How do I find and keep a reliable cleaner?

What reliable means for a rental

A turnover clean is not a house clean. Between guests, your cleaner resets the home to the same standard in a fixed window, often with the next guest already on the way. On top of cleaning, they change linens, restock supplies, spot damage and tell you about it, and lock up properly.

So reliable means more than thorough. It means they show up for same-day turnovers, finish inside the window, follow your checklist rather than their own habits, and report problems with photos instead of fixing them quietly or not at all. Hire for those things, not only for how clean their own references' homes look.

Where to find candidates

• •Other hosts near you. Local host groups and meetups are the best source, because a cleaner who already turns over rentals knows the job.
• •Cleaners you see at nearby rentals on turnover days. A polite note with your number often works.
• •Local cleaning companies that list short-term rental turnovers as a service. Ask how they assign staff: the same person each time is better than a rotating crew.
• •Your own network: a house cleaner you trust may be ready to learn turnovers if you train them.

Talk to at least two or three people even if the first one seems right. You will need a backup anyway.

What to ask before you hire

1. 1.Have you cleaned short-term rentals before? How many homes do you turn over now?
2. 2.Can you do same-day turnovers between checkout and check-in? On which days are you usually full?
3. 3.Who covers if you are sick or a job runs late?
4. 4.Do you bring supplies, or use what is in the home? Who does the laundry, and where?
5. 5.How do you price: per turnover, per hour, or by home size? What costs extra, such as laundry, a deep clean or a mid-stay clean?
6. 6.Will you send photos at the end of each clean and report damage or missing items?
7. 7.What licensing and insurance do you carry?
8. 8.How and when do you want to be paid?

On licensing and insurance, ask what they hold and check what your city, your insurer and your own contract expect. Requirements vary, and we can't give legal advice on them.

Run a paid test clean

Before you hand over a real turnover, pay for one test clean with no guest arriving. Walk the home with the cleaner first, show them your checklist and your reference photos, and agree what done looks like. Afterwards, compare their end-of-clean photos with your reference photos room by room, and check what photos can't show: under the beds, inside the oven, the shower drain, the smell of the place.

Give feedback the same day, kindly and specifically, with photos. How a cleaner takes feedback on the test clean tells you most of what you need to know.

Give them a system, not a list of preferences

• •A room-by-room checklist, in the order they walk the home.
• •Reference photos of each room made up for guests: bed, towels, kitchen counter, bathroom.
• •A restock list with the quantity to leave of each item, and where the spare stock lives.
• •A clear way to report damage, missing items and low supplies, with photos.
• •Calendar access, so they see turnovers well ahead rather than by text the night before.
• •Access that works for each job, such as a lock code that is active during the clean.

Write the checklist once and keep it in one place. If a guest complains about something, add it to the checklist instead of sending a one-off reminder. Your house rules and checkout list should line up with it too; see what your house rules should include.

How to keep a good cleaner

• •Pay on a fixed schedule you both agreed, and keep to it.
• •Agree the rate per turnover and what costs extra, in writing, before the busy season.
• •Pay extra for same-day rushes, late changes and the clean after a messy stay.
• •Share guest reviews that mention cleanliness. Cleaners rarely see them.
• •Send the calendar early and tell them about bookings and cancellations as soon as you know.
• •Ask for their view. They see the home more often than you do and spot wear first.

Always have a backup

Your cleaner will get sick, take a vacation or get a better offer at some point. Train a second cleaner on the same checklist with a paid test clean, and give them a few turnovers a year so they stay familiar with the home. A backup who has never been inside is not a backup.

When standards slip, look at the end-of-clean photos and guest messages before you react. Give specific feedback with photos. If the same problems come back after that, use your backup more and start looking again.