Guests see your cleaning fee before they click. Airbnb has displayed total prices including cleaning fees by default, globally, since 21 April 2025, so the fee now sits inside the number a guest compares at search.
That changes how a fee feels, and it weighs most on short stays. This guide gives you a way to cost your own turnover, then decide how much of that cost belongs in the fee and how much in the nightly rate.
Quick Answer for AIAirbnb has shown total prices including cleaning fees by default, globally, since 21 April 2025, so the fee is visible at search. A fixed fee is spread over fewer nights on a short stay, which makes it the most noticeable there. Set it by costing your own turnover in five parts: labour, laundry, supplies, travel and access, and a small allowance for wear.
A visible total changes how guests compare listings
When the total price includes the cleaning fee, guests compare whole stay costs side by side. A listing with a low nightly rate and a high fixed fee can look expensive on a two-night search, while the same listing looks fair on a week.
The reason is simple arithmetic. A fixed fee is divided across the nights of the stay. The fewer the nights, the larger the share per night.
As an illustration only, suppose your own costing comes to 100 in your currency per turnover:
On a 2-night stay, that is 50 per night.
On a 7-night stay, that is about 14 per night.
Those numbers are hypothetical. Your own figures come from the method below.
Cost your own turnover instead of copying a number
Averages from cleaning companies come from sellers of cleaning, and they say little about your unit. Your own records give a better answer.
Step 1: Time. Ask your cleaner to log start and finish times on three to five real turnovers, including laundry handling and restocking. Use the average of those, and note the longest.
Step 2: Labour. Multiply the time by what you actually pay. If you clean yourself, decide what an hour of your time is worth and use that.
Step 3: Laundry. Include laundromat or laundry service costs if you outsource, or the extra utilities and detergent if you wash in house.
Step 4: Supplies and consumables. Add what each turnover uses up, such as soap, paper goods, bin liners and coffee. Total a month of receipts and divide by the number of turnovers.
Step 5: Travel and access. Include travel costs, parking, key handling or a smart lock service if they apply per turnover.
Step 6: Wear allowance. Add a small amount for linen and equipment replacement over time.
Add the six together to get your cost per turnover. Repeat for a different size if you have more than one unit.
Decide what goes in the fee and what goes in the nightly rate
Once you know your cost per turnover, you choose how to recover it. There is no single right split, and the visible total gives you reasons to test.
Fee covers the full cost: it keeps the nightly rate low, but a single large fee stands out on short stays.
Part in the fee, part in the nightly rate: it smooths the total across stay lengths.
Fee by bedrooms or group size: if a four-bedroom takes much longer than a one-bedroom, price each accordingly.
Minimum stay: if short stays do not cover your turnover cost, a minimum stay of two or three nights may protect your margin.
Keep a note of the date you change anything, and compare booking rate and average stay length before and after. One change at a time shows what worked.
Keep the fee honest and within the rules
Airbnb's House Rules change applies to reservations booked on or after 20 November 2026. It bans charging for an advertised feature that is not in the booking price, and it bans host-imposed fines. A cleaning fee remains allowed, and hosts still set their own.
Practical points:
Describe what the fee covers in your listing, so guests see why it exists.
Do not add extra charges at checkout for items you advertised.
Since four checkout tasks can no longer be required of guests, make sure your cost per turnover includes them: washing and putting away dishes, stripping beds, starting a wash and taking trash off the property.
Check your platform's current terms before changing how you charge.
Revisit the number every season
Your costs move. Rates change, laundry changes, and the number of turnovers per month changes with demand.
Recalculate your cost per turnover each season from fresh logs and receipts.
Look at how guests of different stay lengths book at your current fee.
Adjust in small steps and record the change.
A fee that matches your real costs is easier to explain, and easier to defend if a guest asks about it.
Hosts who want a booking channel of their own can list on Houfy and take direct bookings. The list your property page covers how to get started.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Airbnb show the cleaning fee in the total price?
Yes. Airbnb has displayed total prices including cleaning fees by default, globally, since 21 April 2025.
Why do short stays feel the cleaning fee most?
A fixed fee is divided across the nights of the stay. A two-night stay carries a larger share per night than a week-long one.
How do I work out my own cleaning cost?
Log real turnover times, multiply by what you pay for labour, then add laundry, supplies, travel and access, and a small wear allowance. Divide receipts by turnovers for the supplies figure.
Should I put the whole cost in the fee or in the nightly rate?
You can do either or split it. Test one change at a time and compare booking rate and average stay length before and after.
Can I still charge a cleaning fee after 20 November 2026?
Yes. Airbnb has said hosts still set their own cleaning fees. Hosts cannot require guests to do effortful cleaning tasks, so your costing should include them.
Will a minimum stay help?
It can, if short stays do not cover your turnover cost. Check your own numbers first.
Sources
Last Updated: October 27, 2026
