By Rowan Clifford
Author of Airbn’b’Smart and Hospitable user
Airbnb’s cleaning fees are hardly the hot topic you’ll be discussing at your next dinner date (if they are, you probably need to get out more)
But, they are important nonetheless.
And that is why in this post I’m going to give you everything you need to know about Airbnb’s cleaning fees and how to use them effectively.
How does Airbnb’s cleaning fee work?
The cleaning fee is a one-time charge that hosts add to the price of their listing for each booking to cover cleaning expenses.
This fee is added to the overall price of the booking and is paid for by the guest(s). It is not a security deposit; the guests don’t get their money back at the end of their stay.
The cleaning fee is the same regardless of how many guests book your listing or for how long (you can’t increase it for additional guests or additional nights).
Cleaning fees help hosts account for extra expenses they have getting their listing ready for new guests.
Some of the costs that you could consider in your cleaning fee are:
- Cleaning products
- Washing/drying towels and linen
- Toilet roll
- Shampoo, soap, etc.
- Cost of cleaning (e.g. hiring a cleaning service)
In the search results, guests will see a nightly rate that includes the cleaning fee divided by the total number of nights in the reservation.
Because of that, you don’t have to be afraid that your cleaning fee will give your potential guests a nasty surprise.
Also, when guests submit a reservation request, the nightly rate and the cleaning fee will be listed separately in the price breakdown. It’s all very transparent.
What is the average Airbnb cleaning fee?
The average cleaning fee on Airbnb is between $50 – $80, however, this average is somewhat misleading.
With such a huge spectrum of listings from tiny rooms in shared houses, to opulent mansions with 10+ rooms, it’s very hard to find an accurate average.
The best way to find a workable average is to study the cleaning fees of comparable listings within your area, and generate an average from that.
Normal house cleaning rates
How much should I charge for house cleaning?
The cleaning fee you should charge will depend entirely on the competitive environment that your listing is in.
Your cleaning fee (alongside your nightly fee) needs to be competitive in order to entice people to book.
To work out how much you should charge for your cleaning fee, do the following:
Option 1.
- Find 10 – 20 listings that are similar to yours within your area.
- Take note of their cleaning fees.
- Also, take note of their nightly fees (as the cleaning fees get added to the overall booking price).
- Find the average cleaning fee from your competition.
- Price your cleaning fee as competitively as you can (making sure you’re covering all of your costs).
- If there is a margin for you to cover all of your costs and make a little extra on top (whilst still being competitive), reflect this in the price that you charge.
Option 2.
- Get in contact with two or three cleaning services in your area
- Request quotes from each for the price of a full changeover (including linen).
- Calculate the average of these fees, and set this as the price for your cleaning fee.
Normal house cleaning rates
Setting an appropriate cleaning fee is an important aspect of being a successful Airbnb host. You should consider carefully how much you charge because a high fee can make a one or two night stay very expensive, and you risk losing potential reservation requests.
So when setting your fee, you should consider the type of property in your listing. If your property is marketed as luxury, is in an expensive neighborhood, and you charge a considerable fee per night, your guest will probably agree to pay a higher cleaning fee.
But if you rent out a small studio apartment, you can’t charge the same cleaning fee as a host who rents out a five-bedroom mansion. Your fee should be reasonable.
What does an Airbnb cleaning fee cover?
The cleaning fee is entirely at the host’s discretion. It should be used to cover the costs associated with cleaning the property and getting it ready for the next guests.
Even though it’s an optional fee, it’s meant to be used by the host to cover the cost of things like cleaning products, washing linen, paying cleaners, and replacing amenities.
Do I have to charge a cleaning fee?
It is up to the discretion of each host to determine whether or not to charge a cleaning fee, although it is worth noting that the charging of a cleaning fee is a common practice on Airbnb.
However, some hosts prefer not to charge a cleaning fee and instead add the fee to their overall nightly price.
Personally, I don’t recommend not charging a cleaning fee as this can leave you vulnerable and out of pocket if you get a lot of short 1-2 night minimum stays.
Are cleaning fees negotiable on Airbnb?
Cleaning fees are automatically added when a guest makes a booking. However, it’s not uncommon for guests to reach out to a host prior to booking, asking for special discounts or to request the removal of the cleaning fees.
In my experience, it’s best to avoid negotiating cleaning fees with guests on Airbnb as these types of guests tend to be the ones that are the pickiest, and often cause more hassle than they’re worth.
When asked to negotiate fees like this, I respond with a simple reply like this:
“Hey. Thanks for reaching out.
Unfortunately, it’s not possible to reduce/remove the cleaning fee as the fees are already at their absolute minimum to cover expenses already. So, as much as I’d love to offer you a discount, I’m afraid it’s not possible.
If you have any other questions though please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Thanks,
Rowan.”
*Cleaning fees are not automatically added to Special Offers. So, if you decide to make a special offer, be sure to factor that in when setting an all-inclusive price.
How to use the cleaning fee to discourage shorter bookings
Setting higher cleaning fees can be a way of discouraging shorter term bookings and getting more long term bookings. For example:
A single night’s stay with a $70 cleaning fee is going to feel pretty steep. However, a $70 cleaning fee for a week-long booking is just $10 per night.
Use this tactic with caution, however, as you don’t want to price yourself out of the market and lose bookings as a result.
Test, and re-test
It’s going to be difficult to hit the sweet spot with your cleaning fee first swing.
So, play around a little and test to see if increasing your cleaning fee affects your booking rate over time.
The more you test, the better your fee structure will be, and the more competitive/enticing your listing will become.
Conclusion
There we have it. That wasn’t too painful, was it?
Alright, it probably was a little painful, but at least you’re now armed with everything you need to know about Airbnb cleaning fees, and how to use them effectively.
You should now know exactly how the cleaning fees on Airbnb work, how much to charge for your listing, and how to compete like a pro to get more bookings.
We got there in the end…
And, who said talking about cleaning fees couldn’t be fun!
Rowan Clifford is a serial solopreneur and founder of Airbn’b’ Smart, where he writes tips, tricks, and hacks for savvy Airbnb hosts looking to maximize their earning potential with minimum effort.
