VRBO

[lovesmurfs]

We've used VRBO for a number of stays in various locations -- never had an undisclosed fee (and we often travel with our dog). You do need to look closely -- the total does add up, but it works for us.

 

[tzolkin]

Was something perhaps damaged/broken that was only discovered once their rental time was up?

This is the only way I think someone is getting a $750 fee charged after their stay. The owner would have to submit a request to VRBO to charge an additional fee and show proof of the damage.

Why would anybody pay a cleaning fee? That’s the owner’s cost of doing business. Most VRBO or Airbnb owners are just padding their pockets with those ridiculously high cleaning fees.

Guests pay cleaning fees because someone has to be paid to clean the house once they have used it. It's really very simple math. You use the house; you pay someone to clean it.

Most people understand that renting a house is not the same thing as staying in a hotel. For our family, sometimes staying in a house is worth the extra expense that goes along with that type of rental. Sometimes we prefer to stay in a hotel. They are two completely different experiences with two different operating styles and pricing.

If you’re only renting for one or two nights, you can be sure that the cleaning service is not doing a $200 job.

At least 10% goes into the host’s pocket.

I know many people who have house cleaning services done on their own homes. Most pay $150-$200 per service, so I think that's about the going rate to have a house cleaned in many parts of the US. How much would you expect to pay to have your home cleaned?

We own a house we rent on Airbnb/VRBO. We charge $75 for our cleaning fee. It takes approximately 3 hours to clean regardless of whether the guest stayed for one night or one week. My husband and I do the cleaning ourselves because I am extremely particular, but I have paid to have someone else clean if we have been out of town. On several of those occasions, I paid $100+ for the cleaning (while still only charging the guest $75).

I know it's a widely held belief on the internet that owners are raking in tons of cash by charging exorbitant cleaning fees, but I really don't think that's generally the case.