Vacation Apartment Rental Questions

I have never paid a per person linen fee but that is not to say that it is not a charge some levy. It would not put me off an apartment I otherwise really liked - unless I felt it was an excessive charge.

As regards cleaning - either a separate cleaning fee should be stipulated or would be included in the rental cost. Either way, you would leave the apartment as it is after your stay, leaving no mess. We would probably strip the beds, wash dishes/put them in the dishwasher etc, empty rubbish bins etc but would do no actual cleaning. The actual cleaning is what is either included in the rental cost or charged as a separate fee.

I vaguely recall seeing some apartment advertisements which seemed to indicated that the renters were expected to clean, but have never rented any like that and think it would be unusual. People have different standards of what amounts to clean.

Liz, that is what I am afraid of- it reminds me of the time I did a huge favor of house and baby-sitting for my sis-in-law (who is a stay-at-home mom who keeps a perfect house) and her parting words were: "My only request is the house stays clean!" The second she left, the kids started to trash it! I spent the whole 3 days a nervous, cleaning wreck.

This rental offers the option of a charge for cleaning or to clean-it-yourself. The ratings are great, the price is good, and the owner seems very personable. Maybe I should just clarify what her expectations are?

We are renting an apartment in Sweden this week and the owner charges a minimal per person fee for bed linens and towels and also requires that you either clean the apt yourself or pay a fee of about $50 to have it cleaned. Even with these fees, it is still cheaper for us than a hotel room and we'll have way more space, a kitchen and one and a half baths. Still, I don't want to spend my vacation time cleaning, so we decided to pay the fee!

I have never paid a linen fee, but that is not to say that no one charges for that. As for cleaning, I have only had to clean myself when renting vacation homes from friends. Renting from others the cleaning has always been included. I recently was going to rent from a woman who charged extra for cleaning. When I asked if I would be able clean myself and the cleaning charge could be waived, she said no. She pointed out that people have different standards of cleanliness and the next person to rent should be assured of coming to a clean place. That made sense to me. I ended up not renting from her, but that was not the reason why.

I would clarify what the expectations are before making the decision to rent from that individual.

Check with the owner. Some charge for linens, some charge for cleaning, some charge for power usage. Ask when you book.

At one of our rentals, we had to pay a flat 35 euro/week fee for power. Some charge by kilowatt hour.

You can always bring your own linens, but that means you have to pack them. Or find a place where you can pick up some cheap ones.

Check with the owner.

I know a lot of my German friends prefer to bring their own linens when they rent a vacation appartment. And it's not a big deal for them when they arrive in their own car.

We've rented appartments where the linens were included in the overall price, others where it was an additional per person fee.

Only once did I clean the rental myself (incl. washing the floors, cleaning the toilets ...) to save some money. But really don't want to do it again. So usually we pay an extra fee for the final cleaning. Sometimes it's stated right upfront in their advertisment, sometimes I had to ask specifically whether the cost were included in the price (rarely) or are at extra charge (the norm).

In any event, it's still expected that you don't leave dirty dishes in the sink.

I have read about linen fees but never had to pay them. Always had to pay cleaning fees. I hate housework and certainly don't do it on vacation. However, if the apt does not have a dishwasher, we always get the dishes washed and put away prior to leaving. We take out the trash and straighten up in the apt. One leasing company even commented that we left the apt in better shape than any other renters!!

We're paying for linens this summer in a French country house and have in the past; it's common on the site we are renting through and common on French sites renting to French vacationers. As for cleaning, yes, I usually clean the toilet and mop the floor or pay a cleaning fee.

When we rented an apt. in Berlin, there weren't any kind of fees for cleaning or for linens. The website we used did list some apts. that had cleaning charges.

Jo, same with the apartments we rented in the Dolomites and in Ansbach. In Ansbach, she started cleaning the place as we were pulling out of the driveway! I am going to rent it. I am happy with the price, overall, and I don't mind having to clean up after just a couple of nights there.

At least you are aware of the linen policy. I know of people who showed up for their home rental unaware that linens were not included, and of course they didn't bring any. I always check to be sure they are included or available for a fee.