Airbnb Host Requesting to Add Cleaning Fee

KingJuf on 27/06/2024 - 16:56
Last edited 27/06/2024 - 17:49

Hey all,

So I just booked a short 3 night stay in Melbourne, found a relatively good deal for a 2 bedroom apartment (under $150 per night) so I decided to book, then I immediately got a message from the host explaining they forgot to add the cleaning fee and want to add it as an additional fee.

I asked them how much the fee is and they responded ‘our usual fee is $200’.

Is it just me or is this fee excessive on top adding it after guests have booked?

On the fence now about booking it as their are closer places to CBD for the same or less than this property.

Thanks!

EDIT: just seen another property listing of theirs, the reviews say cleaning fee was excessive and also doesn’t appear to have cleaning fee added to the listing.

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Comments

    • Nebargains on 01/07/2024 - 07:42

      Yes and it still is, it is just people make the mistake of thinking the idea is to be cheaper when really it is just more options and sometimes options you can't get with hotels.

      If you are travelling to a major city, need somewhere to sleep, shower and are maybe travelling by yourself or with a partner and don't need a kitchen (although many hotels do offer little kitchenettes) or anything then a hotel is going to be the way to go most times.

      If you are a family and need more than 1 room, or want a kitchen, or are staying in some location where there aren't many/any hotels or maybe travelling with a pet, or perhaps just want something a bit less sterile and boring than a hotel then airbnb is probably your best bet.

      I've used it in the USA, UK and here and never really had much of a problem. In the UK we were in pretty remote parts of the country where there really wasnt any hotels. In the USA in a couple of cities it was just the cheapest option if we (2 adults + 1 kid) wanted mulitple bedrooms and a kitchen etc and here in Australia same situation. We recently went to Sydney and initially booked a hotel apartment because it was cheaper than airbnb, then we later looked at the reviews, saw customer photos and promptly cancelled because it looked so bad and the reviews were shocking. Paid the premium for Airbnb and it was great.

  • Dabbler68 on 29/06/2024 - 22:11

    It certainly sounds like an intentional "mistake". I think you would be better off refusing to pay anything and hope that they cancel on you.

    If you go ahead with staying there (at whatever deal), be prepared that they may claim on you for breakages, leaving it too dirty, or dishes left in the sink, etc justifying a claim for extra billing.

  • thierry on 30/06/2024 - 00:30
    +2

    you should report this to airbnb - and let the company handle it. they can't charge you a fee after booking. I've had very good experiences with customer support.

    • MrFrugalSpend on 01/07/2024 - 20:04

      100% report it to AirBNB - they are either scamming you or them on a share of the fees, or more likely, both

  • hasher22 on 30/06/2024 - 02:31

    Airbnb still a thing? Every article and reviews and posts are mostly negative.

    I get it, you get to have the whole place to yourself and feel like home.

    But I assume majority would be happy with a hotel.

  • MITM on 30/06/2024 - 07:59

    AirBNB is good for groups and/or unique locations -the experience. Hotels have no soul, and there’s usually bogan pretenders, even in high end.

  • EBC on 30/06/2024 - 18:17

    I had a similar thing but they messaged me after the fact saying I needed to pay extra for linens (towels and sheets for the beds).

    I just ignored them and everything was fine (the place had towels and sheets). But I still gave them a bad rating for it.

  • OzHan on 30/06/2024 - 22:14

    Why would you book AirBnb? Unless in areas where you can't find any hotels or larger groups than 4 people. you can book apartment hotels for not much more $$ and cleaning fee is included.

  • jedimaster on 01/07/2024 - 12:23

    @KingJuf please do share how it pans out. If I were you I would stick to no cleaning fee as per the booking and if they want to cancel, they can do it.

    I had a booking in Geneva recently where the host had changed check out hours after the booking was made. Earlier it was 12 PM and they changed it to 10AM. I sent them a screenshot of my booking and told them it only applies for bookings made after the change was done, after which the host backed down.

    • KingJuf on 01/07/2024 - 12:41
      +1

      After speaking with Airbnb support, they appeared to side with the host on the ability to add cleaning fees after booking and advised me to cancel myself. They did eventually offer a $100 coupon to book another accommodation but as per others advise I have decided to book a serviced apartment/ hotel instead of dealing with more potential issues with other hosts.

      • SnoozeAndLose on 01/07/2024 - 12:44

        Not all host are like this in ABB, I think this host is try to explore the grey area to increase profits

        • KingJuf on 01/07/2024 - 12:51
          +2

          Yeh I haven’t had issues previously but figured I definitely don’t want the headache of rebooking again. Plus the price difference was not that much and the 2 bedroom serviced apartment is a decent size for our family. Less headache worrying about collecting keys etc.

      • Save 50 Cent on 01/07/2024 - 15:12
        +1

        Airbnb support are one of worst I had to deal with especially as a host. Every now and then, they call me in order to accept a cancellation of a non-refundable booking (normally within a few days too) as a nice gesture to the customer.. and I am like get the f out of here and don’t try to be nice to your customers at my expense.
        Adding compulsory fees after paying for a service or product doesn’t make sense in any line of business. Just a dumb person you had to deal with.

      • MrFrugalSpend on 01/07/2024 - 20:09

        Yay for the coupon, but that's total bulldust on them siding with the host - I presumed it was just a bad host, if AirBNB are on board that's a whole new level. I'd ask for confirmation of that in writing and then it becomes a ACCC false and misleading conduct kind of deal.
        There may be a host involved but AirBNB are still responsible - You are paying them. Hidden fees are their responsibility to disclose on the listing prior to accepting your cash/booking.

        • KingJuf on 01/07/2024 - 20:47

          They called me so didn’t have anything in writing but it was kind of like ‘it happens that sometimes host forget to add cleaning fee etc’ I could have pushed it further but didn’t want to stay there at that point. And yeh I could still understand if it was a request type booking where they have to approve it first, but I already paid for the booking immediately.

          Any how looks like same the property is booked now for 2 nights instead of my 3 nights. Actually kinda a blessing I didn’t go with them, found a different property they manage but on Booking.com with horrible reviews haha

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