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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 a cleaning fee to your Airbnb listing
- Click Calendar and select the listing you want to change
- Click Price settings
- Under Additional charges, click Fees
- Click Cleaning fee and make your changes
- Click Save
What is the average cleaning fee on Airbnb?
Airbnb hosts are free to decide how much they want to charge as a cleaning fee or whether to charge one at all. In fact, globally, about 45% of Airbnb listings don’t charge a cleaning fee.
In the U.S., the average cleaning fee is $161.10 per stay. This could range from
- $50-65 for a studio or 1-bedroom
- $70-85 for a 2-bedroom
- $100+ for a 3-bedroom
- $150+ for a 4+ bedroom or high-end listing
Things to consider when deciding to charge an Airbnb Cleaning Fee
Your listing
Consider the type and size of your Airbnb property. If you only rent out a room for example you may not want to charge a cleaning fee at all, whereas guests will understand having a slightly higher cleaning fee if you list a large property.
Amenities
A luxury property listing with 5-star amenities can have a higher cleaning fee than a standard vacation rental.
Cleaning method
Are you hiring a cleaning service, an individual cleaner or are you cleaning it yourself? Each option will incur its own unique cost to be factored in your cleaning fee.
Your target audience
If your ideal guest is a backpacker, they are unlikely to be favorable to high cleaning fees. A family on the lookout for a luxurious mansion on the other hand will be more amenable to a higher cleaning fee.
Your competition
Take into account how much your competitors charge. You don’t want to be on the higher end of the scale.
Your brand
How you market your property goes a long way to setting guests expectations. If you advertise your listing as a budget vacation rental then guests are likely to expect low or no cleaning fees at all.
In conclusion
Consider all of the above factors before deciding on how much to charge as your cleaning fee.
Guests expect an Airbnb property to be clean and tidy as a bare minimum so it’s important to put in the work to maintain a clean and hygienic vacation rental. Use Hostaway’s automation features to connect to cleaning services, notify cleaners based on bookings and ensure your property is always spotless for your guests.
Request a free demo to find out more.
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