Airbnb Cleaning Fee: Everything You Need to Know

The fees on Airbnb can help or hurt you as a host. Learn how to price your fees to beat the competition. Read on to find out how.

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Airbnb skips the pesky hidden fees that can torpedo a hard-earned vacation budget. The site clearly shows all charges for guests during check-out.

As a host, you also need to understand these fees to maximize your profits.

What are they? How much should you charge? And what does Airbnb charge you to use their service?

Get answers to all your questions in this helpful guide.

Cleaning Fees

As host, you have the most control over the cleaning. But it can be tricky to pinpoint. If you're not careful, you can easily deter guests and price yourself out of the market.

Here are a few things to consider when pricing your cleaning fee.

• The size of your space: Think about how many hours it will take you to clean. If you're only renting out a room in your home, the job will be quicker. But remember: the rest of the house also needs to be in great condition.

• Your ideal guests: Consider whether your property will appeal to people seeking luxury or more down-to-earth travelers.

• A cleaning service: If you don't have the time to clean (or just hate it), then hiring a professional might be best. Shop around to find a great price near your property.

• Research the competition: Review similar listings in your area and take an average of those fees.

• Boost your income: It's okay to adjust your fees to earn the highest profit. Having a higher cleaning fee can deter short-term guests from booking a stay and push more long-term guests in your direction.

Keep reading to learn about other Airbnb fees.

Security Deposit

Security deposits can deter guests even faster than cleaning fees. Consider other ways to protect and secure your property.

If you are concerned about valuables in your home, look into an itemized insurance policy in addition to Airbnb's million-dollar host guarantee.

However, if you host a high-end property and want to deter the wrong types of guests, then a security deposit might be a good option.

Additional Guests

We don't recommend charging for additional guests. They can easily avoid this by being discreet and you don't want to find yourself counting heads when you can set a maximum number.

Have confidence that your guests will follow the rules. They want a good review just as much as you do.

On the other hand, more people means more cleaning and higher utility costs. If you set your rate accurately, you shouldn't get much fluctuation when hosting 1 guest vs 4. Charging per guest is known to deter customers.

Week and Monthly Discounts

Longer bookings lead to a higher occupancy rate because there are fewer gaps between bookings. This in turn boosts your Airbnb earnings. You can set weekly or monthly discounts to encourage long-term guests.

• Weekly discounts apply to any stay between 7 and 27 nights.
  
• Monthly discounts apply to any stay 28 nights or more.

A 10% discount is a good place to start.

Service Fees

There are 2 types of service fees you should be aware of, but only one is charged to you as the host.

Host Service Fee

• Charged to the host by Airbnb to cover the cost of processing guest payments.
  
• The host service fee is 3% of the booking cost.

Guest Service Fee

• Charged to the guest to cover the cost of running the company and its operations.
  
• The guest service fee is 6% - 12%. As the booking price increases, the service fee amount decreases.

You don't have control over these fees. But you should understand why your guest is being charged a service fee in case they inquire about the total of their booking.

Bottom Line

You need to understand all the fees that come with hosting an Airbnb listing. These include:

• Fees you charge
  
• Fees you pay
  
• Fees Airbnb charges
  
• Fees your guests pay

Your chance of success increases when you are prepared for the upfront and recurring costs. Pricing your fees to beat the competition while still turning a profit can be tricky, but worth it in the end.