“I’m sure the #VRBO – Airbnb host pockets the cleaning fee – is that legal? We’re paying an Airbnb cleaning charge besides the nightly rate for our short-stay on every booking. I don’t know if there is a caretaker or housekeeper or if the Airbnb host pockets the cleaning fee.”
Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru talks about the #Airbnb Living Wage Promise for turnover services. “If the Airbnb host pockets the cleaning fee it’s because they’ve earned it.” Home sharing comes at a price. Beyond the standard amenities, even a live-in host has partners they have to pay. Cleaning is one small cost incurred by vacation rentals.
Today’s #AskaHouseCleaner sponsors are Savvy Cleaner (Training and certification for house cleaners and maids.) And Turnover Cleaning Tips (A resource hub for short-term rentals.)
Listen: VRBO – Airbnb Host Pockets Cleaning Fee
Watch: VRBO – Airbnb Host Pockets Cleaning Fee
VRBO – Airbnb Host Pockets Cleaning Fee – Is That Legal?
How do you know if the Airbnb host actually cleaned the place or if they just pocketed the cleaning fee?
I love this question and I can’t wait to answer it today. Hi there, I’m Angela Brown and this is Ask a House Cleaner. This is a show where you get to ask a house cleaning question and I get to help you find an answer.
Now today’s show is brought to us by TurnoverCleaningTips.com.
And that is a website for house cleaners and Airbnb hosts or vacation rental by owner, or short-term rental. It’s the home sharing space and all the hosts that do their own cleaning. Professional house cleaners hired to do turnover service and all the hosts that do their own cleaning.
It’s a website that brings together a whole bunch of tips and tricks and blogs and products. Check it out TurnoverCleaningTips.com.
Guest: The Airbnb Host Pockets the Cleaning Fee
A guest wrote into the show and said they stayed at an Airbnb. And they had to pay a cleaning fee. So, they wonder “how do I know that the Airbnb host is actually cleaning or if they just pocketed my cleaning fee?”
Alright, so here is how this works. If there is one thing the Airbnb host is going to do it is cleaning. And this goes for vacation rentals, short-term rentals, homestay, and home share. Whatever the term is that you’re most comfortable using. The one thing that is the most important to them is the cleaning because the cleaning will determine what you leave for your ratings and review.
The Guest Has Cleanliness Expectations
If you arrive at an Air BNB and the house is not clean, and the beds are not made, yikes! And if there’s peanut butter smushed on the counter from the last guest, or there’s garbage left in the disposal, you’re not going to stay. If the trash is still there, and the toilet paper is empty, you’re going to be unhappy.
And the first thing you’re going to do is complain. So, ratings and reviews are paramount to the success of the vacation rental because other guests read that social proof. And then they determine if they are going to stay at that Airbnb or with that host.
The Host Will Have the Place Clean
I promise they’re going to do the cleaning. Now whether they hire a cleaner or they do it themselves, it doesn’t matter. There are a lot of hosts that do the cleaning themselves and they do a spectacular job because in their minds nobody is going to do it as well as they do.
Some of them do it to save money, so it depends on the host, but it does not matter who cleans before you arrive.
If they do their own cleaning, they should pocket the money. That’s fair because professional house cleaners get paid to clean and if you have a host that’s going to do that job, they too should get paid.
The Living Wage Pledge
Now when you are a member of Airbnb, they ask you do you pay a living wage to your help? It’s called a living wage pledge. It’s intended to ensure the people who maintain the vacation rental and do the turnover service get paid enough to live.
Everybody deserves to put food on their tables and feed their kids and pay their bills. And it’s easy with rock-bottom rates that tourists want to pay for a cheap place to stay, that somebody who readies the place could be slighted.
If the Airbnb Host Pockets the Cleaning Fee…
If the Airbnb Host pockets the cleaning fee it’s because they earned it.
And if they didn’t earn it, and they have a staff come to clean, they used the money to pay the staff.
*** THIS SHOW WAS SPONSORED BY ***
SAVVY CLEANER – House Cleaner Training and Certification
MY CLEANING CONNECTION – Your hub for all things cleaning
HOUSECLEANING360 – Connecting House Cleaners with Homeowners
SAVVY PERKS – Employee Benefits for Small Business Owners
TURNOVER CLEANING TIPS – for VRBO, STR & Airbnb hosts, superhosts and their cleaning partners