Title: Expectations vs. Reality: Guest Responsibilities for Linens, Toiletries, and Cleaning at a Short-Term Rental

In this post, we share a recent experience staying at a short-term rental with a group of six adults, one toddler, and two dogs. About a week before arrival, we were asked to sign a rental agreement and complete a pre-arrival form. Shortly after, we received guidance indicating that towels and sheets were provided by the property: towels would be in the unit and belong to the unit, while sheets would be delivered by the linen service and belong to the linen service. Guests were asked to wash, dry, and fold towels before departure and to remake beds without linens.

While the towel washing instruction is unusual, we assumed other expectations would align with standard practices. A few days later, three days before check-in, we received another email noting that there might be a limited amount of paper products and soaps in the unit, and advising guests to bring their own paper products and soaps (toilet paper, paper towels, hand soap, dishwasher soap, laundry soap, and bath soap) or purchase as needed upon arrival.

We ended up bringing our own soap, toilet paper, and paper towels. Fortunately, we did so.

Upon arrival, we found the unit had minimal soap in bathrooms, many bathrooms lacked toilet paper, and every bed was missing linens. A bag of linens was left outside the rental, which we suspected was dirty. When we contacted the host, we were told that the bag outside should be the linens, and that guests are responsible for making the beds and stocking the unit after paying around $3,000 for the rental plus a $610 cleaning and service fee.

This experience was the most challenging we’ve encountered in a rental, and it prompted us to reevaluate expectations and communication around guest responsibilities, linen handling, and what’s included in the rental price. If you’ve had a similar experience, consider sharing tips on how you navigated the situation, what documentation you relied on, and how you approached resolution with the host or platform.