In what state would you leave a self-catering cottage?

[Miaou]

I ask out of interest because I have spent this summer cleaning two.

The state they are left in varies, from pretty clean to just walked out of the house and left everything (including breakfast dishes on the table).

My main gripe is that people break things then hide the evidence, so I have to play detective.I wonder if they think I'm going to tell them off!!! It's embarrassing if I don't spot the breakages and the next visitors find the evidence.

How do you leave them? And do you own up to breakages?

Oh I see. I do tidya fair bit though, even in hotels, not just to check that I haven't left stuff, but because I cant bear the thought of the cleaners thinking i'm a pig.

This is very interesting!! I own and run 2 self catering properties and it is amazing the different ways in which they are left. Often very, very good, but last weekend I had to deal with the most disgusting mess I have seen in 7 years of doing it - dirty dishes left, sink blocked and bits of food floating in it, pubes in the sink, rubbish everywhere, fridge full of odds and ends of food, toothpaste all over the bathroom (how??? My bathroom never gets that bad and I have 3 children under school age!!), mud and sand all over the floor, stains on the bed that have gone through to the matress (right through the matress cover too - you don't want to know) and I had to clean it all! Yes, that is what people are paying for, I suppose, but we always leave places clean and tidy, I'm not expecting more than it to be tidy and organised and dishes washed, really, so this shocked me.

The people emailed today to ask to rebook for next year and I said no - she was very offended but so was I and half her rent at least is going to have to go on a new matress so it is up to me who I let come and stay.

Its a nice little thatched cottage as well, I felt quite sorry for it, most people are really nice to it!

I would normally leave them tidy and with all the dishes etc put away. I wouldn't do a full clean, only the places where there was obvious dirt, i.e. I would hoover a dusty floor or wipe off footprints. As some have said you are on holiday and you shouldn't have to spend the last day cleaning somebody else's house. I do try to strip the beds though.

Most places we have been to expect you to leave the place clean and tidy but one we went to in June left a list of instructions which almost suggested that they didn't have a cleaner to come in after the guests leave and that therefore the guests were expected to do the job for them. That isn't right as most of the time these places aren't cheap so what else are they doing with the money!? On the other hand they aren't hotels and they are supposed to be homes from homes so I suppose we should leave them as I would hope somebody would leave my home if they borrowed it.

Miaou - I think I'd like to stay in any cottage you look after - you sound v conscientious. And I'm of the 'Keep em keen and leave it clean' school of renters, as we have rented through private ads rather than companies, so it's good to keep a good relationship in case you want to go back.

As clean as we possibly can - although it did seem pointless as the one we stayed in (Flear Farm) has cleaners in despite what condition you leave it it.

We've always paid a deposit when we've rented a cottage, from which it is staed when you book that any excessive cleaning costs/breakages will be taken out of it. I thought that this was fairly standard so am surpised at these tales of such dirty houses etc.

My dh is always fanatical about leaving a place spotless (to make sure he gets his money back, I think ) but I feel that you just need to leave it tidy - dishes washed & put away, surfaces wiped, & I usually vacuum. I feel that this is a reasonable amount to do.

I usually have a god clean and strip the bed. I cant beleive people just leave dishes on the table

right enough fio2, I always find our god gets a bit mucky on holidays

i have never rented a cottage but my comparison is with a tent. regardless of how i found it ( as i would complain if it was unclean) i would thoughally clean it. sweep, mop, re wash all dishes, wash the bin, wash the cooker and all cooker bits, wash kettle even. i think its rude not to.

Up until now we have never taken a 'security' deposit for breakages, cleaning etc, but we are planning to do it from next year, after last week's experience. I thought I had dealt with everything but the people who are in this week have been in to say they have no wineglasses, lid for the teapot or casserole dish. I was so busy cleaning I missed this . I wish people would just let me know, breakages happen, its just life. I break things all the time!

We rented a cottage in the Lake District for the first time this summer and you should have seen dh cleaning it when we left - it was shining!