A neighbour has complained to Auckland Council after the Grey Lynn Airbnb next door was the site of what she described as a source of noisy parties and a constant flow of strangers. Video / Supplied
Last year travellers noted a disturbing trend in holiday rentals and BnBs.
The year 2022 saw the rise of the BnB chore list, with some guests noticing Airbnb house rules listing a rising number of “to dos” among the terms of rental. In some cases these greeting guests on arrival, laminated and waiting on the kitchen table.
This has ignited a fierce debate as to whether hosts should be both charging cleaning fees to guests and asking them to do housework.
“$700 for two nights ≠ no chores!” summarised TikToker @Melworeit. The traveller and her husband were shocked to see the lengthy list of tasks they were expected to do, while being charged the equivalent of an extra night in service fees.
“It’s the principle that really bothers me,” she said.
Laundry, gardening and mowing lawns: Guests want to know why the are doing chores but still being charged for cleaning. Photo / Kyle Arcilla, Unsplash
A $125 cleaning fee is pretty rich, having already asked guests to perform the services of a general factotum.
Some were on the more reasonable end of the spectrum - like, taking out the rubbish on the way out - others seem to be abusing the goodwill of guests. Some guests have reported being asked to wash their hosts’ laundry or even mow the lawn.
There is no limit to the lengths people will go for a “five-star” rating.
Other travellers, particularly in the United States, complained about what they termed a “triple whammy”: chores, a hefty cleaning fee and an empty envelope for tips.
The tip envelope is the “most audacious” of the three, Reddit user Prittjam wrote to the Airbnb forum.
“Wait, I’m paying a cleaning fee and doing chores on my vacation before an early flight, and you want me to leave a tip for the cleaners, too? Where is that money really going?”
$700 for two nights ≠ no chores: Travellers have been pushing back on lengthy, unusual chores from Airbnb hosts. Photo / TikTok, Melworeit
Airbnb hosts agree that there’s a huge misunderstanding on how the fees work and what the money goes towards. The home economics of running a guest house isn’t as simple as one might hope.
Hosts say service fees in particular are treated with suspicion by guests.
The right type of guests
Airbnb host Michelle Burson says it is perfectly understandable to charge a cleaning fee and still expect guests to help out with chores.
Guests would baulk at the $480 service fee at the end of stays, she told Insider magazine, but that was simply the cost of professional cleaning the 370-square-metre mansion in Oregon. However, most were happy to pay a higher nightly rate, upfront.
“We had people reaching out that they were interested, but they wanted us to do something about the cleaning fees, so we had to find a balance between the two.”
The report found an increase in fake reviews from hotels when Airbnb was a competitor. Photo / Unsplash
A higher cleaning fee can lead guests into thinking that they have already paid enough for cleaning and taking less care of the property, especially for large groups.
“Raising the price of the property and lowering the maximum capacity also brought in a more respectful type of guest.”
Asking a couple of token tasks of guests upfront can help attract more desirable guests and fewer large groups who just want to party. She still charges $240 a stay in cleaning fees.
“We ask our guests to do two chores before they leave,” says Burson.
Getting guests to strip beds of linen and take out the rubbish helps to keep cleaning costs down and mess in check for the cleaners.
The putting out of bins is a bit more of an issue for the Oregon property, in the heart of bear country.
If guests don’t take their waste out between lets, there’s a chance that a big old grizzly might come looking for it before the cleaners do.
