Short-Term Rentals Have Their Equivalent Of Hotel Resort Fees
The price looks unbelievable. Hard to believe.
And while the price may be right, it might not be right on by the time you book it.
Like hotel resort fees, people posting places for rent on Airbnb and VRBO have a dirty little secret of their own. They are charging cleaning fees, and some are exorbitant, $100 a night, $150 an night or more.
Cities are also now requiring them to play local taxes like a hotel, so that fee is added, as well. And, just like hotels, this can double the posted price of the rental.
The renters don’t want you to see these fees in your initial search, of course, and like a lot of hotel booking sites, show only the “draw you in” price of a place. Before you book anything, tho, check the details of the rental.
Check it’s amenities (if any) whether or not it has things you are used to in hotel rooms (like a coffee maker), really check out the location to see how close or far it is to the activities you will be doing in a location (such as proximity to the beach; it is yards or miles to the sand?) and check for all fees.
In particular, check for cleaning fees. This has become a huge extra profit center for renters. A lot of people who book don’t pay attention to this because they get lured in by the nightly rental price and all charges are automatically charged when the room is booked.
A lot of savvy renters post an alluring nightly rate and then add on a whopping cleaning fee. Some of those “cleaning fees” are on a nightly basis. And do they pull and clean your sheets like a maid in a hotel? Doubtful.
This is a warning to those booking not only on short-term rentals but also in hotels: check those cleaning and resort fees on your place to stay. Otherwise, you could spend twice as much as you had planned to on accommodations.
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