The below is a guest post from Robyn Hunt, Website & Creative Content Manager and 'HuffleHog' at GUARDOG
If you’re a regular host in London with guests in your place more often than not, then keeping the place clean is probably high on the list of things to do - the last thing you want is one guest leaving and another guest arriving before you get a chance to freshen things up! The cleanliness of your property is the first thing your guests will sense (consciously or not!), and if it isn’t up to standards it will be the first thing they’ll mention when leaving a review. Reviews impact your booking platform profile and negative reviews about cleanliness massively impact how many bookings you get. It’s therefore not surprising that making sure your place is kept in tip-top condition when you regularly have guests in the property is as important as it is demanding, especially if you don’t actually live at the property and its a fair distance away from your main home.
It’s common for most Buy2Let owners to subscribe to some kind of cleaning service that ensures their property is kept spick and span in between stays even when they aren’t there to clean it themselves. There are a whole plethora of companies that provide cleaning services to short let properties and as with anything, some will be better than others. So when it comes to picking your perfect Mrs Doubtfire-to-hire, here are a few things to bear in mind…
Consistency
It’s not unusual to find that your house is overly spotless when your brand new cleaner completes their first job, it’ll probably continue like that for the first few visits! After a few months though, it’s pretty common to see a slight lapse in standards when they become complacent and start cutting corners. As a host, you should not only keep an eye out for this happening so you can address it as soon as possible, but you should also keep an eye out for it not happening. If after 6 months you’re still getting the same great quality clean you were getting in the first week, then give your cleaner a pat on the back because you’re onto a winner and showing appreciation will keep them motivated!
Attentiveness
Like insurance, when it comes to cleaning attention to detail and pro-activeness is what separates the amateurs from the pros. There’s a big difference between something looking clean and something actually being clean, and while we’re all guilty of hiding mess away in the cupboard because the in-laws randomly decide they’re going to pop in in 5 minutes, it’s not an ideal trait for your decontamination expert to have. A great cleaner will take pride in being able to pick up on the slightest thing that looks out of place, and you’ll find that they’ll scrub things that you didn't even realise needed it. If your cleaner makes you as a homeowner look like an amateur, then do everything you can to keep them around!
Honesty
Accidents happen, no matter how careful a person is when dusting, mopping, rinsing, scrubbing and hoovering. It is likely that at some point something may get damaged/broken and that should not be a massive issue as long as it’s dealt with in the correct way. Accidents aren’t the end of the world, but if something happens and your cleaner isn’t honest about it then there might be a trust issue. And if that's the case then maybe they shouldn’t be left alone with your belongings! You should definitely encourage your cleaner to be open with you regarding all aspects of their job within your home - honesty is the best policy and if they come to you with the news that they’ve scratched a surface or smashed a vase and you don’t give them a hard time, you will have an even more loyal cleaner. They will treat you and your home with more care and respect if you are understanding and respectful too.
Timekeeping
The time in between guests staying might be minimal, so it's vital that your cleaner is punctual and gets the job done in a timely fashion without jeopardizing the quality of their work. If they approach you to say that they don’t feel as though they have enough time to do the job to their preferred standard, then work with them to come up with a solution. A cleaner coming to you and saying that they need more time is not only a big tick in the honesty column but an even bigger tick in the attentiveness column - it shows they’re not trying to get in and out of a job as quickly as possible and that they care about the work they do.
Choosing your service
Finding a cleaner with all of the above traits can be hard, and if you’re not around to check their work because you don’t spend much time at your short let property, it can be hard to know if they’re really doing a great job. So, imagine if you had access to London’s best cleaners right at your fingertips… well, you can! At GUARDHOG, we recommend our good friends at Housekeep - they work with only the best cleaners in London and allow their customers to easily book services directly from their app. As a host, you’re able to arrange for your cleaners to arrive in the available time between a guest leaving and a new guest arriving, and the level of cleaning carried out is completely at your discretion. While you’re always guaranteed to get a 5-star property clean, you can also arrange to have the laundry and ironing done, the oven and fridge cleaned, and indoor windows cleaned, and if you have a specific request for your cleaner, bespoke services are offered as well.
Booking the best cleaners in London has never been easier, and if you’re looking for a way to streamline your short letting process but not compromise on quality, then Housekeep could be the perfect choice for you.