Should cleaning be included or extra?

From the moment they step through the door your bookings become guests, and their experiences determine whether they ever come back.
george christie
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Post by george christie »

Like Maggiem we say that we expect the house to be left clean and tidy at the end of the stay. Until last summer we offered a cleaning service, but with nearly 60 properties we found it impossible to get sufficient good cleaners for a few hours on a Saturday.
Until last summer we would "check" houses on a Friday evening if they the family was leaving early on the Saturday, a mistake.
Last summer we change everything and kept the deposit cheque and posted it back if there was no extra cleaning required. We allow 30 mins for the cleaner to go around and check the house after which we charge. out of over 170 families last year we kept "part" of the deposits of 13. 12 wrote or phoned and insisted that the house had been cleaner when the left than when they arrived!! Un-flushed toilets(obviously clean), sheets still on beds, brown baths, crockery put in cupboards un-washed I think we have seen most things.
On the other hand we get some absolutly great families some of whom return year after year and are regarded as friends.
I have holidayed in canal boats and hired camping cars and all require that cleaning is carried out at the end of the hire period
so why should it be different for a house.
The "guests from hell" that we probably have all had think that they have bought the house for the week and are not renting it.
Look forward to any other comments on this subject
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Alison
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Post by Alison »

We ended up including the cleaning charges in our rent based mostly on personal preference. Most people dislike the seemingly endless string of "extra" charges that you often find at hotels and resorts. I should know, I used to work at a resort and there was a "Resort Incidental Fee" an "Energy Surchare fee" and during water restrictions, a "Water Use Fee." My clients hated them, because they started with a room at $199 and after all the fees, they were at $250! By including it, the rentor knows exactly what they'll be paying us.

We try to let the rentor know our cleaning expectations in our rental agreement. Any suggestions to add or take away are welcome!

DAMAGE/RESERVATION DEPOSIT – A damage/reservation deposit of $250.00 is required. This must be received within seven (7) days of booking the reservation. The deposit automatically converts to a security /damage deposit upon arrival. The deposit is NOT applied toward rent. However, it is fully refundable within (14) days of departure provided the following provisions are met:
No damage is done to unit or its contents beyond normal wear and tear.
No charges are incurred due to contraband, pets or collections of rents or services rendered during stay.
All debris, rubbish and discards are placed in dumpster and soiled dishes are placed in the dishwasher and cleaned. One load of laundry should be started.
Unit is left locked and ALL keys (gate and unit) are mailed and in owner’s physical hand.
All charges accrued during the stay are paid prior to departure.
No linens are lost or damaged.
The renter is not evicted by the owner (or representative of the owner), the local law enforcement or the security company employed by Moon Bay.
dorothy.skye
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Post by dorothy.skye »

Just a wee story that I can say is true. Every year before I would get graded I would close for the week before so that I could give the cottages a deep clean, my cleaner is good but as she cleans another 4 cottages as well as my 2 sometime the light shades would get dusty & spiders would lurk behind curtains out of reach of her eagle eye. This year because I couldn't get time of work & cleaner had a family crisis I didn't bother. So cottages to my mind were not what I would expect as clean. Now to my suprise when I got graded I got exactly the same marks for cleaning as the in years I did a deep clean!!!!!! :shock: or :D Now, if I wanted I could let the cottages in the same manner as the grading person saw them.
Maybe this goes part of the way to explain how some of the 4 star & 5 star hotels I've stayed in to my mind were not clean.
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tansy
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Post by tansy »

Last year 2004 we charged 100 Euros for end of stay cleanon top of the rent - cash to be left for the cleaners....we have a team of 4 that comes in strip the beds and cleans the house from top to bottom....this was in the terms of business worded because of the proximity of the beach we do an automatic end of stay clean.Also we have one house ready for midday for the fast ferry and the other one for 4 p.m.

This year I have increased the rental price by 100 Euros and have included the end of stay clean but I ask that the house is left tidy and that they strip the beds we will do the rest ....but I am being requested for an end of stay clean! Especially by our American visitors...when I say it is included they are shocked...maybe I should charge them again!

The reason I am including it in the price this year?...I am going to monitor how the house is left because last year we had some delightful folk who dutifully left the money and left the house spotless...then the others who left it as a bomb site and had spent the whole holiday rearranging the kitchen...I have spent HOURS and Hours putting everything back in it's rightful place!

So I am keen to find the actual solution what should we do as the norm - charge or not.

I'll let you know later on in the season what my findings are!
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tansy
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Post by tansy »

Well guys.not sure if this is set in stone...but update is after 3 changeovers with the end of stay cleaning included in the price...FABULOUS!!

I pitched up on Saturday with my new 2 French cleaners (both houses to be changed over this week), warning them that it can be really hard work - to check this, check that etc. etc. First house no problems at all - been left beautifully so we actually were able to get on with deep spring cleaning, taking down curtains etc. - went onto the 2nd house, warning them that we were so lucky with the other one - the French Ladies think I'm completely mad...because that house was even better!

So if this is the norm....then increase your price but include the end of stay clean in the price! I word it... all we ask you to do is strip the beds and we will do the rest.

What a result so far.
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Sue Dyer
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Post by Sue Dyer »

spent the whole holiday rearranging the kitchen...I have spent HOURS and Hours putting everything back in it's rightful place
Why do people do this?? Maybe one or two things you might find more convinient somewhere on the benches say but I've had this too, big time!! Personally I have more to do on holiday than rearrange things :)
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paolo
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Post by paolo »

soodyer wrote:
spent the whole holiday rearranging the kitchen...I have spent HOURS and Hours putting everything back in it's rightful place
Why do people do this??
Nesting instinct? A friend of mine is sane in every other way but whenever she arrives at a rental property she is not happy until she has hand-washed all the sheets.
Paolo
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vrooje
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Post by vrooje »

...Then again, if everyone rearranges your kitchen in the same way, maybe that ought to be taken as a hint :) although hopefully not everyone will do crazy things like reserve a cabinet for dog droppings.

We don't live near our property so we can't check the kitchen layout after every renter, and I doubt our housekeeper checks that. But every time we've visited, everything has been in its proper place.

Our former partner in the house once left dirty paintbrushes in the freezer for us to find. This was after she ranted at my mother for some croissant crumbs left on the counter and said that orange juice left in the fridge would explode and eat away at the inside of the fridge.

Some people are just crazy!
Brooke
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