How Much Should You Charge for Vacation Rental Cleaning?

Hostfully
Published: March 10, 2026
Pricing & Profitability

Summary

This Hostfully article breaks down how to calculate vacation rental cleaning fees, covering factors like property size, cleaning services, and length of stay. Key insights include average cleaning fees in different countries and the importance of a step-by-step approach. Hosts should tailor fees to their situation for fair pricing and sustained profitability.

Key Insights

  • Most hosts use a fixed cleaning fee per stay due to consistent cleaning effort, but rolling cleaning costs into the nightly rate is another option.
  • Average cleaning fees vary by country, with the US averaging $188, Australia $107, and the UK $74, highlighting the importance of local market research.

Action Items

  • Get and compare quotes from local cleaning companies, sharing details like square footage and turnover timing to accurately gauge your expenses.
    Effort: medium
    Impact: medium
  • Benchmark your cleaning fees against competitor listings on platforms like Airbnb or Vrbo to understand the range that feels normal in your market.
    Effort: low
    Impact: medium

Tools & Resources

  • Hostfully: Hostfully provides a platform to streamline operations, coordinate cleaning schedules, centralize pricing, and automate guest communication.

Common Mistakes

  • Avoid setting cleaning fees that feel disproportionate to the stay or that place excessive cleaning responsibility on guests, which could negatively impact bookings.

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