First of all, what exactly is a cleaning fee? A cleaning fee is used to help a host pay for expenses they acquire when Airbnb cleaners get a place ready between one guest checking out and another checking in. It is up to the host whether or not to charge a cleaning fee and how much it will be. There are many things that you need to know about when it comes to Airbnb cleaning fees. This ranges from pricing to how it affects your listing to long term stays. In this blog, we will cover all of the above mentioned to give you a better understanding of the Airbnb cleaning fee.
- Pricing
There is a mixed bag when it comes to whether or not to charge a cleaning fee. Understand that the cleaning fee not only covers a light cleaning, but also covers expenses to replenish cleaning supplies and toiletries. If you have your own Airbnb cleaner, most people simply just charge the exact cost that you pay to have your property cleaned. For hosts who clean their Airbnb themselves, the average starting price is $50. Don’t be afraid to play around with the price point to see what guests are comfortable with paying for a cleaning fee.
- How it affects your listing
Be you sure you understand how the price of your cleaning fee will affect how your Airbnb is listed based on price. In the search results, guests will see a nightly rate that includes the cleaning fee divided by the number of nights in the reservation. You can opt to charge no explicit cleaning fee and instead just factor in the cleaning cost in the initial charge per night. However, please note that by doing so, guests may view your property as less favorable due to the high price point. When you list the cleaning fee separately, it appears to just be one of those additional fees in comparison to just a more expensive vacation rental.
- Long-term stays
When managing long-term stay bookings, you will need to decide if you will provide periodic cleaning services during their stay. Most hosts recommend having cleaning done once a week. Periodic cleaning throughout long term stays not only provides more comfort for your guest throughout their stay, but it also allows you to check in on your property to ensure there are no ongoing issues. Because you will accrue expenses to provide this weekly cleaning service, you may want to consider increasing the total cleaning fee for bookings that are one month or longer.
