Cleaning Fee
Key Takeaways
- Cleaning fees are charged once per reservation, not per night, making them proportionally more impactful on short stays
- The fee should cover actual turnover costs including labor, supplies, and laundry
- High cleaning fees reduce search visibility on OTAs and discourage shorter bookings
- Many hosts now embed part of the cleaning cost into the nightly rate for better price transparency
- Average cleaning fees range from $75 for studios to $350+ for large homes
How Cleaning Fees Work
On platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo, the cleaning fee is configured in your listing settings:
For Guests -- The cleaning fee appears during the booking checkout process as a separate line item. Guests see: Nightly Rate x Nights + Cleaning Fee + Service Fee + Taxes = Total.
For Hosts -- The cleaning fee is included in your payout after the platform deducts its commission. On Airbnb's split-fee model, the host's 3% service fee applies to the cleaning fee as well.
For Search Ranking -- Airbnb and other platforms factor total price (including cleaning fee) into search result sorting. A high cleaning fee can push your listing down in "total price" sort, which is increasingly the default view for travelers.
Why Cleaning Fees Matter for Airbnb Hosts
- Cost recovery: Cleaning fees directly offset your largest recurring operational expense -- the turnover process
- Pricing strategy impact: The balance between cleaning fee and nightly rate affects booking patterns, especially for 1-2 night stays
- Search visibility: Platforms increasingly emphasize total trip cost, meaning high cleaning fees can reduce your listing's competitiveness
- Guest expectations: Travelers scrutinize cleaning fees -- a high fee creates higher cleanliness expectations and potential for negative reviews if not met
Average Cleaning Fee Benchmarks
| Property Type | Average Cleaning Fee | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Studio / 1BR apartment | $85 | $50-$150 |
| 2BR apartment/condo | $130 | $80-$200 |
| 3BR house | $175 | $120-$275 |
| 4BR+ house | $250 | $150-$400+ |
| Luxury / large estate | $400+ | $300-$750+ |
Strategies for Setting Your Cleaning Fee
- Calculate your actual cost first -- add up cleaner labor, supplies, laundry, and a small buffer for deep-cleaning items, then set your fee to cover at least 80-100% of this total
- Research your comp set -- use AirROI to see what similar properties in your market charge for cleaning fees and stay within that range
- Consider a hybrid approach -- charge a moderate cleaning fee (covering basic costs) and embed the remainder into your nightly rate for better search visibility
- Adjust for minimum stay strategy -- if you accept 1-night stays, a lower cleaning fee reduces sticker shock; if your minimum is 3+ nights, a higher fee is more acceptable
- Review quarterly -- cleaning costs fluctuate with labor markets and supply prices, so revisit your fee regularly to maintain profitability
Frequently Asked Questions
Your cleaning fee should cover your actual turnover costs. Average cleaning fees range from $75-$150 for a one-bedroom, $100-$200 for a two-bedroom, and $150-$350+ for larger properties. Research comparable listings in your market using AirROI to see what competitors charge.
Yes, excessively high cleaning fees can reduce bookings, especially for short stays. A $200 cleaning fee on a 1-night stay at $150/night makes the total $350, which discourages short reservations. Many hosts are reducing cleaning fees and incorporating part of the cost into the nightly rate for better visibility in search results.
It depends on your booking pattern. Embedding the cleaning fee in the nightly rate makes longer stays more expensive but improves search ranking visibility since platforms display the nightly rate prominently. A hybrid approach works well: charge a modest cleaning fee to cover basic costs and embed the rest in the nightly rate.