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Airbnb cleaning fees for hosts - Vacation Rental Guide
Setting a price for your Airbnb listing is one of the hardest parts of hosting. Doing it right can be the difference between getting a booking, or not. Your nightly rate, and any additional fees, should strike a balance between covering your hosting costs and offering the very best value to your guests.
Cleaning fees help hosts on Airbnb to account for any extra expenses that might come with getting their listing ready for guests to come and stay or perhaps prep the property after guests have left the rental. As the name goes this amount is mostly used by property owners to buy the essentials required to clean up the property or hire a cleaning service.
Since the cleaning fee is constant regardless of the length of the stay setting a cleaning fee can discourage guests from booking short stays.
It is not mandatory to set a cleaning fee and there is no rule governing cleaning fees, though the fees will not only be shown to guests, it is also subject to fees that are taken at the end of the reservation.
Note: Cleaning fees are not available to Hosts who offer accommodations in mainland China.
Things to consider when adding a cleaning fee for your guests:
It’s important to manage expectations about what your cleaning fees include and what (if anything) you ask guests to do.
- The cleaning fee must act as a means to keep your property spotless and not as another way to make money.
- If you expect guests to take out the trash and strip the bed of its linens then consider taking a minimal or no cleaning fee.
- If you charge a high cleaning fee guests are going to expect to just walk away from your space at checkout as they would a hotel room.
Pro tip: If you’re new to hosting, consider waiting to add a cleaning fee until you have a few great reviews to attract bookings.
How to add the cleaning fee to your listing?
Step 1: In your host account click on “Menu”
Step 2: Select “Listing” from the drop-down
Step 3: Click on the Listing that you want to add a cleaning fee to.
Step 4: Select “Pricing and availability”
Step 5: Click on “Additional charges”
Step 6: Click on “Edit” next to “Cleaning fee”
Step 7: Click on “Save”
You have now set a cleaning fee for your Airbnb listing.
What is the Average Cleaning Fee on Airbnb?
As mentioned before Airbnb has not set any guidelines on charging cleaning fees and therefore the host is free to set the amount or not charge at all. When looking at an average, hosts who do their own cleaning charge around $65 per booking while larger properties or hosts who hire cleaning help charge around $105.
Having said that, when setting a cleaning fee for your property pay attention to how big or small your property is and how much will be required for its actual cleaning.
Points to consider when deciding whether or not to charge an Airbnb cleaning fee:
Your listing
Consider the type of property and its size. If your listing is marketed and has the amenities of a five-star property then it is more than likely that your guests will be more comfortable with the extra fee for cleaning. Based on your property’s offering and size, you may want to include this to maintain the advertised living standards.
However, if your listing is a single room then it would make sense to charge a minimal amount or scrap off the cleaning fees altogether.
Your competition
A really good way to come up with a price would be to look at how much similar properties in the locality of your listing charge, and come up with a price based on that.
The cleaning service of your choice
Depending on the size of your property decide whether you would be opting to hire a cleaning service or clean the property yourself. If you opt for the latter bear in mind that cleaning your vacation rental will cut into your time, and will require cleaning supplies.
Your target audience
Marketing your Airbnb property to backpackers may get an entirely different response than a high-end, luxury stay. A target audience with a bigger budget can be more accepting of higher costs. Keep your ideal guest in mind when deciding on a fee for your listing.
In conclusion:
The Airbnb cleaning fee is a good way to keep your property spotless and pristine and discourage guests from booking shorter stays. When deciding on the final service fees, it’s best to take in all of the above factors while keeping your intended guest in mind. To improve cleanings even further and maintain the best service for guests, opt for automation. Hostaway can help you automate cleanings to ensure your property is spotless for your next guests. Request a free demo to find out more.
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