A MUM was left gutted after being charged £200 for a “damage fee” after staying at a holiday let – because she didn’t vacuum enough.
The woman – who went away with her husband, three kids and dog – asked Mumsnet if she was being unreasonable to think that the charge was over the top.
She explained: “I got back from my holiday today where I paid a £200 damage deposit.
“We received an email this evening to ask how a mattress had become stained when it had a waterproof mattress protector on. I replied by saying that I did not know as that room wasn’t even slept in as we stored clothes (clean and dry) in there.
“We were also told that If we wanted to return then next time to Hoover more often.
“We did sweep floors regularly and vacuum as I’m mindful as I have a Labrador that I know shed a lot. She had her own bed and blankets too.
“It’s made me feel like it’s spoilt the end of our holiday as I’m worrying whether the deposit will be repaid.”
She added that they stripped all the beds, swept the floors, cleaned the fridge, and emptied the bins before leaving, despite the early check-out time of 9am.
She also said that her husband had “a feeling” they would have problems after being told to not use the washing machine too much when they were there.
She asked: “What is a reasonable amount of cleaning when self catering? There is no way I’d leave somebody’s property in a mess.”
Social media was on her side, with many claiming she did more than enough when checking out.
One person wrote: “I clean holiday lets, and everything you have done should MORE than sufficient. A rude, undeserved comment from the owner.”
Someone else agreed: “I run an Airbnb and I don’t expect hoovering or stripping the beds. If anyone strips the beds it’s an additional bonus.”
Another person said: “If you want to return you need to Hoover more often? What a bloody cheek.
“I’m sick to death of arriving at holiday cottages that cost a bloody fortune and spend the first two hours cleaning the fridge/ microwave/ oven/ cutlery drawer.”
Others offered advice on how to avoid being caught out by Airbnb owners.
They said: “I’ve been caught out with this before so now I take a photo of every room to show how we leave the property just in case there’s any dispute.”
The original poster replied: “I will take pictures in the future. It’s a lesson learnt.”
It isn’t the first time a mum was left baffled by her holiday let rules.
Earlier this year, a mum of two on holiday in the UK divided opinion after she was given a bad Airbnb rating for using the owner’s Netflix account.
And another woman was left stunned by an “inappropriate” Airbnb request – which asked her to water the flowers twice a day.
