Our favorite Airbnb Strategies and Why You Shouldn’t Be An A**hole Airbnb Host

Airbnb cleaning fees. They’re often the source of much debate, a sticking point for guests, and sometimes a headache for hosts. But they’re essential for short-term rentals. How do you find the right balance? This guide offers insights into setting, explaining, and managing these fees effectively to avoid frustrating your guests!

Many hosts struggle to balance fair pay for cleaners with guest expectations about total cost. It’s possible to create a win-win situation. Here are some strategies that work.

We’ve rounded up all of our Airbnb Hosting Must-Haves right here in our Amazon Store. Click here to grab everything you need to curate your property and start earning 5-star reviews.

Setting Your Airbnb Cleaning Fees

• Setting Your Airbnb Cleaning Fees
  • Factors to Consider
  • Researching the Competition
• Communicating Your Cleaning Fees
  • Justifying Your Cleaning Fee
• Navigating Difficult Conversations
  • Responding to Guest Concerns
• Thinking Beyond the Fee
  • Maintaining Cleanliness Standards
  • Addressing Damages or Other Costs
• Building Trust With Guests
• Conclusion

Setting Your Airbnb Cleaning Fees

There’s no one-size-fits-all number for Airbnb cleaning fees. What’s appropriate for one property may not be suitable for another. Focus on your actual cleaning costs, nightly rate, and other expenses.

Factors to Consider

Consider the size of your property. A studio apartment takes less time to clean than a five-bedroom house, impacting your total price.

Cleaning fees often correspond to property size. Location also matters, with higher cost-of-living areas usually leading to higher cleaning expenses. Factor this into your nightly price.

Consider extra amenities. Things like laundry services or restocking toiletries add to your costs. Account for specialized cleaning needs, like a hot tub, potentially charging an additional cleaning fee.

Researching the Competition

Check similar Airbnb listings in your area for current user benchmarks. What cleaning fee do hosts charge? This gives you a starting point for determining your own fees.

Don’t just copy others. Your expenses and cleaner’s wages are unique. Focus on what’s fair for your situation. Consider including your cleaning fee separately.

Communicating Your Cleaning Fees

Transparency is essential with service fees. Be upfront about the fee in your listing description to prevent surprises. A clear cleaning fee listed separately builds trust with potential guests. Don’t hide any host charges.

Justifying Your Cleaning Fee

While no need to itemize every penny, briefly explain what the fee covers, including cleaning, laundry, and restocking. Help guests understand and decide if the information shared helps inform them.

Consider adding photos to demonstrate the level of cleaning provided. Mentioning professional cleaners reassures guests about cleanliness and can justify the fee. Listing photos are saved for later use, and the host charges should be clear from the search results page.

Navigating Difficult Conversations

Even with clear communication, some guests may question your cleaning fee. Responding well can lead to higher ratings from the start.

Responding to Guest Concerns

Respond politely and professionally to guest questions. Reiterate what the fee covers. Avoid arguments and instead firmly, politely explain your cleaning fee and reasoning.

Explanation often helps. If questions persist, remind guests that the fee was visible during booking. They had the cancellation options at their disposal and access to all of the booking terms, along with their selected cancellation policy, from the start. You can even send them hosting tips from other host’s experiences.

Thinking Beyond the Fee

Sometimes, issues that seem to be about the cleaning fee aren’t actually about money. Perhaps the guests aren’t happy with how the total price is showing in the app search and thought your listing ready with everything factored into the price, including cleaning. Or, if you constantly get complaints about cleanliness or the guests damage things beyond cleaning fee coverage, AirCover might be able to help. You can also report neighborhood issues.

Maintaining Cleanliness Standards

Establish high cleaning standards. Provide checklists for your cleaning team and offer gift cards for exceptional service. Periodic inspections can add cleaning fee value for both hosts and guests.

Document your standards and cleanliness practices. This supports your fee and shows guests you care. Consider offering emergency stays as a kind gesture and also join the community forum and/or center connect. Remember hosting responsibly is essential for a positive guest experience.

Addressing Damages or Other Costs

Damages and extra expenses fall outside the scope of typical cleaning. Document the condition of your property before and after guest stays. Provide disability support if needed.

Building Trust With Guests

Trust is key. With trust, Airbnb fees become less of a concern. Guests prioritize excellent service and a positive host-guest relationship over pricing or fees. Provide valuable advice and go the extra mile, even something small like making the community center connect for guests or even getting Airbnb-friendly apartments where you have no neighbors, to establish a great reputation and attract bookings.

One of our favorite strategies for building a relationship with our guests is through a well-loved amenity: The Forgot Something Basket. This basket, provided in all of our properties, is a way to show our guests we’re thinking of them! Grab our FREE Forgot Something Guide right here!

Airbnb Fees Made Simple

Airbnb cleaning fees are an unavoidable part of hosting. By carefully considering your costs, communicating transparently, and providing outstanding cleanliness, you can minimize disputes. Build a strong reputation that attracts guests, even with potentially higher fees than competitors. A positive guest experience underpins a thriving Airbnb business.

Calling All Hosts: The Hosting Handbook

If you loved this post we invite you to check out our one-stop-shop solution for hosts everywhere —the Hosting Handbook! While you can download all the easy to consume, step-by-step tips we use in our own hosting business and create the ultimate “book” the Hosting Handbook is so much more than that! If you’ve consumed or content for years (or just met us!) this is the reference guide for all the amazing and tactical tips we have for running a profitable and, more importantly hospitable, short-term rental. How do we price for pets? How do we fold our towels? What sheets do we buy? How do I purchase a short-term rental? All these questions (and more!) can be answered in the Hosting Handbook! Check it out now!

Check out our recent episode of the Thanks For Visiting Podcast right here. In this episode, we’re discussing all things Listing Optimization. Available everywhere you listen to podcasts!

Happy Hosting!