I was staying at an Airbnb in New Zealand. The place was good and the host seemed very nice. The problems started to occur when we checked out. We ran out of time (we were travelling far away that day) so we didn’t wash the dishes for our breakfast. It was kind of messy in the kitchen but we didn’t break anything and we reported the right number of people for check in.
After we left, the host got angry and wanted me to pay $60. I just don’t get it: in the house rules, they stated the fees only applied when we smoked, not for the dishes. I’m confused: can someone tell me what should I do? Other Airbnb properties seemed fine when we left the house with dishes unwashed. Should I reject or accept the request? Please help me understand.
That sounds like a lot of money for doing dishes but you should not have left dirty dishes behind. If you had to leave early, you should’be gotten up early or had breakfast on the road as opposed to using the kitchen and leaving a mess. Is 60 fair for perhaps 10-15 minutes of cleaning and tidying up? Perhaps not. However, generally dirty dishes etc aren’t part of what the cleaning fee covers and the owner was probably pissed you left a mess. 60 isn’t outrageous so just accept you left a mess and are now paying for it.
i wouldnt pay 60$ for that bs. just washing a few dishes is part of the amount you paid for when you use the room. As a guest you deserve that much
AirBnB is a poorly regulated service, however if their policy explicitly stated that you would incur a fine (and possibly a specific dollar amount) for leaving dishes unwashed, then you really don’t have any other option but to pay up. If however, they did not state a specific dollar amount – only that they reserve the right to fine you – and you left only a couple of dishes I would assume – I would offer them $30 but no more. It’s not that time consuming to wash 2-5 dishes. I can’t imagine that you cooked a full breakfast of ham and eggs, and homemade waffles knowing you had to leave that morning. But if you did, I guess you should reconsider the position you left them in. I would define “a bit messy” as having flour all over the place, dishes stacked up to the faucet in the sink, grease on the stove top, etc. I’m a neat person myself but i”m not the white-glove test type. If a shirt or a few dishes are out, that’s fine. If there is a small stain, that’s fine. I just don’ t want to see furniture torn up and dog hair in my place.
If they had no such policy stated in their listing, then I would decline to pay it based on that fact, but I would offer them a sincere apology and explanation. Had you left a kitchen full of dirty dishes, I’d say you should offer them something along the lines of $5/dish left unwashed. Or you could even consider that offer. I think $60 is absolutely ludicrous.
I think its a fair charge when they have not budgeted the time or resources to do a chore for you that is not included in your rental. I would have maybe charged $50, so $60 is close. You are paying for the extra work, plus there is a component of this that is a fine, which you clearly incurred.
Leaving dirty dishes for the host to clean is simply disrespectful, abject behaviour. Grow up, learn some responsibility and claim the 60 bucks on your parents that apparently ‘forgot’ to educate you.
How ironic this childish insult from someone claiming the writer needs to “grow up”. I would argue it’s way more childish to get so offended over a few dishes that need washing that could almost definitley be done in 15 minutes.
It does seem like a high fee if it is the circumstance shared.
Not an otion to leave a mess of dishes! Yes you need to clean up after yourself. The base clean fee is for cleaning sheets , towels, floors etc.
You need to go to the hosts listing and see what her rules are. If it says v you just v wash dishes then you should have.
However, $60 is high, you could split ithe difference with her. If she hired a service to clean it will cost her extra. If you had messaged her when you checked out she may have waited the fee.