Airbnb cleaning contracts: how to get hosts, co-hosts and managers to hire you

Who actually hires cleaners for Airbnb listings?

Hosts hire cleaners, and hosts come in three sizes: the owner with one or two listings, the co-host who manages listings for owners, and the vacation rental management company that runs a portfolio. Airbnb and Vrbo are booking platforms; they do not employ or contract cleaners, so there is no application to “clean for Airbnb”. There is only a host who needs a turnover done by 4 p.m.

The money comes through the listing. Airbnb’s help center explains that a cleaning fee is a one-off charge set by the host and included in the guest’s total price. The host decides that fee and pays you from it (or from the nightly rate if they charge no fee), which is why your price has to fit what the local market lets the host charge.

Co-hosts deserve attention. Airbnb’s page on what co-hosts can do says co-hosts can take on hosting responsibilities from cleaning and turnover to welcoming guests, and that owners set permissions for what each co-host can access and manage. A co-host who handles turnovers for eight owners is effectively your sales channel to eight properties.

If you are starting from zero, read how to start an Airbnb cleaning business first; it covers setup, the turnover workflow and what cleaners earn. This page is about winning and keeping the contracts.

What makes a vacation rental cleaning contract different from house cleaning?

A vacation rental contract is a promise of availability, not just cleaning: the home must be guest-ready between a checkout (often 10 or 11 a.m.) and a check-in (often 3 or 4 p.m.), on whatever days guests book, including weekends and holidays. Hosts buy that promise first and the cleaning second.

• Fixed windows. Same-day turns are the norm in busy markets. Being late costs the host a review, so lateness ends contracts faster than a missed spot ever will.
• Laundry and staging. Linens and towels washed (on site or off), beds made hotel style, the welcome setup (coffee, soap, folded towels) exactly as the photos show.
• Restocking and inventory. Consumables counted and replaced, the host told when supplies run low.
• Inspection and reporting. Damage, missing items, a broken appliance, signs of smoking or parties, reported with photos the same day so the host can claim within the platform’s window.
• Photo proof. Many hosts want a set of photos after every turnover, both as quality control and as evidence if a guest complains.
• Volume swings. Beach, ski and event markets can run every day in season and twice a week off season; your pricing and staffing have to survive both.

Use the Airbnb cleaning checklist as the scope of work in every agreement, so the host’s definition of “ready” and yours are the same document.

Where do hosts and vacation rental managers look for cleaners?

Hosts look for cleaners in four places: turnover marketplaces built for short-term rentals, host communities (local Facebook groups and meetups), referrals from other hosts and co-hosts, and the local real estate and property management network. Work all four, because each one brings a different size of client.

1. Turnover marketplaces

Apps such as Turno let hosts post their properties and let cleaners bid on turnover work in their area, then schedule cleanings automatically from the booking calendar. They are a fast way to get first clients and reviews; the trade-off is price competition and a platform between you and the host. Our page on Turno alternatives compares the options, including running your own schedule and payments with Broombook’s Airbnb cleaning software once you have direct clients.

2. Host communities

• Local “Airbnb hosts [city]” and “short-term rental [region]” Facebook groups, where “does anyone have a reliable cleaner?” is posted weekly.
• Short-term rental meetups and host association chapters; show up, say what you do, bring a one-page sheet.
• Host forums and subreddits for your market, used sparingly and only where the rules allow it.

3. Referrals from hosts and co-hosts

Hosts talk to each other constantly about cleaners, because a good one is the scarcest part of the business. Ask every satisfied host for one introduction and offer a free turnover for each new host they send who stays past the first month.

4. The local property network

• Vacation rental management companies: look for the ones whose signs and listings dominate your market, and ask for their operations manager.
• Realtors who sell to investors; they are asked “who will clean it?” at closing.
• Interior designers who stage rentals, handymen and pool companies already servicing the homes.

You can also work the map: filter Airbnb listings in your area by entire homes, note the hosts with several listings or a management company name in the profile, and reach them through their own websites, which most managers and many co-hosts have.

What do hosts and management companies require before they hire you?

Owner-hosts require a trial clean that goes well; management companies require a vendor file. Both want the same things underneath: proof you will show up, proof you are covered if something breaks, and a way to communicate that fits their workflow.

Owner-hosts and co-hosts

1. A trial turnover, often paid at your full rate, judged by the next guest’s review.
2. Photos of your work on similar homes, and one or two host references.
3. Confirmation you can take same-day turns and weekend work, and how you handle a sick day (your backup, not theirs).
4. Your process for reporting damage and low supplies, with examples.
5. Insurance. Many hosts do not ask; the good ones do. Have the certificate ready anyway.

Vacation rental management companies

1. Certificate of insurance (general liability and workers’ compensation) naming the company as additional insured, and a W-9 for payment.
2. Background checks for cleaners who hold key codes, and a named crew list.
3. Capacity: how many turnovers you can do on a Saturday in peak season, with a number, not a promise.
4. Use of their scheduling or turnover app, with photo uploads and checklists per property.
5. A laundry plan: on-site machines, your own facility or a commercial laundry partner.
6. Rates on their price sheet by property size, including deep clean and mid-stay cleans.

Our cleaning business insurance guide covers the policies and what they cost. Treat a management company’s onboarding like any commercial vendor process: complete the file the same week and put every renewal date on your calendar.

How should you price Airbnb turnovers?

Price per turnover, not per hour, with a rate for each property by bedroom and bed count, plus add-ons for laundry, restocking, same-day rush and periodic deep cleans. Hosts need a fixed number because they set the guest cleaning fee from it; a per-hour price leaves both of you guessing.

Build each rate from timed hours and your target hourly revenue, then check it against what hosts in your market charge guests. The figures below are hypothetical and show the structure; the Airbnb cleaning business guide discusses what turnovers pay in more detail.

What moves the price

• Laundry: on-site machines versus hauling linens, and whether the host owns two full sets so you can swap and wash later.
• Distance and clustering: five homes in one neighborhood price lower per turn than one home 40 minutes away.
• Guest profile: large groups and party-prone homes take longer; agree on a “beyond normal” charge with photos.
• Volume: a manager sending 30 turns a month earns a lower rate than a host with four a month.
• Supplies: who buys toilet paper, soap and coffee, and whether you bill at cost plus a handling fee.

Put the rates on one page per client with the house cleaning price list template, and review them every January when hosts reset their listing prices.

What should a vacation rental cleaning agreement include?

A vacation rental cleaning agreement needs seven things in writing: the per-turnover rates, the scope by checklist, the turnaround window, the cancellation terms, who supplies what, how damage is reported, and when you are paid. Most hosts have never signed one, so keep it to two pages and present it as protecting both of you.

1. Rates and add-ons per property, with the “beyond normal condition” process.
2. Scope: the attached turnover checklist, staging photos of each room, and the restock list.
3. Turnaround: turnovers completed between checkout and check-in on the booking calendar; same-day turns accepted with the rush rate; the host gives the schedule at least 48 hours ahead except for last-minute bookings.
4. Cancellations: a guest cancellation inside 24 hours of the clean still pays a set fee (for example 50%), because you held the slot. Our cancellation policy template has wording to adapt.
5. Supplies and laundry: who buys consumables, how you bill them, where laundry is done and who owns backup linen sets.
6. Reporting: damage, missing items and maintenance issues reported with photos by a set time the same day, which is what the host needs to make a claim.
7. Payment: weekly or biweekly invoices paid within 7 days, by card or bank transfer; late turns are not an excuse for late payment, and late payment pauses service.

Add a minimum notice to end the agreement (30 days is fair), a clause that you may decline unsafe conditions, and confirmation that your cleaners are your employees or contractors, not the host’s. The free cleaning contract template is a starting point; this is not legal advice, so have a local professional check anything you sign with a management company.

A step-by-step plan to land your first vacation rental contracts

Plan on your first paying hosts within a month and a management company within three to six months. The sequence that works: get fast first clients on a marketplace, convert hosts to direct agreements, then use that track record to approach managers before their peak season.

1. Week 1: set up to be found. A Google Business Profile that mentions vacation rental turnovers, a one-page sheet with photos, rates by property size and your reporting process, and a profile on a turnover marketplace.
2. Weeks 1 to 4: take first turnovers and over-deliver. Photos after every clean, a short message to the host with anything they should know, and a request for a review after the third turn.
3. Month 2: go direct. Join the local host groups and answer cleaner requests with a short, specific reply (service area, turnaround, how you report damage). Ask current hosts for one introduction each.
4. Month 2 to 3: find the co-hosts. Co-hosts are visible in host groups and on listing profiles (“managed by”). One meeting with a co-host can bring several homes.
5. Month 3 to 6: approach management companies before their season. Ski markets hire in the fall, beach markets in late winter. Bring your numbers: turnovers done, on-time rate, zero missed check-ins.
6. Ongoing: reduce platform dependence. Move direct clients onto your own scheduling and payments so you are not paying a cut on your best accounts, and keep the marketplace profile active for gap-filling.

The general tactics in how to get cleaning clients still apply; the difference is that in vacation rentals one introduction to a co-host or manager is worth more than any ad.

How do you scale from a few hosts to a management company account?

You scale by proving capacity on peak days and by running turnovers from a calendar instead of a text thread. Management companies choose the cleaning company that can take 20 Saturday checkouts without a phone call, and that means crews, a laundry plan and software.

• Crews, not cleaners. Teams of two for anything over two bedrooms, with a lead who inspects and photographs before leaving.
• A laundry plan that scales. Backup linen sets per property, a commercial laundry partner for peak weeks, and a van with bins so linens never ride in a back seat.
• Calendar-driven scheduling. Turnovers created from the booking calendar, assigned to crews with checklists and photo upload, visible to the host. Broombook’s Airbnb cleaning software page describes how this works with recurring and on-demand jobs.
• Inventory and reporting. A per-property supply list, and a damage report format the manager can forward to the owner.
• Pricing by portfolio. A tiered rate card (per property size, with a volume tier) that a manager can approve once for all of their homes.

When you present to a manager, lead with the on-time number and the peak-day capacity, show the reporting, and then show the rate card. Price last. A manager who has been burned by a cleaner who vanished in July is not shopping on price.