The original poster (OP) went on a short trip with some friends and rented an Airbnb. They left the rental in decent condition but couldn’t fulfill the host’s expectations. OP is reaching out to ask if she and her friends were wrong to leave the short-term rental for the host without completing their list of demands.
They Went on a Mini Vacation
OP and her friends paid over $600 for a three day stay in an airbnb condo.
The Host Made An Exception
The host told OP they didn’t typically rent to people under 25 years old because they throw parties and trash the place but they said they made an exception for OP because she made a good impression by saying “all the right things.”
The Friends Hung Out
OP says they didn’t have any sort of party. It was just four friends drinking a bit at night and cooking meals during the day. They were out of the condo almost all day, every day, except to eat, sleep and shower.
They Received One Complaint
OP and her friends received one complaint because they had the music a bit too loud during breakfast but that was the only issue.
She Paid the Deposit
OP and her friends had to pay a deposit before leaving that was only 50% refundable.
She Received a Message from the Host
The host messaged OP to tell her that the cleaning crew was short-staffed and they needed OP and her friends to complete a list of chores before checking out at 11am.
The List of Chores
The host told OP they needed to do the following:
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Start a load of towels in the washing machine.
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Strip all the bed linens and place them on the floor by the washing machine. Leave the comforters on the beds.
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Start dishwasher
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Take out trash to dumpster in parking lot.
OP Was Surprised by the Demands
OP says she was taken aback by the list because they pay a cleaning fee already so why do they have to clean up after themselves?
It Was Short Notice
It was also short notice as they had to pack up all their things as well still.
They Did Most of the Chores
OP says never the less, they did everything but take the trash out and start the dishwasher. They did strip the beds and put the towels and sheets together in a pile. Otherwise OP says they left the place as it was when they came.
The Cleaning Fees Are High
OP says in her opinion they paid a lot of money for cleaning fees alone. She is wondering if they have to pay a cleaning fee, why are they responsible for doing some of the cleaning still?
She Received Another Message from the Host After They Left
OP says the host sent her a very passive aggressive message about not completing the list of chores they asked them to do.
They Followed the Rules
OP says they followed the rules of the agreement prior to payment and before the demands were made.
They Wouldn’t Have Rented if They Knew Beforehand
OP says they never would have rented from this host had they written in their listing that there was clean up involved even after paying a high cleaning fee.
The Readers Respond
The readers are divided on this issue. Some believe the clean up fee should take care of everything and some believe the host made minor requests that could have easily been completed.
Being Short Staffed Isn’t Their Problem
Many said that the fact that the host was short staffed with their clean up crew wasn’t OP’s problem.
“That’s a them problem, not a you problem.”
“Yeah, what he meant by short staffed is he doesn’t hire anyone, pockets the cleaning fees, and wants you to do half the heavy lifting. Does airbnb even require proof of cleaning staff? Why wouldn’t all individuals do this, thats so much money for what, an hour or 2 of work?”
They Should Leave a Bad Review
Some readers said they should write the incident in the reviews because a lot of people rely on them when looking for Airbnbs.
“Use those reviews. They’re there for a reason and may people (including myself) typically lean on the quite a bit when choosing an Airbnb.”
“This kind of review would definitely tell me not to go there.”
Is it Really Cleaning?
But some readers felt the list was not a big deal to complete and didn’t constitute at all as cleaning.
“None of these things constitute cleaning. They are standard checkout tasks for a rental like this and altogether take less than 5 minutes to do. I feel like you’re acting kind of petty or bratty about this and it confuses me. Your cleaning pays for actual cleaning.”
She Wasn’t Told a Paid Vacation With a Friend and Her Family Would Consist of Her Making 3 Meals a Day for 9 People and Angered Them When They Discovered Her Poor Cooking Skills
The original poster (OP) was invited on a fully paid vacation with her college roommate from last year, Meg and her family. Sounds like a dream vacation but almost turned into a nightmare if it wasn’t for OP’s quick thinking.
She Said Her Family Was Paying for Her Annual Girls Vacation But Her Husband Discovered She Was Using Their Rewards Points to Pay. He is Furious and Calling Her Selfish. Is He Right?
The original poster (OP) and her husband of nine years have four children together. OP is a stay-at-home mom whose husband makes approximately $150,000 a year. They live by a relatively strict budget.
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