are no cobwebs and dust behind furniture, clean skirting boards, etc regularly. Sometimes you have to take the fridge shelves out to clean under the trim. So be aware that it's not just going over the same things each time, you need to be on top of deeper cleaning as well.

I pay £20/hour for my changeovers, includes changing the beds etc. I sort out the welcome pack as I go over for each changeover and do the hot tub and garden. My house is 6 bedrooms but modern so quite simple to clean, and takes at least 4 hours, more usually six (and just occasionally eight).

@addictedtotheflats does your £135 include the actual washing and ironing of the bedding? If so that is super cheap!

£20/hour for three to four hours is what I'd expect to pay for this. I do my own now, of a small three-bed and a larger three-bed and occasionally can whizz around in two hours but sometimes it takes me four hours plus if the guests were filthy.

That time doesn't include laundry or ironing, or replacing logs, emptying firepit, weeding and gardening, cleaning the barbecue, pressure washing the deck and canopy, emptying the outside bins, shopping for replacement supplies.

@Molecule not ironing but all laundering of bedding/towels/bathmats/tea towels yes.

Also check if they allow pets. Getting dog hair off a sofa can be a bugger. You could charge an extra fee, or for extra time after pets have stayed.

Thank you so much for all the replies, this is really helpful for me! I’ve not done holiday lets before so didn’t know where to start with pricing.. this is all incredibly helpful, thank you for all the tips too.. all noted! 😊

We paid £130 a clean inclusive, (2 bed property, all hard floors, on one level) of towel and bedding linen being washed etc, providing basics for guest such as washing up liquid, hand soap, two toilet rolls, one roll of kitchen towel, tea towels, j cloth, and sponge scourer, tissues, tea, coffee & sugar at change over. DO NOT BUY WHITE TOWELS or bath mats would be the main advice, as if the cleaning company can’t remove the stains you will be forever replacing them. You need 3 sets for each bed, one on the bed, one in laundry, one ready to go.