It might be a surprise for some to discover that their Airbnb is often not cleaned by their host but by a third-party service. These cleaners are as big a part of the Airbnb marketplace as home and apartment owners.
So is it unreasonable for a cleaner to ask that the rental in question is unoccupied while they do their job?
That’s the question short-term rental cleaner Tasha (@tasha.holla) asks in a recent post to her TikTok account. When a rental property owner had a big ask of her, Tasha had a question for her viewers: Is she being unreasonable to ask that no guests be allowed on the property while she does her job?
Tasha told the story of her situation in a video posted to her TikTok account on Jan. 19. Since then, the video has picked up 430,300 views and counting on the platform.
In the video, Tasha says most Airbnb rentals have a checkout and check-in time that typically falls in the morning hours between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. or 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. In this particular instance, she says she had between 11 and 4 to clean the property.
However, the property owners threw her a curveball.
“This owner sent me a text message that said, ‘Hey, the people that are coming in tomorrow,’” she says in the video, “‘They’re getting married, and they want to drop off all of their groceries, stock the fridge, bring all of their luggage, and they want to do that about 11:30 [am].’”
Tasha tells her viewers, “That’s an inconvenience to me, especially last minute.”
She says she wrote back to the property owner, “I would really prefer that they would wait until I’m done cleaning. My plan is to be on-site at 11.” She adds that she told the owner she had an appointment later in the day, but she could be done by 12:45 p.m. and gone by 1 p.m. to allow the guests to move in.
“As a guest, you already booked it, and you already knew that you couldn’t have access until 4 p.m.,” she says.
She says the owner responded by asking her to “just clean around [the guests].”
“That is a whole liability and safety concerns that I don’t want to put myself in that situation,” she tells her viewers. She went on to state that she has refused to work on rentals that still had guests occupying them in the past.
“That’s the reason that I do what I do because the properties are vacant,” she continues.
The owner reportedly told Tasha she would ask the guests if that would be OK.
Tasha responds in her video, “You’re the owner! Tell them that that doesn’t suit!”
“I feel like it’s a safety and liability issue,” she continues. “What do you think?” she asks her viewers.
@tasha.holla Am I being unreasonable to be concerned with my safety?? #airbnb #cleaning #shorttermrentals #respect ♬ original sound – Tasha
Airbnb does not appear to have a set policy on whether guests are allowed on the property during cleaning.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Airbnb via email for a statement regarding its policy.
The video drew mixed responses, with some sympathizing with the guests and others coming down firmly on Tasha’s point of view.
“Sounds like a $700 inconvenience charge,” one viewer wrote in defense of Tasha’s position.
Kimberly Rabon869 (@kimberlyrabon0) wrote, “I own an Airbnb, it’s way more important to keep cleaners happy, guests come and go, good housekeeping u treat well.”
Another viewer added, “Hotels, don’t let you in the room early unless it’s clean. They don’t clean around you.”
However, some people were swayed by the fact that the incoming guests were getting married.
“It sounds like the owner is trying to be accommodating to guests who are getting married, which is so nice!” CharlieBrown (@tchngmath) wrote.
Another viewer stated, “sometimes you just have to do something nice, the guest is getting married, give them a break, bend your rules!”
And one viewer commented, “There is nothing wrong with owner asking for this request to help guest. But, he should respect your decision.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Tasha via TikTok direct message for further comment.
