Holiday let, disrespectful guests.

I have been reading through this with great interest :-) . In an attempt to supplement our future retirement income we decided to start a holiday let. After many months hard work renovating we finally opened the doors late summer. We have only had three sets of guests so far
GUESTS 1. Stole 2 sets brand new bath sheets and hand towels along with 2 brand new memory bed pillows.
GUESTS 2.Had a busy week. They stained a single mattress ( even with mattress protector on) along with the sheet above. They also stained so badly the king sized bedding sheets they all had to be bleached/ washed several times before clean. Completely trashed two brand new arm chairs by allowing their child to pick the 'fake leather' of both chairs on the top, arms and seat over what was obviously a long period of time. They were so bad we had to remove them from the property. They smashed a glass terrarium and hidden it, snapped the arms of elderly wooden statue and balanced the arms back in place. The child had also pulled the chimney sheep our of the fire place and you could follow the child's progress around the house by the sooty hand /foot prints left behind everywhere!
GUEST 3. Brand new tv broke down through no fault of them( software fault).
After guest two our housekeeping bond came into play .

New chairs and television replacement ( as could not be immediately fixed)

Tell me is someone somewhere trying to tell me something or have we just chosen the wrong business? :-(

Guests were never asked to put the dishwasher on before leaving but they always did anyway just like we always did when we stayed.
It's perfectly reasonable to expect the dishwasher to be loaded and switched on, but IMO not to expect guests to wait for it to finish, empty it and put the dishes away. The last time my group went away we washed up by hand so we could be out on time - it's not a massive deal, but it does make for unnecessary stress, and when people are supposed to be on holiday I don't think it's necessary.

A bit different here in France. Generally bed linen and towels are not included in the cost and added to the bill. Some places provide linen if asked.
I agree with Doodledog post Covid there has been a greater expectation of guests
I would always keep a place I was staying in good order,clean & tidy etc. I don't expect to have to do a major clean before I leave, I can stay at home and do that. The cost of most self catering places is enough to pay for cleaning I think.

Doodledog

I have no problem with cleaning up after myself, and would do so regardless of 'instructions'; but I do object to being asked to vacuum, strip beds, leave the dishwasher empty etc, particularly when the checkout time is relatively early. Why would we want to have breakfast so early that the dishwasher has finished in time for us to have it emptied and the dishes put away by 10.30? On the last day I prefer to pack, then have breakfast and go. Obviously I will happily fill the dishwasher and set it going.

Some friends and I often go away for long weekends, and since Covid the demands have got more and more unreasonable. I see no reason why the cleaners can't strip the beds and empty the dishwasher. There are four of us, so changing four beds, washing some towels, emptying a dishwasher and running a hoover round would be less than an hour's work - we don't make a mess. Considering the cost of renting a 4 bed house for a long weekend, that isn't going to make a big hole in the profit.

I don't understand people moving things around though. Why would people do that unless it's just putting mugs in the wrong cupboard because they don't remember where they came from? And stealing toiletries is totally unacceptable.

Our cleaning company always loaded up the dishwasher whilst they were cleaning the house after guests had left and before other guests arrived after 4pm. It didn’t matter that the guests who had left had already put a full load on it all got washed a second time.

Guests were never asked to put the dishwasher on before leaving but they always did anyway just like we always did when we stayed. Guests were never asked to strip beds or do anything else. They just got up, showered, had breakfast, packed and left by 10am. Sometimes guests wouldn’t leave before midday and that would make it very difficult for the cleaners.

The only things that were ever moved around were books from the bookshelf and games and puzzles and garden furniture from the garage. We never had any problems but having said that we never made a profit but had lots and lots of wonderful holidays there.

PS we could both leave reviews of each other

I use the same Airbnb when I go back to Wales to stay. Owner is great with questions answered the flat is spotless, she leaves a breakfast welcome pack in the fridge and it’s a lovely place to stay.

I leave it clean when I/we leave but she doesn’t expect any beds stripped or cleaning done just do any washing up before you leave so the kitchen is clean , this is only fair but I never do any other cleaning .

I wouldn’t dream of moving things and make sure I put things back in the right cupboards in the kitchen. The first time she messaged to say thanks it had been left so nice.

What is it with these dirty people that they think such actions are acceptable

AreWeThereYet my experience is similar to yours. Haven't been met by anyone for years, never had an inventory and collect the keys from a keybox having been sent the code a day or two before the holiday.
When our grandson was small and holiday lets seemed to have a lot of ornaments around, we'd take photos of their placement and then store them safely away. On the last day everything would be returned to its rightful position. I'd not dream of changing anything around that I couldn't put back in place before I left.
I do wonder if some owners who live a long way from their property are unaware that the cleaners and/or gardeners they employ aren't doing the thorough job they're paid to.
Sago you have to challenge them for the return of your property, that's just disgraceful!

Oh no Sago, they are thieves and were obviously out to strip your property of the nice things you provide. What's wrong with people?

Sometimes, when renting, we have had to sign an inventory and leave a €500 security deposit. Other times we haven't even seen a contract of any sort. It depends.

Our stay this year in an apartment in France (5 of us) stipulated that the apartment was to be left cleaned (it seemed to me) from top to bottom or a hefty cleaning fine imposed. We had to check out early too and the last night saw us all cleaning away (apart from my son 🙄) and worrying if it was up to scratch as the Manager would be in first thing to inspect our work.
I found it stressful and left to myself, always stay in a reasonably priced hotel chain.
Neither would I like the responsibility as so many here have, of letting a place and the trouble that can bring.

They took the b****y coffee table books!
Beautiful books of Yorkshire from the air, the country houses and gardens of Yorkshire and a book on walks!

Fleurpepper I have never (in the UK) been asked to sign, or even check, an inventory. I have seen inventories in a few places, and have checked them to make sure they are correct but never signed anything. Most places we have stayed we have never even met anyone - the keys are left in key boxes and they text or email the number to us to let ourselves in.

Primrose53 You sound like a lovely person to rent from, as does Sago. You probably have lots of repeat bookings from people who appreciate your generosity, as well as the horrors you never want to see again. I can understand why people who rent their places out get so fed up; many of the people we rent from regularly tell stories of disgusting guests, as did my parents. I suspect they are the same people who dump their rubbish for other people to pick up, let their dogs mess all over the place or leave dog poo bags hanging in bushes.

Just to clarify, a lot of posters clearly think guests should not have to strip beds, I understand they think it’s the housekeepers job.
The reason we ask is so that it gives everything longer to air, when I leave bedroom in a holiday let or a friends home I always strip the bed and open the window.
Some guests don’t bother and I understand if they are leaving in a hurry but much nicer to strip the bed and let fresh air in.

Fleurpepper

Usually there is an inventory you have to check, tick and sign.

Expectations are also country specific. In Switzerland it is the norm to have to take empty bins and take to large bins outside, recycle glass, tins, plastics, paper- and to wipe everything down, empty dishwasher and wash pots, etc, and make two piles in bathroom, one for towels and one for bedding.

No, not just in Switzerland. That’s pretty much the norm for places I’ve stayed in here. (U.K.)

Usually there is an inventory you have to check, tick and sign.

Expectations are also country specific. In Switzerland it is the norm to have to take empty bins and take to large bins outside, recycle glass, tins, plastics, paper- and to wipe everything down, empty dishwasher and wash pots, etc, and make two piles in bathroom, one for towels and one for bedding.

Sago

They took the Bluetooth speaker.
Preparing lunch, poured a glass of wine and went to put the music on!
I am beyond angry😬

All the holiday lets we’ve stayed in have had a £250 good house keeping bond attached to our booking. It is kept on our card and if damage or breakages occur an amount is deducted to cover the cost. It’s never happened to us but it’s in the terms and conditions when booking. Do you have a bond of some sort? It’s unbelievable they have stolen your Bluetooth speaker and can get away with it!!

I stayed with my family in a cottage in Norfolk last year . We arrived at 5 ( as requested) in the pouring rain only to discover the cleaners were just arriving. They had been held up having to clean up after dreadful guests .The cleaners were in our rental house less than a hour. It was superficially clean but quite scruffy and well worn .
However after we left from our holiday having left the house in good order, I had a message asking what was the stain on the carpet and that there were several items missing. I messaged back saying it wasn’t us .As I had no proof I had £50 taken from my card by ABNB I will be very careful in checking out properties on arrival in future, although it’s difficult to know what’s missing if it isn’t there in the first place!. There was a £60 cleaning fee paid up front rather steep for less than one hour !

Crikey, reading through all this I realise our guests get a great deal. I don’t ask them to do anything at all apart from putting wheely bins out. We always leave it immaculate for them.

The agency sets arrival/departure time but I always text the people the day before saying they can come any time to suit themselves, no need to wait until 4pm. That’s if the house has not been occupied the day before.

This weekend we have people in all week and they leave today so I text them and said no need to rush out at 10am as we won’t be back until tomorrow. We are away for the weekend So they can stay as late as they like.

Obviously if it’s a same day changeover then if we have done it all by lunchtime then I text to say they can come earlier and most do. Often they are in the area just killing time.

One place we stayed in had a cleaning charge that they said would be taken off the deposit if the place wasn't left clean. I've no idea what they meant by clean - we always wash and put away dishes, clean surfaces, mop up and vacuum spills as we go, put out rubbish and leave everything looking clean when we leave, but we got so paranoid by the constant notices we ended up cleaning the bathroom and kitchen from top to bottom, vacuuming all the way through and double checking everything before we left. We spent the week worrying about breaking anything or staining anything - I don't know why because we haven't done that in any other place. We haven't been back, it was a lovely house but far from a relaxing place to be.

Criminal!
My daughter cleans everything, oven, grill, washes all the crockery and cutlery, leaves the place sparkling. She leaves a good welcome pack, including home made cake. She gets such lovely reviews. It is galling when guests abuse hospitality.

They took the Bluetooth speaker.
Preparing lunch, poured a glass of wine and went to put the music on!
I am beyond angry😬

It would never occur to me not to strip beds after a stay in a holiday let. I just leave the dirty linen neatly folded at the bottom of the bed. We have never been a family that make a lot of mess, even when the children were young and I would expect to leave a holiday let as I found it.

However, most of our holiday letting has been through friends, family and workmates in the informal holiday letting market, in the way we let friends and family use our holiday home, charging them well below the market rate, little above cost price and expect them to leave everything clean and decent when they go.

I've stayed in a lot of holiday cottages and always stripped the bed on the morning I've left!
Likewise would always wipe surfaces etc.
In all honesty, we never had breakfast on the last day and would stop somewhere to eat out so no dishes etc.

I can understand the need for a window between guests if the owners are doing the cleaning. It's when they expect the guests to do it that it seems unreasonable.

Arrival and leaving times are always “pushed” by guests, when visitors have booked a specific property getting it ready quickly isn’t easy, especially if previous guests have made a mess.
We like to arrive around 5pm having planned a visit on the journey, leaving before 10am is normal for us.