Whether you’re a seasoned host or a newbie, you may be hesitant to charge an Airbnb cleaning fee for your property. Cleaning fees assist hosts in getting their units clean and ready for guests before they arrive. It also prevents the host from paying for cleaning after the guests have left.
While it’s usual to see the cost on ads, there are a few things to keep in mind to prevent frightening away prospective visitors. This post will go through how to figure out how much to charge and how it will influence your listing.
How Much Does an Airbnb Cleaning Fee Cost?
The cleaning fee is a one-time service charge levied by hosts on their visitors. It pays the price of cleaning their accommodations once the visitors have left. Although not all hosts demand a cleaning fee, many offset their cleaning expenses.
What Is the Airbnb Cleaning Fee and How Does It Work?
The cleaning cost is an additional price applied to the overall booking fee. It is not a security deposit and will not be reimbursed after completing the booking. Regardless of how many people reserve a holiday property or how long they stay, the cleaning price remains the same.
What Is Included in the Airbnb Cleaning Fee?
Cleaning fees on Airbnb help owners account for the costs of cleaning and preparing their apartments for their next visitors. Guests will expect your rental to take care of basic housekeeping jobs for them, even if there is no policy in place.
In general, the service charge will cover the following items:
- Room/rooms are being spruced up.
- Changing the sheets
- Cleaning products were used.
- Dishes to clean
- Organizing cupboards and the refrigerator
- Spending time cleaning
- Restocking the general supply house
What is the Average Airbnb Cleaning Fee?
The host determines the fee of the Airbnb cleaning service. The average cleaning price on Airbnb is roughly $65 per booking for hosts who conduct their cleaning. This fee will climb to about $105 for bigger residences or hosts that employ cleaning services.
However, the sort of listing you’re providing impacts the price. The Airbnb cleaning charge for a modest studio unit will range significantly from a 5-bedroom house. When calculating your cleaning cost, consider the size and kind of your rental. You may also check with your rivals in the area to discover whether they charge a cleaning fee and what pricing approach they use.
With the COVID-19 outbreak and Airbnb’s adoption of the Enhanced Cleaning Protocol, hosts take additional precautions to ensure that their apartments are clean. Cleaning expenses are rising due to the new cleaning procedures, and cleaning bills are rising as a result. Because Airbnb does not specify a suggested price for the additional cleaning charge, hosts can set their prices.
Should I Charge a Cleaning Fee When Renting a Vacation Home?
There are no Airbnb cleaning fee guidelines, and hosts are not required to charge for cleaning. Many owners demand a cleaning fee to maintain their properties spotlessly and encourage visitors to post a 5-star rating. However, not all hosts demand a cleaning fee since they believe it raises the price of their accommodation too much. In these situations, hosts usually clean themselves or pay for the services of a cleaning firm.
Examine the following aspects of your home and listing before deciding whether or not to charge an Airbnb cleaning fee:
The Size and Type of Property
If you pitch your listing as a luxury stay with higher price points, visitors are less likely to balk at additional cleaning costs. Depending on your property’s offering and size, you may wish to incorporate this to maintain the claimed living standards. However, if you are renting out a room in your house, this may not be essential.
Your Opponents
You should be entitled to charge a cleaning fee if your rivals are. Examining your rivals is another wonderful approach to see whether you should raise your nightly charge to incorporate an Airbnb cleaning fee. It will also show you what rate is permissible to charge out.
Cleaning Services of Your Choice
Professional cleaning companies may be rather expensive, depending on your region and the size of your house. You’ll have to consider if it’s worth it to hire professional cleaners or whether you can do it yourself. Remember that cleaning your vacation rental will take time and need cleaning products.
Is it possible to get rid of one-day reservations?
Charging a cleaning charge might help you discourage one-day reservations. For example, a $50 price spread over many nights may be reasonable. This price, however, may seem extravagant for a single night and deter customers from planning a short stay.
What should I charge for cleaning services?
It comes down to what works best for your listing and what will keep your visitors satisfied when deciding on an Airbnb cleaning cost. A hefty service cost may discourage prospective guests from booking with you and negatively impact your Airbnb host ratings. You must find a balance between economical prices and ensuring that the property is well-maintained.
Charging a cleaning fee may be a disincentive, depending on whether you want to promote one-day rentals.
Consider the following things before deciding on your additional expenses:
- How much do your rivals charge for cleaning services? Look into how they charge for different lengths of stays and whether they charge a separate service fee or are included in the total price.
- What is the approximate size of your home? The size of your house might help you justify your Airbnb cleaning cost, particularly if you have a larger listing.
- Who are the people you want to invite? If you market your Airbnb home to backpackers, you can receive a very different reaction than if you market it to high-end, luxury travelers. When deciding on a cost for your listing, keep your ideal visitor in mind. Higher charges may be more acceptable to a target audience with a larger budget.
- Are you planning to hire a professional cleaning crew? This will have a significant impact on your cleaning expenses and, as a result, your fee.
How Can the Airbnb Cleaning Fee Dissuade People from Booking Shorter Stays?
The addition of a cleaning charge might help deter customers from arranging a one-night stay. The charge will seem more affordable to someone reserving a stay for numerous nights. An additional cleaning cost of $65 may seem excessive to a visitor scheduling a one- or two-night stay.
Is the cleaning fee on Airbnb refundable?
An Airbnb cleaning charge return is feasible in certain cases. If a visitor cancels their reservation before the check-in time, you will get a full refund of the cleaning cost. If visitors cancel after their reservation has started, they will not be reimbursed for the cleaning charge. Regardless of the cancellation policy you choose for your rental, this is the case.
Are Airbnb Service Fees Included in the Cleaning Fee?
Airbnb’s service costs will apply to the cleaning fee you charge. Airbnb service costs will affect the ultimate booking cost of your rental, which includes the cleaning charge. The number of service fees you may be charged will vary based on where your property is situated.
Suppose your property is in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Bahamas, Argentina, Taiwan, or Uruguay. In that case, you will only be charged a service fee of roughly 3% of the total booking cost, while visitors will be charged around 14%. Hosts pay a 15 percent host-only charge in every other country, while visitors do not pay a service cost.
Is the cleaning fee for Airbnb negotiable?
It is theoretically negotiable since each host sets its cleaning price. However, advertising your cleaning charge as adjustable on your Airbnb listing is not a smart idea. Guests may engage in endless discussions and bargains as a result of this.
Consider your alternatives before responding to a visitor who discreetly asks whether your cleaning price is reasonable. If you’re in the middle of your low season or reservations are sluggish, you might answer yes to increase your booking rate. If it’s peak season and you have an excellent booking rate, don’t let visitors haggle over your charge. Guests that want to discuss pricing right away are notorious for being difficult to deal with.
How Does Your Airbnb Cleaning Fee Affect the Performance of Your Listing?
Depending on how you choose to promote your rates, your Airbnb cleaning charge might influence the success of your rental listing. Cleaning fees are often listed as a separate service cost or included as part of the nightly rate by hosts. Your booking fee will not be altered if you wish to mention your cleaning charge separately as a service fee. On the other hand, the service charge will be added to the overall cost at the end of the process. This might anger your visitors if they see a price increase immediately before they book.
The second option is to incorporate the cost of cleaning in your nightly tariff. Divide the amount of the cleaning charge by the total number of nights a visitor stays to arrive at this figure. The total cost will then be calculated by adding the nightly rate. The most significant disadvantage of this strategy is that it raises your total rates. Regardless, visitors may prefer to know the complete fee upfront rather than having the cleaning service raise the price afterward.
Take the time to test both strategies to discover which one generates the most reservations. If you’re concerned that your Airbnb cleaning cost is too expensive, try tiny pricing modifications until you see a rise in your booking rate.
How can I change the price of my cleaning fee on Airbnb?
If you want to update or amend your cleaning charge on your Airbnb property, you may do so through your Airbnb profile.
- Login to your Airbnb account.
- On your profile dashboard, go to “Your Listings.”
- Select “Pricing” from the drop-down menu.
- Next to “Cleaning Fee,” click Edit.
- Click “Save” after entering the new amount you’d want to set.
Conclusion
Including an Airbnb cleaning charge is a quick and easy method to keep your home in good shape while pleasing your visitors. It’s essential to consider all of the above elements while keeping your desired visitor in mind when final service rates. Make the switch over to Lodgable and see for yourself how we can help you be more successful!
