Cleaning encompasses a large and perhaps the most important part of operating a short-term rental. I rent a 1 Bedroom apartment and the cleaning time works out at about 3.5 hours. This does not include any laundry time and does include cleaning to the standard that I find acceptable. A common dilemma hosts often ask is “Should I hire a cleaner for my rental?”
If I’m honest, in comparison to other Airbnb’s and Vrbo‘s I’ve stayed in as a guest, I’m a bit of a perfectionist. I tend to fuss over a level of cleanliness well above an acceptable standard for most guests.
As cleanliness is subjective to a degree, I’d rather it be spotlessly clean for everyone. This way nobody can fault it. I’d rather than perfectly clean for one guest and not clean enough for another.
Locally to me, cleaning services in my area charge anywhere from £16+ an hour. I would estimate that I would expect to pay around £40 for a 2-hour cleaning service.
The laundry time to wash, dry and iron is about an hour of physical labour. Most of this time is mainly just ironing the bed linen. This means the actual time for a single person to clean the property to an acceptable level I would estimate to be around 1.5-2 hours.
This time for me is reduced if I do general cleaning and upkeep cleaning in between bookings anyway. For example; regular dusting of all surfaces, cleaning of blinds, window cleaning, washing floors. Some cleaning chores such as these can be done once a week rather than after each booking.
Pros of a cleaner for your rental
Time saving
As explained, turnover time is time consuming. Laundry time can be dealt with by yourself while the cleaner deals with the property.
Essentially, the biggest thing you are purchasing when you get a cleaner is more time. This is either because your schedule is busy or because you have the luxury to afford to do so.
More experienced clean
A professional cleaner will have better experience of cleaning properly. They’ll also likely to have better tools and cleaning products at their disposal. Not only this, but they’ll be more likely to do a better job.
Location convenience
If you live far away from your rental property, it can be difficult to get there to clean yourself. In this case a local cleaning company is vital for keeping a property suitably ready. As it may not be possible to review their work, it’s important to choose a cleaning company with a good reputation.
If you do decide to go with a cleaner, I would make sure you check in after cleans periodically. This is particularly important when they first start cleaning for you. You’ll be able to check that they have done it to the standard you need.
Plus, you can make sure you are getting value for money,
It’s also good to bring a second pair of eyes to the property before the guests arrive. You can then make sure nothing has been missed and apply any final touches.
Cons of a cleaner for your rental
Limited availability
One problem with hiring cleaners is that you are tied into a more rigid booking schedule. Busy individuals may not be able to work around your booking calendar.
It’s not always possible to get a cleaner last minute, particularly if your bookings aren’t constant or are sporadic. If your cleaner already has set days to complete other jobs, they may struggle to fit you in.
The alternative is opting for a professional cleaning company rather than an individual and independent cleaner. Cleaning companies may also require a minimum call out spend to hire a cleaner which may not work for you.
Limited Flexibility
If a guest asks for early check in, your cleaner may not be able to accommodate it in their schedule. This can lead to refusing more guest requests. Whilst this isn’t the end of the world, being flexible means you can provide a better experience for your guests. More flexibility from you during a booking will get you a better review.
This is pretty much the reason why I like cleaning my rental myself.
When guests ask for early check in, I tell them that I will check with the cleaner. I then will go back to the guest and confirm that I’ve made arrangements so they can check-in earlier.
This is another way to go ‘above and beyond’ for a guest to give a better experience. In reality, it actually makes minimal difference to my schedule and keeps the guest happy. It’s a little white lie but the apparent ‘effort’ you’ve put in is greatly appreciated by the guest.
Reduced Profits
Cleaning charges can take a huge chunk out of your profit margin. I personally prefer cleaning myself because I actually don’t find it too much of a chore. Plus I’d rather pocket the money for myself to earn as much money from renting.
Don’t get me wrong, after a full day a work, coming home to clean the entire place can be tiring. This is especially true when the guests are due to check in the next morning.
However I like the fact that I can be in control of how the property looks before the guest arrives. I’ll also know that it’s definitely clean to a suitable standard.
I can also assess the apartment myself for any wear and tear or similar issues. By regularly checking with each clean I can ensure a 5* rating.
Further to this, if you’re using a management company to take over the handling of the property, you’ll get even less money once the cleaners wages are taken out of your profit.
Airbnb’s Cleaning Charge
Airbnb has a feature where you can add a cleaning charge separate to the nightly booking charge. Some hosts opt for hosting without a cleaning charge and just include it as part of the nightly fee.
The downside of this is that when guests search for accommodation, they can adjust their parameters based on the nightly price. As your cleaning fee would be factored into the nightly price, you may end up missing bookings as your property will seem more expensive.
You can also set a smaller cleaning fee charge for shorter bookings which I do. My cleaning charge is currently £18 for regular bookings and £13 for one night bookings. Would this over the cost of a cleaner on it’s own? – No. But this way I feel it lets guests feel like they are getting a reasonable deal.
I notice that guests are put off by high cleaning fees, even though the cleaning fees are completely justified. Are some cleaning fees unreasonable? Absolutely, but more often than not, a quick search of local cleaning companies shows that some hosts are charging fairly.
These cleaning costs can often be exactly the price the cleaning company is charging. Sometimes, it’s just what it costs.
It’s perfectly reasonably to charge £70 upwards for a full home clean for a 4 bedroom home. From the guests point of view, they are looking at the complete total they are presented with. This total includes the nightly price and both the cleaning fee and Airbnb fees on top.
The total presented to a potential guest can be very off putting. Guests can then later penalise your ‘value’ for money rating for the additional expense.
This can feel unfair when actually the Airbnb fees or cleaning fees go to someone else entirely. With repeat low value ratings, your listing can suffer. This could mean your only option is to cut down the nightly fee to keep it more attractive.
My opinion
If you have the time to do it yourself, I’d recommend taking over the cleaning rather than hiring a cleaner. This way you’ll maximise the income from your property. You can also make sure the place is finished to a high standard that you are happy with. Knowing yourself that the rental is clean will enable you to tackle cleanliness claims head on.
I can understand that taking over the cleaning just isn’t an option for some hosts. But for small time hosts it can ensure renting via Airbnb is a viable and profitable venture.
The only downside to cleaning yourself is to ensure that you don’t get lazy or let your standards slip. Don’t be one of those hosts that charges a high cleaning fee, but doesn’t deliver a clean property.
If guests are paying a cleaning fee, they expect it to be clean. A low cleaning fee, shouldn’t be an indication of a lower level of cleanliness. In my eyes, your cleaning fee is the amount you need to charge to get it spotless. This will understandably vary between hosts and property types.
In my opinion, given the risks of hosting, paying out a management and cleaning cost is just not worth it. This will eat away at your profit margin, which you could have kept for yourself for a little extra work. This is particularly the case for small-time hosts.