How tough are y'all non guests that leave the home a bit of a mess? We've rented our personal residence out a number of times and each time the home has been pretty spotless on our return. We just purchased a full time rental at the beach though and we have just finished our third guest. Seems like these guests have been not quite so considerate. Perhaps as they know it's a full time rental vs. our personal home? Anyway, our cleaning lady just sent me a note ranking the last guests as a 6 of 10. toothpaste spit all over the bathroom faucets, and some sort of substance -- guessing food smeared all over the bathroom counter. They also removed a picture from the wall in one of the bedrooms and set it on the floor. My question is, this does not seem TOOO bad, but would you rate this a 5 star? I know on AirBnb, they won't see our review until they post theirs so no real worry that a bad reveiw would bias their review of us. Their communication was good througout and all in all, had been good guests. I'm surprised at the condition they left the home. What do you think?

How tough are you on guests for reviews?

Longmont, CO · Member since 2018 · 105 posts · 79 votes

7y

I would say those things are extremely minor. I give folks good reviews so long as they don't break stuff and don't leave it a huge mess. The important thing is if things are left clean enough for the cleaning crew to get it turned around in time. Some folks will leave it virtually spotless, others not so much. This is just part of the business.

I will say that we tell everyone that our houses are exactly that, our houses, that we live there part of the time as well. It seems like people respect our places much more when they know that we use them too.

I hope that helps,

Sid

4 Reply

Chris Gottshall

Rental Property Investor · Portland, OR · Member since 2017 · 92 posts · 80 votes

7y

I'd consider them 5-star guests if they didn't damage anything, were good communicators, and followed the house rules including arrival & departure on time / as expected and having the number of people in their party that they said they would. Toothpaste on the faucet, something smeared on the counter tops both sound pretty trivial in terms of cleanup, IMO. How long has your housekeeper been in this business, specifically for vacation rentals?

2 Reply

Corby GoadeBusiness Member

Investor · Boise, ID · Member since 2014 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes

7y

We use AirBnb and vacation rentals all of the time, I have a family of five, three kids six and under. We always follow whatever checkout guidelines are included in the instructions and be sure to do simple things like take out the trash, strip beds, etc, even if they aren't on the list. That said, when I use a vacation rental and am paying a $75 cleaning fee, you wouldn't catch me scrubbing the mirror and faucets if my kids got some toothpaste spittle on them- that's what the cleaning fee is for. As a PM, I wouldn't leave a negative review unless house rules were maliciously broken or if items in the house were broken or missing.

5 Reply

John UnderwoodPro Member

Investor · Greer, SC · Member since 2014 · 13k+ posts · 17k+ votes

7y

I would give them a good review if they didn't damage anything. Even then accidents happen and if they contact me about accidents I usually don't sweat it even if they offer to pay.

Ony one time have I had any significant damage. Someome burned some holes in carpet in the master bedroom. A bathmat was covering the damage. The lady who rented the place seemed to know nothing of it and when I told her which bedroom it was she didn't seem overly surprised since she knew who was in that room. So I kept her $300 deposit. New carpet was installed through HD and was put in for under $500. I knew they wouldn't be the cheapest option but just wanted fast. I sent her the bill and she paid the difference. Don't think Homeaway had reviews back then but I would have left her a 5 star review because there was an accident and she took ownership and paid for the damage.

2 Reply

Sean Wilt

OP

Investor · Savannah, GA · Member since 2018 · 71 posts · 29 votes

7y

All, thanks for the responses. I totally get it and actually just got off the phone with our cleaning person. She is new at the vacation biz cleaning thing but is doing a GREAT job. I agree with each of you and after speaking with her, I think she was a bit too hard in her description.

I explained that smoking, dog crap on the floor, broken item, etc. are grounds for bad review. She understood and I feel good about the 5 star beacause as mentioned, they really were good guests other than the tooth paste! :)

Thanks again!

1 Reply

Julie McCoy

Real Estate Agent · Sevierville, TN · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes

7y

I'm not super picky about it but if they leave a mess, I'll ding the review (4 stars for cleanliness or whatever is appropriate). I'm going to be dropping the hammer on some guests who stayed over Christmas, were SUPER PICKY about everything and had me scrambling on Christmas Day to find pots and pans that didn't have superficial scratches on them... and then left the place a total mess, didn't follow any of my check-out instructions, my housekeepers picked up an entire garbage bag worth of trash - and it was just two people!

Anyway, in general unless someone does something to get on my bad side, everybody gets a 5 star review. But if they're a pain in my rear, I don't have a problem with saying so in the review - I don't want them coming back to me, and I'd want other hosts to know what they're getting into. (another one recently had trouble getting the deadbolt to throw upon checkout so instead of asking me about it, he unscrewed the plate from the jamb and left it on the kitchen table. Boy did I have some words for him)

In your particular case, it doesn't sound terribly egregious. I also expect larger groups to be messier than smaller ones. I might do 4 stars for cleanliness instead of 5, but that's it.

2 Reply

Mary M.

Rental Property Investor · Portland OR · Member since 2018 · 2k+ posts · 3k+ votes

7y

If i am paying for cleaning? I am not going to spend my time doiing what I am paying for. Now, if the cleaning fee was 0? yep I would leave the place spotless.

IMO you are training your guest to not clean by charging them for cleaning. :)

(I have excellent ratings on airbnb ;))

1 Reply

Sean Wilt

OP

Investor · Savannah, GA · Member since 2018 · 71 posts · 29 votes

7y

@Julie McCoy

Julie, yep, that's what I did... wrote a positive review in my commentary, gave them 5 stars on communication etc. but 4 stars on cleanliness so all in all they can't be upset with their review.

Thanks again all.

BTW, Julie, both your stories in your post sound like nightmares. Cross my fingers I don't have any of those yet (though I'm sure I will at some point!)

Happy New Year all!

0 Reply

Julie McCoy

Real Estate Agent · Sevierville, TN · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes

7y

@Sean Wilt It's not often I get a bad guest, but those two tried my patience pretty well!

@Mary M. When I pay for a cleaning fee I'm doing it because I expect fresh sheets and a clean bathroom. I don't expect the housekeepers to clean up my garbage and mess, and I have no respect for guests who think that's what they're for. Fortunately most of my guests seem to have the same mindset.

1 Reply

Paul Sandhu

Investor · The worst town to live in, KS · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 4k+ votes

7y

My rentals get filled through Craigslist or other offline forms of marketing. I don't really have an option of leaving feedback or ratings. But what I have done is not rent to a person again. I had a guy stay 51 weeks paying $400/week in a house. When he left, it was infested with mice and fleas. He called me a year later wanting to rent again, I told him no. Had some other guys that didn't want to pay their full rent, and were being generally irritating. I had the city disconnect their electric and water, then I sent an invoice for the rent to their employer. Another guy skipped out on a weeks rent. I printed and framed a nice saying, I mailed it to his employer. It said

IN GOD WE TRUST.

ALL OTHERS

PAY RENT

IN ADVANCE.

THIS MESSAGE BROUGHT TO YOU BY GUYS NAME.

2 Reply

Mary M.

Rental Property Investor · Portland OR · Member since 2018 · 2k+ posts · 3k+ votes

7y

@Julie McCoy i honestly dont understand. You charge a cleaning fee for clean sheets?

0 Reply

Kevin Lefeuvre

Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2016 · 565 posts · 391 votes

7y

I used to be generous with 5 stars ratings for years but recently I have given a few 3 or 4 stars for lack of communication, cheating on number of guests , moving furniture, noise, or not being clean. I did so when I accepted guests with several 5 stars and noticed they are not the 5 stars type but previous guests have been too nice obviously. So now in a situation like the one described I may give 4 not 5.

For those who say "I paid for cleaning" 2 comments:

1) the cost of cleaning and the time of cleaning can double based on how dirty the guest leaves the house. So no you have not paid for a particularly dirty turnover.

2) it's called cleaning fee but it's not just the money paid to the maid it's also the "project management fee" including communication time with the guests, troubleshooting because they can't dial a code or just the inspection. If I could change the name of that fee I would call it a "setup fee" not just cleaning fee.

0 Reply

Michael Greenberg

Investor · Denver, CO · Member since 2016 · 533 posts · 433 votes

7y

I'm the same as everyone else, 5-stars, and it did take my cleaners a while to understand these are not personal homes, but basically a "business home / hotel". They are now excellent at sending me damage photos and understanding the difference between a "mess" and "damage". I am quite firm with "damages" to my place, including stains on fabric, etc... In my house rules I ask that guests treat my home as they would treat their own.

Best,

Mike

0 Reply

Luke CarlPro Member

Rental Property Investor · Tennessee Florida · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 5k+ votes

7y

@Sean Wilt I find my review process evolves over time and changed periodically. Right now I’m in the “give everyone 5 stars on everything and tell them I did so and ask them to return the favor” phase. It’s been working for about 3 months so it’s clock is ticking. Below are some examples of my actual reviews

“Thanks”

If Johnny has long hair and is in his 20s

“Johnny Rules”

If Johnny is bald and has 3 children in picture

“Johnny was wonderful”

Although rare, if they sucked I have no problem giving them 4 or 3 stars in the area they sucked in. I generally do this if I can tell they’re going to ding me in a particular area.

@paulsandu always says you have to be part mind reader in this business!!

Podcast Guest on Show From Surviving on $30/Day to 30+ Properties Thanks to Blue-Collar Skills

3 Reply

Mike V.

Rental Property Investor · Campbell, CA · Member since 2017 · 419 posts · 499 votes

7y

@Lucas Carl I do the same exact thing:

“Thank you for being a great guest... blah blah... I just gave you a perfect 5* review and would really appreciate the same blah blah”

People are more likely to not ding you if you tell them they got a ‘perfect’ review.

If a guest had an issue that was semi on me (this JUST happened over the holidays with a water heater that crapped out) I send an apology after they check out and don’t review them and hope they don’t review me. If I see they review notification from them I’m typically pretty nervous at that point lol

0 Reply

Mark Futalan

Rental Property Investor · La Quinta, CA · Member since 2018 · 263 posts · 95 votes

7y

@Mike V.

So funny that’s the the one part of the Airbnb review process that I cringe, when something breaks or is an inconvenience to a guest that I worry about the review your going to get and sometimes would just prefer not having any review on either end lol. Luckily I’ve gotten 5 stars from all my guests (cross my fingers) even from the ones where unexpected issues arise. I find that as long you communicate with them and show your guests that you care and take action steps to correct the issue, they appreciate it and really that’s all you can do. I once had a guest who had to deal with a slab leak in our newly remodeled bathroom (not fun) that effected the use of the bathroom but after all was said and done, they saw how proactive we were in fixing the issue. We also sent them a small refund and they appreciated that as well. I guess sometimes you never know.

0 Reply

Colleen F.Pro Member

Investor · Narragansett, RI · Member since 2013 · 8k+ posts · 4k+ votes

7y

When I read some of these responses I know why I book hotels. When we have week long guests there is a cleaning fee for cleaning. It is not expected they would leave things pristine. Trash in the trash can,no moved furniture, nothing broken. Follow basic checkout instructions. The cleaner is cleaning so if they would clean it in the normal clean it is a non issue. I dont use airbnb so I am not reviewing people, you just dont let them rent again.

0 Reply

Tim Schroeder

Rental Property Investor · Castle Rock, CO · Member since 2017 · 335 posts · 387 votes

7y

When people pay a cleaning fee, they expect that someone will cleanup their toothpaste, food, and other mess. It's part of the deal. If they don't break anything, they deserve 5 stars.

0 Reply

Doug Pintarch

Rental Property Investor · Harrisburg, PA · Member since 2018 · 369 posts · 406 votes

7y

After a year with our STVR cleaning it ourselves for the turnarounds to save cash flow we see people moving furniture around to the way they like it, changing lamps on tables, and the toothpaste on the faucets is almost a given. None of it is a big deal at all...You're staying a week and you want that chair over there? Please! Make yourselves at home.

Everyone gets a 5 star (At least they have so far) No real damage yet, knock on wood. Messy does not equal damaged, as a clean freak I had to learn that after our first couple renters and just breathe deep and let it go.

Our "Thing" is little amenities (Snacks and bottled water and a personal note on the counter for them when they arrive) and Absolutely Spotlessly Clean on arrival. We work like dogs to not miss one rogue hair, one balled-up tissue, one dirty spoon hiding in the dishwasher. We don't expect people to put it back to exactly as they found it though!

0 Reply

Paul Sandhu

Investor · The worst town to live in, KS · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 4k+ votes

7y

@Doug Pintarch We clean our own too. Actually, my wife does. All 23 of them. At first when people moved furniture around, we would move it back. That went on 2 or 3 times. Finally we decided to just leave all furniture where it is when people move out. I tell new tenants that they can move anything around in the house except the washer, dryer, fridge and stove.

1 Reply

Doug Pintarch

Rental Property Investor · Harrisburg, PA · Member since 2018 · 369 posts · 406 votes

7y

Originally posted by @Paul Sandhu:

@Doug Pintarch We clean our own too. Actually, my wife does. All 23 of them. At first when people moved furniture around, we would move it back. That went on 2 or 3 times. Finally we decided to just leave all furniture where it is when people move out. I tell new tenants that they can move anything around in the house except the washer, dryer, fridge and stove.

Paul! I remember you saying this in one of your earlier replies in a different thread, and I thought "WOW! I have no right to pitch a fit about one!!" Our turn is weekly during the summer season (Vacation rental) and a minimum of 2 nights "Out" of season so we clean it a lot, and each couple alternates every-other turn. We figured when we get another this year we'll still drive down and do 1 and get a cleaning service to do the other, then alternate units, so we get eyes-on each property several times a month.

We put the furniture back each cleaning, they only move end tables and sofa and love seat, and occasionally the wicker stuff in the sunroom and on the patio. Never beds and dressers though. One time they actually left the living room better than we had it, I thought...but didn't dare tell the wives, who are in charge of decorating... :)

0 Reply

Mark S.

Real Estate Investor · Houston, TX · Member since 2016 · 142 posts · 79 votes

7y

@Sean Wilt We sold a beach house in Galveston a year or so ago so I will agree with you that beach guests are going to be much harder on a place. What you're describing though, doesn't sound too bad. And I agree with other hosts that say to leave the 5 star unless its an issue. If it costs my housekeepers more in time (and that cost comes back to me) then yes, I will happily ding the guest for it.

But trust me, you'll have MUCH worst experiences. Like the time someone cleaned a fish on the outside dining table and just left the blood and scales to rot in the summer sun for a few days. Or the numerous times we've had to either bleach/clean or replace comforters because of urine, blood and other stains we can't identify. Or the time we found a single flip-flop under a bed after a guest left and tossed it in the trash. Only to have the guest call ask if we found the other half of their $400 pair of sandals. We had to dig through multiple bags of trash that day to find it and return it -- not sure if we even got a 5-star for that.

(PS...I never toss out things a guest left behind after that. I will hold it for a few weeks/months now just in case)

So prepare yourself mentally for the times to come.

Beach renters are fun :)

0 Reply

Nancy Bachety

Rental Property Investor · North Fork, NY · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 631 votes

7y

I am proactive and use the words "our home" and "treat it with respect" and convey that we use it and consider it our home (we look at that way, actually) even though it's a 1000 miles away. We charge a decent cleaning fee and are pretty specific with checkout procedures and setting an expectation, mostly based on respect. I'm always thinking of the 3-star guest that some owners rate as a 5-star when I write reviews and will not think twice of rating a 4 in the weak area. I've had guests get so picky rating us that I think twice about glossing over messes. That said, we've never had any serious damage or issues - now I'm holding my breath, thank you.

Also, when something happens like what @Mike V. describes, I get nervous too but I address it this way in my review: "guest" was understanding that sometimes things happen, and when the water heater broke we tried to get someone there as soon as guest told us, but being it was Sunday night, it just didn't work out. That way, your story is out there and you show the reader that you tried hard to correct it without having to defend a bad review after the fact. If they don't mention it, so what. it shows you are quick to respond.

0 Reply

How tough are you on guests for reviews?

How tough are you on guests for reviews?

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