To Let Cambridge: Should You Include Cleaning Fees or Absorb Them in Cambridge UK?

Guests care about price clarity — but landlords care about margins. In the world of short-term and serviced accommodation, especially in highly competitive areas like Cambridge, how you handle your cleaning fees can have a direct impact on your booking rate, reviews, and profitability. So, what’s the best route for your property to let in Cambridge?

Option 1: Charging a Cleaning Fee

Adding a separate cleaning fee to your nightly rate is the most straightforward way to ensure you recover your turnover costs. Most major platforms like Airbnb and Booking.com allow this to be clearly displayed at checkout.

Pros:

• Full cost recovery for professional cleaners, supplies, and laundry.

• Transparent cost breakdown for guests.

• Easier to scale for multi-night stays where the per-night cleaning cost shrinks.

Cons:

• Can deter short-stay bookings where the fee outweighs the base rate.

• Might make your listing appear more expensive at checkout.

• Not ideal for competitive weekday pricing.

Option 2: Including Cleaning in the Nightly Rate

Some hosts prefer to build their cleaning fee into the base rate, creating a more seamless and "all-inclusive" appearance.

Pros:

• Cleaner, more attractive pricing that shows well in search results.

• Easier to pass filter-based pricing thresholds on Airbnb or Booking.com.

• Perceived as better value by guests who don’t like additional charges.

Cons:

• Risk of under-recovering costs on shorter stays.

• Potential for reduced margins if pricing isn't carefully adjusted.

• May overcharge guests on longer bookings unless rate is balanced.

Best Practices Based on Stay Length

Short lets (1–3 nights) often perform better with an included cleaning cost to prevent sticker shock at checkout. For longer stays (4+ nights) or repeat business travellers, a clear cleaning fee may be easier to justify.

If your property is attracting mixed lengths of stay — as many flats to let Cambridge UK do — you may want to test both strategies seasonally or by day of the week.

Cambridge Stays Uses Smart Pricing to Balance Cleaning Costs and Guest Expectations

At Cambridge Stays, we use real-time market data and guest behaviour patterns to help landlords decide the best pricing model for their property to let near Cambridge. Whether you manage a single flat to let Cambridge or multiple properties to let Cambridge-wide, we fine-tune nightly rates, cleaning fees, and discount structures to maximise both bookings and profitability.

We also help communicate cleaning policies clearly in listings, so guests know what they’re paying for and why.

Tailor Your Fee Strategy to Convert and Profit

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to pricing cleaning costs. The best strategy is the one that works for your guest type, stay length, and operating costs. With Cambridge Stays, we help you find that balance using smart pricing tools, platform-specific insights, and local expertise.

Let’s tailor your cleaning fee strategy so you can convert more guests without losing margin.