Anonymous wrote:Personally, I would not let anyone other than the closest family members stay at a second home - especially one as nice as yours seems to be. You are being extremely generous (possibly too generous for your own good). If I was lucky enough to be offered a stay at a beach home, I might initially be taken somewhat aback at being asked for a cleaning fee - but that's only because I always make sure to thoroughly clean up before I leave. If I knew that you were paying a cleaning team, I would be perfectly fine covering the cost.

I'd suggest that you just be honest - "We love having friends stay at our home, but we've found that it's been costing us quite a bit to get the house ready for our next visitors, so we've reluctantly decided to ask our visitors to cover the cleaning fee." I can't imagine anyone would object to that.

I think this is too apologetic. We stay at our friends beach house. She gives us the keys info on the house and the amount for the cleaning service. That way it's done to her standards and no fuss no muss no discussion

Anonymous wrote:Yes - tacky if you invite them to the house while you are there. They are guests. BUT - I would have them take off the sheets and run a load or two before they leave and remake the beds if possible, wipe down their bathroom vacuum the rooms they used. I would ask them to bring their own towels, too.

I just would not want to stay there. We had a friend like this. $1m home 3 $75k cars and no cleaning service? Ridiculous

Anonymous wrote:Not just fine, but as a friend I would actually be relieved not to have to worry that I wasn't cleaning it to your standards. (I stress about this when in rental houses). Totally OK!

This! It would make me feel much more comfortable about asking/accepting the use of the beach house if you asked me to pay! And then I wouldn't stress about getting every last grain of sand off the floors.

Agree with others too that your close friends probably know you inherited the house rather than bought it, so it doesn't look like you're rich but stingy. But even if you were loaded, I would still happily pay for cleaning!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think I'd let a friend stay in my million-dollar beach house unless that friend knew me well enough to know my basic situation in life; that I'd inherited the place, and couldn't just routinely shell out hundreds of dollars for cleaners.

This holds no bearing. No one is given anything, that is how the world works. If it does not work that way for you - I guarantee I am not friends with you, nor do I pretend to be.

If I slaved away for years to buy my own beach house, it is none of your business. So don't assume that you will be borrowing it.

I made the same point before, PP. Close friends will know the situation and will gladly pay. Don't let acquaintances use your house. Don't listen to this weirdo.

I think it's more than fine to ask people to pay the cleaning fee. I would be very happy to pay the cleaning fee if I stayed at your place! I think in a way it also makes people feel a little better as they prepare to leave (not that I'd leave it more of a mess, but I'd be less worried about how we're leaving it.)
I would still be very grateful to you for letting us use it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is one of the reasons we don't really encourage friends to use our beach house. It's a house that would rent for $4000 a week if we were to rent it. Between cleaning and utilities, along with wear and tear (broken glasses, etc) it costs us $500 week for someone else to use it. And based on this thread people think it's tacky to ask to cover the cleaning fee. We are delighted to have guests when we are there, and have friends nearly every weekend in summer.

I actually think pretty much everyone on this thread has said it is totally appropriate to ask guests (when staying on their own) to pay the cleaning fee.

Actually about 1/2 said tacky. Granted some of them didn't actually understand the OP but others did and still said tacky.

Anonymous wrote:I don't think I'd let a friend stay in my million-dollar beach house unless that friend knew me well enough to know my basic situation in life; that I'd inherited the place, and couldn't just routinely shell out hundreds of dollars for cleaners.

This holds no bearing. No one is given anything, that is how the world works. If it does not work that way for you - I guarantee I am not friends with you, nor do I pretend to be.

If I slaved away for years to buy my own beach house, it is none of your business. So don't assume that you will be borrowing it.

If they stay for free, just make it clear at the beginning that most of the stay is free, but you ask they pay a fee for a cleaning service. As long as it is done upfront, it gives them the opportunity to agree ( and go) or not agree and not go.

Personally, I would think you are very generous to only charge them that.

Eh, I can't say it's out and out tacky but it's not really gracious either. Then again, I think it's pretty tacky to stay at someone else's beach house when they aren't there. We're adults now, buy your own place or rent one but don't mooch off friends. I have a friend that bought a multimillion dollar beachfront property and I have another friend who comes right out and suggests a visit every chance she gets. That to me is so tacky! Just rent a room at a hotel if you want a night at the beach so badly! As an owner, when it gets to the point that you are feeling pinched by your own generosity, it's time to reevaluate. i think it's really easy to lose friends over vacation property. People get so weird and kind of stingy. It's easy for me to say though, my immediate family has vacation property in the places I want to go so I've never once felt like I wanted to use someone else's. When I stay at others homes, I always wish I hadn't because of sand drama. I'd rather just stay on my own and not feel indebted on my vacation.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is one of the reasons we don't really encourage friends to use our beach house. It's a house that would rent for $4000 a week if we were to rent it. Between cleaning and utilities, along with wear and tear (broken glasses, etc) it costs us $500 week for someone else to use it. And based on this thread people think it's tacky to ask to cover the cleaning fee. We are delighted to have guests when we are there, and have friends nearly every weekend in summer.

I actually think pretty much everyone on this thread has said it is totally appropriate to ask guests (when staying on their own) to pay the cleaning fee.

+1

When a guest cleans on their own, out of the goodness of their heart - it is STILL not the professional cleaning that is required, in order to rent out the house. Renters expect "spic and span" - and rightfully so, because they are paying. And I am not making a special trip to the beach house for someone to use it for free - I have already "closed it down" to my specifications.

It is not that I am not grateful for your cleaning efforts - it is that *the rental contract specifies* to what specifications the house is to be cleaned. It is that simple, really.

I don't think I'd let a friend stay in my million-dollar beach house unless that friend knew me well enough to know my basic situation in life; that I'd inherited the place, and couldn't just routinely shell out hundreds of dollars for cleaners.

Anonymous wrote:Yes, say it upfront. The least they can do. Clean up or pay for cleaning service.

No. You can pay for someone to professionally clean the house, or you don't stay. People have really different definitions of what clean should be - this way, OP knows what she will get.

We won a week at a friend's beach house at an auction. They don't have a cleaning person for their house. I cleaned that house from top to bottom. Every towel was washed, dried, and folded. Every bed was changed and dirty linens were washed and in the dryer when friend and family arrived after us. I left a present for her children and a bottle of booze for she and her husband. Yes. It is perfectly fine to ask friends who are using your house rent free to pay for the cleaning service. I would refuse unless you agreed to let me pay for the cleaning.

Yes, say it upfront. The least they can do. Clean up or pay for cleaning service.

Anonymous wrote:This is one of the reasons we don't really encourage friends to use our beach house. It's a house that would rent for $4000 a week if we were to rent it. Between cleaning and utilities, along with wear and tear (broken glasses, etc) it costs us $500 week for someone else to use it. And based on this thread people think it's tacky to ask to cover the cleaning fee. We are delighted to have guests when we are there, and have friends nearly every weekend in summer.

I actually think pretty much everyone on this thread has said it is totally appropriate to ask guests (when staying on their own) to pay the cleaning fee.