Service cleans for longer lets

[A-two]

For a 2 week stay, we do a midstay clean. Quite often I think guests feel they are putting us to a lot of trouble, but once they find out I'm paying for it anyway, and that the cleaners are relying on the work, they are happy to have it done. I make sure I tell them the cleaners have worked for me for X years, and are completely trustworthy and will not touch their things, only there to do the basics - clean bathrooms, kitchen, wash floors and change linens.

For a 3 week stay, I am happy with one mid-stay clean, rather than 2 and that's what usually happens. I am not comfortable leaving it 3 weeks because then the next people can suffer if it's a very heavy clean, and at least if we go in one week before changeover is due, we have some warning of what to expect and can schedule an extra cleaner if we think we may have a heavy clean on our hands. It is not a question of spying, it is a question of providing good service by keeping the engine running at a constant speed on level ground, not stopping, then having to make a huge effort to go up a steep hill.

On the occasions when I have had 3 or 4 week rentals with no cleaning done because "we are bringing an au pair/ nanny with us and that will be her job", it's been almost impossible to get it back up to standard in a normal changeover window. So I am definitely in the camp of pushing the issue for 3+ weeks when a same day changeover is involved at the end.

We have exactly that situation coming up in 10 days time. I have a one day gap, but had scheduled it as a same day changeover. Now, because the midstay clean was just done and the cleaner reported back to me, I have now rescheduled the end of stay clean for the day before and asked for an extra cleaner. It's not their fault - it's the family whose house burnt down, but there are boxes everywhere and they moved extra furniture into the house, things like several foldaway desks for the kids to do homework, and a temporary office for the Dad etc. So nobody can clean anything properly right now, everybody is climbing over things, and that's perfectly OK, because we have enough help arranged now to deal with it. If I had left it as I had planned originally, I'm sure I would have been seriously stretched, and stressed, whereas now I feel relaxed about it.


My 2 cents.

[olive]

Poor people, A2. Have they got somewhere to stay when they leave you?

[Chianti]

A2

You put it so well, so your 2 cents was worth a million. It's common sense and good management.

Chianti without the flannel

[alifrank1]

Ali

Cleaners are not spies, their task is to clean, but while doing so, if they notice any problems then they can report them. Those on a longer let are more likely to use the cooking facilities and therefore more cleaning may be necessary.

Weekly cleans will allow the owner or manager to know if there may be any problems and if that's the case they can be sorted before they become a problem. If a client is coming into the property the day a long renter leaves, then the cleaning is likely to take longer than normal. Regular weekly cleaning will avoid this problem.

It's also about giving the right impression. A property needs dusting and sinks, loos, etc need regular cleaning. It is also stated in the contract and it's to the advantage of both the owner and the client.

Chianti without the flannel

Chianti

You have your opinion and I'm sure many people agree with you. Your post above sounds like you are talking to a novice who has never rented before, or a school teacher talking to their pupils

If I had a large villa and needed hours of cleaning and was charging high prices, I would probably do the same, but I don't.

My cooking facilities are clean and when you state "A property needs dusting and sinks, loos, etc need regular cleaning" I believe this is common sense

I am almost fully booked and have never had a complaint about my apartment being dirty, in fact most people comment on how clean it is (maybe my cleaners are exceptionally good?)

The reason I rarely post on this forum is because there are posters who don't like it if you have a different opinion to themselves. I am not trying to justify why I don't have midstay cleans, I am just stating a fact and it works very well for me and my clean apartment

A2

I totally agree with what you are doing, it was a terrible situation for your guests to be in and perfectly understandable that it would be impossible to get your home back to it's original state before they came. Good luck with the cleaning

Alison .......

who uses a flannel at home

[A-two]

Poor people, A2. Have they got somewhere to stay when they leave you?

Yes Olive, thanks for asking! They are moving into a "more permanent temporary home" next week - their next door neighbor's second home as it happens. It wasn't being used much and the owner is happy to have help with expenses, he just needed some time to get it ready for them and was away on business when it happened. So my house worked out as a perfect 3 week stop gap.