Everything you need to know about cleaning fees

Deciding whether to add a cleaning fee is a key part of your pricing strategy. Some hosts find it’s a helpful way to recover cleaning expenses. But if the fee is too high, it can discourage guests from booking your home—and decrease your earnings.

Here’s what to keep in mind as you think about cleaning costs and bookability.

Guests tell us they value a clean space and fair pricing above all. One of the most common reasons guests give fewer than 5 stars is a lack of cleanliness. Our research shows that if your listing has a cleaning fee, guests will hold it to a higher standard of cleanliness, and that can lead to more scrutiny when they review their stay.

If you choose to add a cleaning fee, it raises the total price of a stay and is visible to guests as a separate charge at checkout. A high cleaning fee may make them reconsider booking with you. Guests also have the option to turn on the total price display feature, which lets them view listings’ total cost, including all fees, in search results.

Keeping your price competitive can help your listing stand out and rank higher in search results, too. Airbnb’s algorithm prioritizes total price and the quality of a listing compared to similar listings nearby.

You can use the pricing tools in your calendar to see the total price for different dates and types of trips, and to compare it to similar listings nearby.

Once you find a cleaning system that works for you, add up your costs and set an accurate cleaning budget. Here are a few tips to consider when evaluating costs:

• Compare rates. If you’re hiring a professional housekeeper, review their fees alongside other companies to find the best rate, while still paying a fair wage.
• Negotiate with your cleaners. Consider asking your housekeeper if they’ll accept less money for more consistency. “We offered a monthly guaranteed income during the slow season, even if we had only one or two bookings,” says Lorna, a host. “To accommodate, we paid slightly less during the busy season.”
• Stock up. Think about the cleaning supplies you use most often. Ordering these items in bulk tends to cost less over time.

Determine how you’ll cover your cleaning costs and keep the price of your home competitive. Consider:

• Exploring potential tax deductions. You may be able to write off some hosting expenses, including cleaning costs, when you file your income taxes. A tax professional can provide more details or help.
• Incorporating costs in your nightly price. Calculate how much you pay for cleaning supplies, laundry services, and housekeeping, along with your other operating costs. This will give you a big-picture perspective to help set your nightly price.
• Adding a cleaning fee. Use this to pay for cleaning supplies or a professional housekeeping service, not as a way to earn extra money.

If you decide to add a cleaning fee, you have a few options:

• Set a standard fee. Add one cleaning fee for all guests, regardless of their length of stay. This could be a good strategy for hosts who cater to longer stays.
• Vary your cleaning fee. Attract guests booking short stays of only one or two nights by setting a lower cleaning fee. You can keep your standard cleaning fee for all other stays.

If you’re new to hosting, consider waiting to add a cleaning fee until you have a few great reviews to encourage bookings.

Your cleaning fee typically pays for the housekeeping you expect to do after hosting guests. For unexpected cleaning costs, like removing stains or smoke odors left by guests, you may be eligible for up to $3 million USD reimbursement under Host damage protection, a part of AirCover for Hosts.

AirCover for Hosts’ Host damage protection, Host liability insurance, and Experiences & Services liability insurance don’t cover hosts who offer homes or experiences in Japan, where Japan Host Insurance and Japan Experience Protection Insurance apply, or hosts who offer stays through Airbnb Travel LLC. Keep in mind that all coverage limits are shown in USD.

Host liability insurance and Experiences & Services liability insurance are provided by third-party insurers.

If you’re hosting homes, experiences, or services in the UK, the Host liability and Experiences & Services liability insurance policies are underwritten by Zurich Insurance Company Ltd., and arranged and concluded at no additional cost for UK Hosts by Airbnb UK Services Limited, an appointed representative of Aon UK Limited, who are authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Aon’s FCA register number is 310451. You can check this by visiting the Financial Services Register or contacting the FCA at 0 800 111 6768. The Host liability and Experiences & Services liability policies within AirCover for Hosts are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, the remaining products and services are not regulated products arranged by Airbnb UK Services Limited, FPAFF405LC. See details and exclusions. 

If you’re hosting homes, experiences, or services in the European Economic Area (EEA), the Host liability and Experience & Services liability insurance policies are underwritten by Zurich Insurance Europe AG, branch in Spain, and arranged and concluded at no additional cost for the benefit of hosts in the EEA by Airbnb Spain Insurance Agency S.L.U. (ASIASL), a non-tied insurance agency supervised by the Directorate General for Insurance Pension and Funds (DGSFP) and registered in Spain with number AJ0364 in the Registry of the Insurance Distributors of the DGSFP. You can verify this registration by visiting the DGSFP Insurance Distributors Register, and you can access full details of ASIASL here.

Host damage protection isn’t insurance and isn’t related to Host liability insurance. Under host damage protection, you’re reimbursed for certain damages caused by guests to your home and belongings if the guest does not pay for those damages. For listings in Washington state, Airbnb’s contractual obligations under host damage protection are covered by an insurance policy purchased by Airbnb. For hosts whose country of residence or establishment is outside of Australia, these Host Damage Protection Terms apply. For hosts whose country of residence or establishment is within Australia, host damage protection is subject to the Host Damage Protection Terms for Australian Users.

Information contained in this article may have changed since publication.