In the business of holiday rentals, the number one cause of guest complaints is around cleanliness. When guests pay hundreds or thousands of dollars to stay in your home, they expect it to be immaculate. If it hasn’t been properly cleaned before their arrival, understandably they’re going to be upset, which can quickly turn into a huge issue. Maybe they’ll request a full or partial refund – or worse, they could leave a negative review.
Fortunately, it’s an easy problem to avoid – you just need to understand how cleaning to holiday rental standards is different than what’s required of a typical domestic house clean.
What makes a holiday rental clean different?
Put simply, a holiday rental clean goes above and beyond. Whoever is handling the housekeeping needs to be ready to provide a higher level of service, and complete tasks such as:
- Changing the linen used by previous guests
- Sanitising all surfaces after previous guests check out
- Checking the next guest has sufficient quantities of any provided amenities
- Keeping an eye out for damage
- Checking for missing items and taking pictures of any damage
- Testing various items in the house to be sure they work
In other words, your housekeeping service isn’t only about cleaning. You’re going to need a home management service designed to ensure your property is maintained to the highest standard.
Are you thinking about doing it yourself?
Doing your own cleaning is a great way to cut down on costs and increase your rental income. However, it only makes sense if you live locally and can afford to treat your holiday rental as a full-time job. If doing it yourself seems like an attractive option, ask yourself an honest question: can I commit to deep-cleaning the entire property more than once a week? In high season, you might have to deal with quick turnovers – for example, where one guest checks out at 10am and the next checks in at 2pm. If you can’t guarantee you will be ready, willing and able to deliver a thorough clean in that window – without exception – you need to hire someone who can.
If you’re thinking about hiring a professional holiday rental cleaning service…
If you’ve decided you can’t handle the cleaning yourself (or perhaps you don’t live near your rental property), you will need a trusted holiday rental housekeeping service who will visit the property as needed. A good housekeeper will keep an eye on the state of things and let you know if anything looks worse for wear. For example, if a remote control is missing or an item has been damaged, you’ll be informed immediately and can take swift action. Before engaging your professional holiday rental cleaning service, make sure you ask for references.
How much does holiday rental cleaning cost?
Generally speaking, given the extra work involved you should expect to pay more than you would for a typical house clean. The good news is, it is standard practice to pass along cleaning fees (or part thereof) to the guest. After all, they are using the property and benefiting from the service. Regardless, it pays to be price conscious when you’re researching your cleaning service provider, as an exorbitantly high fee can turn potential guests away. As a guide, a holiday rental clean on the southern Mornington Peninsula will generally be in the vicinity of $200 (for a property of around 4 bedrooms, which has been left in a reasonable state). Changeover linen costs are an additional fee which is variable upon the number of guests.
Changeover Coordination
Even if you’re planning to outsource your cleaning, you will need to make sure you’re able to coordinate the logistics. This means arranging for your housekeeper to arrive and complete the job after one guest exits, before the next one arrives. Make sure you ask if they charge an extra fee to schedule their day around quick turnovers, as this is not uncommon.
Does it all sound too much?
At Bookabreak.com.au we have years of experience dealing with local suppliers. We only work with the industry’s best on the ground service providers and we have a failproof system which ensures every clean is coordinated to manage even the shortest changeover time. Our housekeepers go the extra mile to ensure your property is maintained to the highest standard and will promptly report any issues to be rectified.