Airbnb new rules - can't ask guests to wash up!

Not nice to have missing items from your holiday let Sago, generally there will be an inventory and a deposit held against breakages, missing items etc., but of course if such items are expensive then I guess replacement costs wouldn't be covered.

No deposit taken and it’s nearly impossible to prove, we had to take it on the chin!
It was silly things, a Bluetooth speaker, soap dispensers, coffee table books, a light.

I never understood why holiday lets often have a selection of awful coat hangers, I now know!
We go through so many wooden coat hangers, I now have ribbons hanging off each one with our holiday let’s name on, it’s working but still they go missing!

Must say I was pretty naffed off recently to find, in a far from cheap 4 bed AirBnB, that there was no spatula type thing for lifting fried eggs from the pan - and there wasn’t even one vaguely non stick frying pan. And the Gdcs were asking for pancakes…
We had to go and buy both.

And the freezer was completely iced up!
I will always leave the place tidy, no crumbs etc., and will put used crockery etc. in the dishwasher, plus will strip beds, but that is absolutely IT.

I leave the place tidy, beds stripped if I have time, dishes in dishwasher and turned on. That's my lot. No way will I wash floors, hoover, clean the bathroom, wash linen etc. That's the owners/ cleaners job.

I wouldn’t leave dirty crockery in an ABB. if the owner wants to wash up again that’s up to them.
I also wiped round the bathroom sink & cleaned the loo before we left.
Just a tip though if anyone cleans an Abb, is if someone is staying on a sofa bed, whilst the cushions are off just whip round underneath inside the sofa with the hoover tools.
Mine had crumbs underneath, probably because it’s a sofa during the day.

Witzend

Must say I was pretty naffed off recently to find, in a far from cheap 4 bed AirBnB, that there was no spatula type thing for lifting fried eggs from the pan - and there wasn’t even one vaguely non stick frying pan. And the Gdcs were asking for pancakes…
We had to go and buy both.

And the freezer was completely iced up!
I will always leave the place tidy, no crumbs etc., and will put used crockery etc. in the dishwasher, plus will strip beds, but that is absolutely IT.

Did you leave them or take them home? 😂

The reason I wouldn't consider Airbnb was the thought of tidying up before I left, obviously we wouldn't leave in a mess, but dishwasher, I get beds nope.
That's not my job, it's the owners that's what you paid for.

I have never stayed in an air B&B, although I have stayed in holiday cottages.

Nothing was required of those hiring the cottage, although I would ensure it was in a reasonable state on leaving, but general cleaning, stripping beds etc - no - that is for those hiring out the cottage, because I would assume that they have a standard to which they want to adhere. I expect a standard of cleanliness and would complain if I thought it wasn’t met.
I haven’t stayed in a cottage for a while, but during the covid epidemic it was requested that we strip the beds and place the linen in blacks bags, which I thought a reasonable request at the time.

I leave a place tidy, kitchen surfaces clean and breakfast items washed up, but I don’t hoover or clean the bathroom.

I don’t strip the beds, just pull the duvet right back. The owners can check for any stains to treat before sheets go in the wash.

I think the new rule change is going to make change-overs take much longer for holiday let owners/ cleaners, if there is loads of washing up to be done.

PamelaJ1

My sister takes her Dyson and hoovers before she leaves. She also picks up after her dogs.
Apparently there is a site where owners can leave reports about their guests. She must have 5stars!

Airbnb hosts leave reviews about their guest

I've stayed in lots of airbnbs ...I never was3h up but always fill the dishwasher...I never strip beds ....I will put rubbish out if its in the garden....if the bins are further away then I leave the binbags tied up next to the bin in kitchen.....I pick up dog poo ( disgusting not to I think) .....I wipe down kitchen surface.....and thats my lot....regardless of what the host asks for.....I have all positive reviews as an airbnb guest....sure a host can ask....but they cannot enforce

Visgir1

The reason I wouldn't consider Airbnb was the thought of tidying up before I left, obviously we wouldn't leave in a mess, but dishwasher, I get beds nope.
That's not my job, it's the owners that's what you paid for.

Can I ask if you wouldn't consider staying in any holiday cottage, or if you think Airbnbs are different in this respect?

I have found individual holiday lets very variable, especially the French ones. In general, the AirBnB cottages have higher standards.

what is the difference visgirl, between the two?
I’ve never stayed in a holiday cottage, & would love to.
I follow the ‘Two Germans in Britain’, on YouTube. They travel around the uk staying in some beautiful cottages.
I couldn’t imagine them not washing up after some of their afternoon teas.
Does the same rules apply, Or not?

I think the difference is just that Air B&B offer a platform through which landlords can advertise their properties, and they (Air B&B) deal with the bookings. They can screen out renters who have a poor reputation from other landlords, and both parties know the rules of engagement.

IME, cottages usually have similar rules. Washing up is fine - who is going to go out and leave dishes on the table/counters? But vacuuming, stripping beds etc is, IMO, a step too far. They are household chores which you go on holiday to escape. Plus, you pay a cleaning fee, so what is that for if you have to clean the place yourself?

MT62

Witzend

Must say I was pretty naffed off recently to find, in a far from cheap 4 bed AirBnB, that there was no spatula type thing for lifting fried eggs from the pan - and there wasn’t even one vaguely non stick frying pan. And the Gdcs were asking for pancakes…
We had to go and buy both.

And the freezer was completely iced up!
I will always leave the place tidy, no crumbs etc., and will put used crockery etc. in the dishwasher, plus will strip beds, but that is absolutely IT.

Did you leave them or take them home? 😂

TBH I was all for taking them, but dh dissuaded me, saying that if previous form was anything to go by, the next guests would also have the annoyance of missing essentials.
We did however make a point of informing the owners!

I once stayed in a gite owned by an English couple in a village in Normandy. I collected the keys from them as they lived nearby.

I happened to be the last person to stay there that summer.

The gite had been left in a shocking state by the people who had stayed before so I cleaned the filthy bathroom, changed the one bed I slept in, swept, dusted and cleaned. Apart from washing up some stinky pots and cutlery, I left the messy kitchen, as I ate out in the village or had picnics. The previous tenants had lit a fire in the grate and it was full of ashes which I also left. Before I left I cleaned all the areas I had used, and stripped my bed.

About a week after I returned to England I received a very nasty letter in the post from France demanding money to pay for cleaning the gite as they claimed that I had left it in a disgusting state. They also stated that I would not be welcome to stay there again. Clearly they didn't bother to check between tenants or do anything about cleaning.

Fortunately, this was before the time when owners and tenants left reviews.

I wrote them a letter explaining how messy the previous tenants had been and how I cleaned all the areas I had used but they never replied.

All the other holiday homes I have stayed in were clean when I moved in and I left clean when I moved out.

I dont think in a sense it matters whether we would strip the beds or not, it is impacting the business model so they are changing it.

Well yes, but the OP asked what we thought about it, so we are giving our opinions as requested.

Air b&b should be banned outright. It is responsible for rents skyrocketing and rental properties for long term lets being impossible to find. I hate it.

They should have at least thanked you witzend.

Doodledog

I think the difference is just that Air B&B offer a platform through which landlords can advertise their properties, and they (Air B&B) deal with the bookings. They can screen out renters who have a poor reputation from other landlords, and both parties know the rules of engagement.

IME, cottages usually have similar rules. Washing up is fine - who is going to go out and leave dishes on the table/counters? But vacuuming, stripping beds etc is, IMO, a step too far. They are household chores which you go on holiday to escape. Plus, you pay a cleaning fee, so what is that for if you have to clean the place yourself?

Yes I agree. Apart from washing, drying the dishes, putting a little cleaner around the loo, I wouldn’t be doing owt else. Like you say Doodledog, we are taking a break from all that mundane stuff.

As most on here do , when I stay at a holiday rental whether it’s Airbnb or other platforms , I wash up or run the dishwasher, take out rubbish and generally tidy up and wipe the kitchen surfaces . I strip beds if asked by the owners . As for deeper cleaning, no way . It ruins your last day if you have to do all that by check out time , which can be 10 am .
Plus one persons cleaning varies from another’s .
I’ve stayed at a couple of places where the owners turned up at checkout to inspect the property.

Magenta8

I once stayed in a gite owned by an English couple in a village in Normandy. I collected the keys from them as they lived nearby.

I happened to be the last person to stay there that summer.

The gite had been left in a shocking state by the people who had stayed before so I cleaned the filthy bathroom, changed the one bed I slept in, swept, dusted and cleaned. Apart from washing up some stinky pots and cutlery, I left the messy kitchen, as I ate out in the village or had picnics. The previous tenants had lit a fire in the grate and it was full of ashes which I also left. Before I left I cleaned all the areas I had used, and stripped my bed.

About a week after I returned to England I received a very nasty letter in the post from France demanding money to pay for cleaning the gite as they claimed that I had left it in a disgusting state. They also stated that I would not be welcome to stay there again. Clearly they didn't bother to check between tenants or do anything about cleaning.

Fortunately, this was before the time when owners and tenants left reviews.

I wrote them a letter explaining how messy the previous tenants had been and how I cleaned all the areas I had used but they never replied.

All the other holiday homes I have stayed in were clean when I moved in and I left clean when I moved out.

I'm wondering why the owners had not been in after the previous people had left, inspected it. surely routine and cleaned up for your visit, certainly no way to run a business As they lived nearby I'd have told them to come round and see the mess and arrange for it to be cleaned up before I unpacked. Really quite shocking!

But I think that's partly the problem ( not on this thread but generally) on social media air bnb owners are complaining and saying this is a perfectly reasonable thing to expect, but enough of their customers are disagreeing so much that it is impacting the business. I dont really think many of the air bnb owners are 'getting that'.

Thanks for all the comments. Full disclosure, I have a small cottage that I let out via Airbnb. I am so pleased to see that most of you will happily put on the dishwasher when you leave and take out the rubbish. This is all I have ever asked or expected of my guests. Luckily,I have never charged a cleaning fee and never expect my guests to clean, strip beds, load the washing machine etc. and I hope the new Airbnb rules won't change anything!