When you stay in an Airbnb, you’ll sometimes find that you’re charged an extra fee on top of the nightly rate so that the owners can pay for someone to properly clean the property after you’ve left.
But what if the owner of the property charged you an astronomical amount in cleaning fees AND expected you to do most of the cleaning yourself?
That was the experience one man on Reddit had when he was charged a $105 (£77) cleaning fee, but was also asked to take out the rubbish, put the bedsheets in the washing machine, wash out the shower, and mop the floors before he left.
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He explained: “I stayed at an Airbnb and they charged a 105 dollar cleaning fee. I didn't see the cleaning instructions until after we were there. I'm not sure if it was hidden, or they updated it or what, but I only saw it when they texted us.
“The instructions were to take out the trash to the dumpster, which is about a quarter of a mile away. To put all the sheets in the washing machine. To scrub all the table counters, wash out the shower mop the floors and other s**t.”
The man said he and his wife decided not to do what was asked of them because of the cleaning fee they’d already paid for – which left the owner of the Airbnb furious.
He added: “It’s ridiculous there's a cleaning fee for 105 dollars when we're literally doing all the cleaning.
“My wife and I decided to not do any cleaning at all other than basic stuff. If we spilled food on the counter, obviously I cleaned it up and I flushed the toilet but I'm not going to go out of my way to scrub the s**t out of the sinks showers and floors or take the trash out that far.
“The Airbnb owner called me, and he said I was a massive a**hole for not cleaning it and said I should be doing what I’m supposed to whatever. I just hung up.”
Commenters on Reddit largely sided with the poster, with many saying you can either expect people to clean or charge them a fee – but not both.
One person said: “You can either have me do the cleaning, or you can charge me for the cleaning, but you can't have both. If you'd left it absolutely disgusting then obviously that's different, but you said you didn't.”
And another agreed, adding: “There's a general level of cleanliness expected: dishes, don't leave rubbish laying around put in it the bin, etc. But beyond that, that's why you pay for cleaners.”
While a third wrote: “I'm fine stripping the beds and throwing towels in the washer, loading and running the dishwasher and taking out the trash. But if there is a cleaning fee, there won't be scrubbing, sweeping, mopping. I'm there for vacation.”
What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.
