Airbnb Cleaning Fee | Hosty Blog

Many people worry about renting their homes to guests using Airbnb because they wonder what will happen if their house gets trashed. Fortunately, Airbnb lets you choose whether you want to include a cleaning fee. Although some people are hesitant to raise the price of booking, charging a cleaning fee can give you peace of mind. It can make scrubbing toilets and mopping floors, which are probably your least favorite part of being an Airbnb host, a little easier to swallow.

Airbnb Cleaning Fees: The Basics

The Airbnb cleaning fee is charged once during your guests’ stay. If you do apply it to your reservations, it will appear as a charge that shows up separately from the nightly rate. The cleaning fee is a flat rate that covers your guests’ total length of stay.

When your guests search for listings, the cleaning fee is divided by the number of nights they’re looking to book and displayed with the nightly rate. When they click on your property to see the listing details page, they’ll view the nightly rate without the cleaning fee. The cleaning fee reappears in the price breakdown that users see when they submit a reservation request.

According to Airbnb, the cleaning fee is always refunded if the guest cancels the reservation before checking in.

5 Benefits of Charging Airbnb Cleaning Fees

Airbnb cleaning fees allow you to lower your nightly rate.

Some hosts choose not to charge a cleaning fee and work it into the nightly rate instead. This can increase daily charges and make your place seem more expensive to rent. If you want to offer more competitive pricing, you can list the cleaning fee separately.

Airbnb cleaning fees let your guests know that cleanliness is important to you.

Airbnb hosts may have different cleaning standards than a hotel chain. When guests are looking for a rental, most want to know that they’re going to be staying in a meticulously sanitized environment. Charging a cleaning fee lets your guests know that you do, in fact, scrub the place down to prepare it for their stay.

Airbnb cleaning fees demonstrate the value of your property.

Guests are often oblivious to the effort, care and cost associated with being an Airbnb host. Some may be less respectful than others when it comes to handling dirt and mess. Setting a cleaning fee can give them an idea of the time and energy that it takes to clean up after them. Guests may be more apt to take care of your space when they see that it’s important to you.

Airbnb cleaning fees can encourage longer stays.

Because the cleaning fee remains the same no matter how many dates guests book, people might feel like they’re getting a better value when they stay longer than a single night. A $75 cleaning fee that’s spaced out over a week only adds $10 a day, whereas it would come to $25 a day for a three-night stay. They’re paying the same cleaning fee overall, but it’s all about psychology.

Airbnb cleaning fees can make life more relaxing for guests.

If you don’t charge cleaning fees, it’s reasonable to ask guests to strip the bed linens before they leave, take out the trash, fill the dishwasher and put away any clean dishes. Someone who is on vacation might prefer to let you do all the work even if it involves paying a higher price.

What To Consider When Setting Airbnb Cleaning Fees

Airbnb cleaning fees typically cost between $40 and $150 per property. The size of your home, the quality of your neighborhood and amenities should be factored into the fee. People who are paying more per night are usually more willing to pay a cleaning fee. They will likely appreciate the added cost of renting a space that’s immaculate and luxurious.

You can also estimate the cleaning fee based on the number of hours that it would take to tidy up the place. If you pay professionals to tackle the task, set the cost based on their hourly wage.

Scoping out the competition helps too. Look at the cleaning fee charged by other properties of similar sizes. If yours is way out of the ballpark, you might need to reconsider it.

Since we’re talking about fees, it’s probably helpful to note that Airbnb charges a 3% rental fee for each booking. This helps to cover the costs of running the Airbnb platform. Airbnb also charges a 12% service fee to guests. You need to account for these fees when you’re calculating your prices and overall profit per rental.

One of the easiest ways to keep Airbnb cleaning fees and other related expenses under control is by using the powerful reports feature in Hosty’s Airbnb property management software.

Let us know what other information and resources we can provide to help you make smart pricing decisions that result in a successful Airbnb business.

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