How much should I charge for an Airbnb cleaning fee?
Start from what one turnover costs you, then allow for the booking site's share, because Vrbo's 12% commission is charged on the cleaning fee and so is Airbnb's fee. A $125 clean needs a cleaning fee of about $148 on Airbnb's 15.5% single fee, or $143 on Vrbo, just to break even.
By StayPerk Team · Last checked · Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com details checked against the sources below
How to set the fee
- Add up one turnover: the cleaner's pay, laundry and the supplies you restock.
- Divide by what the site leaves you, so the fee still covers the clean after its share. The calculator does this for you.
- Look at the cleaning fees of similar listings near you; a fee far above theirs puts guests off short stays.
- Decide whether to charge it on every stay or fold part of it into the nightly rate for longer stays, where it weighs less.
- Use the same fee on your direct booking page, where the cost of the card payment is much lower.
The cleaning fee that covers one clean, by site
| Where the guest books | What comes out of the cleaning fee | Fee that covers the clean |
|---|---|---|
| Airbnb, single fee | 15.5% host fee, as software vendors report it applies to cleaning | $148 |
| Vrbo, pay-per-booking | 12% commission on the rental amount and guest fees | $143 |
| Direct, paid online through StayPerk | 1% plus the card fee | $131 |
| Direct, you collect payment yourself | Nothing from StayPerk | $125 |
A $125 turnover and the fee that covers it
Airbnb, single fee
- What comes out of the cleaning fee
- 15.5% host fee, as software vendors report it applies to cleaning
- Fee that covers the clean
- $148
Vrbo, pay-per-booking
- What comes out of the cleaning fee
- 12% commission on the rental amount and guest fees
- Fee that covers the clean
- $143
Direct, paid online through StayPerk
- What comes out of the cleaning fee
- 1% plus the card fee
- Fee that covers the clean
- $131
Direct, you collect payment yourself
- What comes out of the cleaning fee
- Nothing from StayPerk
- Fee that covers the clean
- $125
Fees are rounded up to the next dollar. Taxes are left out.
A cleaning fee that only covers the cleaner still loses money on short stays, because laundry and supplies are spent every time. Hosts who want short stays often lower the fee and raise the first night's rate instead, so the total looks fair next to similar listings.
Cleaning fee calculator
Start from what one clean costs you. The booking site takes its fee from your cleaning fee too, so the fee that covers the clean is higher than the clean.
hours
Sheets and towels per turnover
Toiletries, coffee, bin bags
%
15.5% on Airbnb's single fee, 12% on Vrbo
Cleaner's time
105
Laundry
12
Supplies
8
One turnover costs
125
Booking site's share of that fee
22.94
Cleaning fee that covers it
148
What StayPerk does here
StayPerk doesn't set your cleaning fee. On your StayPerk booking page you add it once, and when a guest pays online StayPerk keeps 1% plus the card fee on the whole booking.
Books keeps what you pay the cleaner against each property, so you can see whether the fee you charge covers it.
Frequently asked questions
Does Airbnb take a fee on the cleaning fee?
Airbnb's help says the split fee is charged on the nightly price plus fees you charge, and software vendors report that the single host-only fee works the same way, so yes. Vrbo's help says its commission covers the rental amount and any additional fees you charge the traveller.
Should the cleaning fee be the same for every stay?
Many hosts keep one fee. Some charge less for short stays, or more for large groups and pets, because those turnovers take longer.
Is a high cleaning fee bad for bookings?
It can be on short stays, where it is a large share of the total. Compare your total price for two nights with similar listings before you settle on the fee.
Still have a question?
Write to us and a person will reply, or look it up in the Help Center.
Sources
- Airbnb service fees - Airbnb Help Center
- Airbnb's single host fee: what changes and how to reprice - Hostaway
- About the pay-per-booking (PPB) model - Vrbo Help
- Stripe pricing - Stripe