UK cleaning habits

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Partridge
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Post by Partridge »

I'm not sure I fully understand the question. Either the clean is included in the price or it's not i.e the guests are told to do it. All of us seem to include the clean because we know we can't take the chance on the latter arrangement. On that basis it is costed in to the rental isn't it kind of irrelevant whether the cleaners get to do a quick clean (tidy guests) or a fully allocated, timewise, clean (untidy guests).

As I'm not on site, I have no idea what percentage of my guests have given the cleaner an easy time and which haven't, she gets paid the same whatever.

I must be a 'tidy' guest as when we rented in York last year the owner thanked me for leaving the place so tidy :D
Don't waste energy on things you can't change.

Costa de la Luz apartment rental
www.ownersdirect.co.uk/spain/S5386.htm
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Nemo
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Post by Nemo »

A family member has a property to let and having been let very successfully for more than 20 years it now has NO bookings for this year. I think the problem may be because you have to leave it ready for the next incomers and that nowadays no-one wants to have to clean at the end of their hols. It has three bedrooms, lounge, kitchen, bathroom, seperate loo, porch and is right next to the beach - hence loads of sand. If it was going to be cleaned I think it would have some takers. Times have definitely changed.
Christine Kenyon
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Post by Christine Kenyon »

Agree with you totally, Deb. I own cottages and wouldn't expect to clean any cottage I stayed in at the end of the holiday .... in the same way as you no longer have to do a job if you stay in a youth hostel. I always seemed to get the washing up in the youth hostel which had run out of water :lol: .

I'm happy if folk strip the beds, empty the bins and leave the cottage in a reasonable state of tidiness. Cleanliness is up to me, I reckon. Otherwise how do you maintain standards for each visitor if you're relying on paying guests to do the work.

And of course, I'm really looking forward to my day of cottage cleaning tomorrow :roll: .
Margaret
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Post by Margaret »

Thanks for all the replies - I liked the comparison with youth hostels - takes me back decades! Anyway, it is pretty much as I thought so thanks for the confirmation. Bizarrely, the latest guests left it in almost perfect condition but I know now never to expect that - we do a full clean anyway between bookings, I just hope sometimes it will be shorter than others!
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enid
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Post by enid »

we do a full clean anyway between bookings, I just hope sometimes it will be shorter than others!
I agree Margaret. This week I have a french family in the large gite - it sleeps 8 but there are only 6 of them - no usual haggling to take the gite for 4 and use the sofa bed even though one couple is not staying for the whole week. She told me she liked the fact that sheets and towels and final clean were included and so was happy with the price. I am sure they will leave it tidy but I always clean anyway.

I think that more and more people will move to self catering because of the recession but I think they will want a self catering property that has those extras and a final clean is one of them.
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Mountain Goat
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Post by Mountain Goat »

Our advertising states that we charge for final cleaning. When we get an enquiry, and quote the rental cost we include the cleaning i.e. give them a (unexpected?) freebie.

It's totally illogical, but knocking £50 (or whatever) off the cost, and they then know that there are no extras, seems to clinch the deal.

MG
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enid
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Post by enid »

Interesting MG - I wouldn't consider a property that charged any extras!!!
Margaret
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Post by Margaret »

Final cleaing is standard in Germany - nobody is expected to clean when they leave. We include it in the price, as well as tourist tax and bedlinen and towels (not to mention loads of other things) - which many people charge as extras.

I agree with Enid - we try to have no extras at all but do charge for mountain bikes, sauna and laundry (all service) - all 3 were prone to abuse or at least carelessness if not charged for. And of course we charge if people want to buy food, drink or toiletries from our little 'shop'.
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Mountain Goat
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Post by Mountain Goat »

Yes, I agree, Enid. I wonder how many punters I'm putting off from even enquiring?

When we've rented I've always been ****** off by those little hidden extras, like washing machine, dryer, internet etc. On the box last night, can't remember the programme, there was a coin-box operated TV in a rental property - that would drive me around the bend. Imagine in the middle of Desperate Housewives having to find a 50-centime coin....

How does one abuse the laundry, Margaret?

MG
Margaret
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Post by Margaret »

We have separate charges for washer and dryer in case people wanted to hang stuff out to dry. We realised people were 'overlooking' the drying charge even though each machine had a clear label. We introduced the charges after we realised some people were washing a handful (literally) of clothes every day - terrible waste of water and electricity.
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Mountain Goat
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Post by Mountain Goat »

That's interesting. We don't have any outside drying facilities and anyway it's probably an arrestable offence here.

I would find paying for the machines a turn-off, but I see your logic.

No-one seems to abuse our laundry gear, except the cleaners with half a doz. of their rags at 95deg.....(rant elsewhere).

MG
harcourtv57
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Post by harcourtv57 »

MG I saw that too :) it was on Place in the Sun, Home or Away - apartment in the Canaries. I smiled at your two examples as well Christine as we have experienced very similar. Only last weekend we had two parties in our one bed apartment - one left it as if they hadn't even been there and one left washing up (there is a dishwasher), wet towels on the floor, rubbish not removed, curtains pulled down and chocolate on everything! Deb I remember quite clearly some holidays in Cornwall as a child the accommodation we stayed in. They weren't very well equipped or furnished or particularly clean - not that I noticed the cleanliness as a small child - but they were certainly nothing like what is expected these days, but probably the norm 40 years ago. Standards of accommodation and expectations of a self catering holiday are very different now. We thought our kitchen was equipped as much as possible and one guest left a comment in the book that 'the pasta pot wasn't big enough'! Anyway back to cleaning, we also count ourselves lucky if the beds have been stripped, rubbish taken out and surfaces wiped. We did have one set of guests who enquired about the returnable deposit. When we explained that it would be returned after cleaning and checking the property they asked what time we would be round to check their cleaning!
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