We'd like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum. This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are - or become - political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.
We're aware that dates on the Forum are not currently showing correctly. Please bear with us while we get this fixed, and see Site feedback for updates.
Good Housekeeping Bond

mikelbg
Posts: 1 Newbie
Hi
I recently rented a holiday cottage where we were required to pay a good housekepping bond of £100. The owner has contacted me to say that she is deducting £60 because the cottage smelled of curry, we left a few food items in the fridge and we didn't remove the sheets from the beds.
I feel like this a con since we cleaned the property before leaving. I feel cooking curry is a perfectly reasonable thing to do, plus we kept the kitchen windows open and used the oven extractor whilst cooking. We couldn't smell curry when we left the next day.
We tidied the bedrooms, leaving them in the same state we found them in. We were unaware that we were supposed to remove the sheets and there wasn't a basket provided to put them in. I remember seeing a price list for broken items such as £5 per glass etc. along with a list of activities in the area but no mention of the sheets.
We left a small amount of food such as milk and bread in the fridge which we believed could have been used by the next guests/owner or easily thrown away if not required.
I have since seen a few negative reviews about the owner on TripAdvisor, however, these were excluded from the booking site. The booking site has reviews from TripAdvisor but has deleted the negative ones.
I intend to complain to the booking company and leave negative reviews. However, do we have any rights regarding the good housekeeping bond as I feel this is daylight robbery.
Thanks
I recently rented a holiday cottage where we were required to pay a good housekepping bond of £100. The owner has contacted me to say that she is deducting £60 because the cottage smelled of curry, we left a few food items in the fridge and we didn't remove the sheets from the beds.
I feel like this a con since we cleaned the property before leaving. I feel cooking curry is a perfectly reasonable thing to do, plus we kept the kitchen windows open and used the oven extractor whilst cooking. We couldn't smell curry when we left the next day.
We tidied the bedrooms, leaving them in the same state we found them in. We were unaware that we were supposed to remove the sheets and there wasn't a basket provided to put them in. I remember seeing a price list for broken items such as £5 per glass etc. along with a list of activities in the area but no mention of the sheets.
We left a small amount of food such as milk and bread in the fridge which we believed could have been used by the next guests/owner or easily thrown away if not required.
I have since seen a few negative reviews about the owner on TripAdvisor, however, these were excluded from the booking site. The booking site has reviews from TripAdvisor but has deleted the negative ones.
I intend to complain to the booking company and leave negative reviews. However, do we have any rights regarding the good housekeeping bond as I feel this is daylight robbery.
Thanks
0
Comments
-
This does seem excessive. We often rent cottages where a £100 or even £150 security deposit is required to cover breakages etc - this is with a holiday cottage company. I think they may have been hacked off that they had to come in and strip beds and empty the fridge. Years ago a cleaner used to go in these cottages and give a thorough clean but I think this proved expensive so they literally like to go in, collect dirty linen, maybe make up fresh beds and leave. If you booked with a holiday cottage company you should take the issue up with them. If it is a private owner I think you may have a bit of a battle on your hands - they make up their own rules.0
-
Sounds like a fusspot cottage owner who really shouldn't be in the industry.
The odd broken glass/plate is part of everyday life and should be absorbed into the cost of the rental. That said, if I rented a cottage and broke something I would offer to pay for it.The man without a signature.0 -
I'd book another week and get my £200 worth. Although it was Travel lodge, and you expect it from these charlatans, they tried to charge me because the room smelled of smoke. They shut up when I told them I wanted the manager to search me, my luggage and the room and if they found any tobacco or cigarettes I'd give them a grand. I don't smoke. If anyone can get away with it they'll try. Landlords is landlords is landlords. See if they belong to a travel association and complain, or name and shame them here.0
This discussion has been closed.
Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply

Categories
- All Categories
- 348.3K Banking & Borrowing
- 252.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 452.4K Spending & Discounts
- 240.9K Work, Benefits & Business
- 617.2K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 175.7K Life & Family
- 254.1K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 16K Discuss & Feedback
- 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards