TL;DR: start local, use STR-specific platforms and ops tools, vet carefully, and decide whether you need a cleaner, a full-service turnover team, or a property manager depending on scale and complexity.
Why Reliable Turnovers Matter More Than Almost Anything Else
Finding reliable cleaners and full-service turnover help is one of the single biggest operational challenges for hosts who want consistency, great reviews, and a sane life. Below is a comprehensive, practical guide that covers where to look (apps, marketplaces, local options), the difference between a cleaner and a full-service turnover provider, when you should hire a manager instead of just a cleaner, and vetted resources you can use in North America and worldwide. I’ve also included sample job ad language, interview questions, an onboarding/checklist template, pricing notes, and quality-control tips so you can move from hiring to consistent operation quickly.
1) Cleaner vs Full-Service Turnover Provider vs Property Manager. What’s the difference?
- Cleaner (standard)
- What they do: basic deep clean between guests like dusting, vacuuming, bathroom/kitchen cleaning, linens/towels folded (sometimes laundry), trash out, restock basics.
- Best for: single properties, hosts who can handle maintenance, supplies, and guest communications themselves.
- Cost: lowest per-turnover fee, but limited scope.
- Full-Service Turnover Team / Turnover Manager
- What they do: cleaning plus minor maintenance (replace light bulbs, change batteries, basic repairs), laundry service coordination, restocking consumables, trash removal, pool/hot tub checks arranged, photo-verified checklists, and guest-ready staging. They may subcontract specialists (electrician, pool tech) when needed.
- Tools used: Properly (checklists & photos), Turno, Breezeway, Hostfully.
- Best for: hosts with medium portfolios (2–10 units) or premium listings that need consistent staging and frequent maintenance.
- Cost: higher than a single cleaner; often charged per turnover plus hourly for additional tasks.
- Property Manager / Full Management Company
- What they do: everything above plus bookings, pricing, guest communications, emergencies, vendor management, marketing, and full financial reporting. They are essentially a one-stop shop.
- Best for: owners with 5–50+ units, remote owners who don’t want to touch operations, or hosts in high-regulation zones requiring compliance support.
- Cost: percentage of booking revenue (often 15–40%) or flat monthly / per-booking fees depending on company.
2) Where to find cleaners & turnover pros (apps, platforms, local options)
Hyper-local & community sources (best first stop)
- Nextdoor — great for neighborhood, vetted, local cleaners who already work nearby. Search posts or post your job.
- Local Facebook Groups — neighborhoods, local host groups; often a goldmine for recommendations.
- Word of Mouth & Other Hosts — ask other Superhosts in your area or local Host Facebook groups; referrals often produce the most reliable hires.
On-demand & marketplace apps (North America & global coverage)
- TaskRabbit — hourly help, cleaning, odd jobs. Available in many US cities, London, Paris, parts of Canada. Good for small, irregular tasks.
- Thumbtack — contractor marketplace in the US for cleaners and maintenance pros.
- Handy — in major US/UK/Canada cities; focused on home cleaning and handyman tasks.
- Craigslist / Local Classifieds — useful but requires more vetting and caution.
STR-specific ops & cleaners (built for hosts)
- Turno — turnover scheduling, task management, and a network of vetted cleaners; fits hosts wanting more STR-specific solutions.
- Properly — not a finder per se but an operations app used by cleaners and managers to follow photo checklists; many cleaning teams advertise themselves as “Properly-trained.”
- Breezeway — operations platform used by professional managers for task automation and quality control; some cleaning companies integrate with it.
- GuestReady, Hostmaker, Vacasa — full management companies (see below). Some operate regionally/globally and provide cleaning services as part of their management.
Professional cleaning companies (small to large)
- Local independent cleaning companies — often the best balance of price and reliability. Search Google Maps for “vacation rental cleaners” + your city.
- Regional chains / startups — e.g., Handy partners, local franchise cleaners — more scalable but less STR-centric.
- National / international companies — Vacasa, Evolve (management + services), Sonder (managed units) — these are for hosts wanting full management or looking for franchise-style consistency.
Worldwide & remote channels
- Upwork / Fiverr — use to hire virtual turnover coordinators or cleaners’ coordinators remotely (scheduling, vetting). Useful where in-market options are sparse.
- Local job boards and WhatsApp community groups — common in many countries for on-the-ground hires (e.g., India, Mexico, Costa Rica).
- Local property management companies — search “vacation rental management [city].” Many will offer ala-carte cleaning services.
3) When should you hire a manager (vs just a cleaner)?
Consider hiring a manager if any of the following are true:
- You manage multiple properties (2–3+ recommended threshold).
- Your property requires regular maintenance or technical oversight (hot tub, pool, boiler issues, septic).
- You live far away from the property and need local emergency responses.
- You want someone to manage bookings, pricing, and guest communication in addition to ops.
- You need regulatory compliance help (local registration, taxes, inspections).
- You want consistent quality control, reporting and invoicing, and to scale operations.
If your needs are only clean + laundry once per turnover and you’re hands-on for maintenance and guest messages, a great cleaner may be enough. Be sure to check out my other article, “5 Bathroom Cleaning Details Airbnb Hosts Always Miss (But Guests Notice Instantly)“
4) How to vet & hire the right cleaner/turnover team
Step 1 — Job ad template (copy/paste & edit)
Short-Term Rental Cleaner / Turnover Specialist Needed
Location: [City / Neighborhood]
Schedule: Turnovers after checkouts (flexible dates) + occasional deep clean / emergency clean.
Pay: $[X] per turnover (plus tip), or hourly $[X]. [Property square footage/# bedrooms and beds/#bathrooms/extras such as pool, hot tub, exterior maintenance]
Duties: Clean bathrooms/kitchen/bedrooms, change linens, restock basic supplies, take checklist photos, report damages, minor maintenance (replace light bulbs, reset wifi).
Requirements: Proven cleaning experience, references, ability to provide background check, smartphone for photos, reliable transportation, pet-friendly experience preferred.
Apply: [email]. Please include availability, references, and recent cleaning photos.
Step 2 — Interview & vetting questions
- How long have you been cleaning STRs? Ask for references.
- Are you comfortable with photo checklists and sending before/after photos? (if yes, great; ask which apps they use)
- Can you do laundry and fold to hotel standard? How do you manage linens?
- Do you carry liability insurance? (Some cleaners will; if not, you may need to cover risk via your policy.)
- How do you handle damages or missing items? What would you report immediately?
- What’s your cancellation policy for scheduled turnovers? What’s availability during holiday seasons?
- Can you provide a basic rate sheet (per turnover, hourly, add-on for deep cleans)?
Step 3 — Background checks & documents
- Ask for two references from previous short-term rental hosts or clients.
- Consider running a background check (many US services exist) for people handling keys and guests’ personal spaces.
- Request proof of business registration or insurance if you want added protection.
5) Onboarding + SOP (standard operating procedure) checklist
Create a one-page SOP and a digital checklist (Properly / Turno / Google Sheets) that every cleaner must follow. Example items:
Pre-arrival
- Confirm turnover start time & travel time.
- Check for any special guest notes (e.g., pet stays).
Cleaning & Setup Tasks
- Strip beds and start a load of laundry immediately.
- Deep clean bathrooms (toilet, shower, sinks, mirrors, grout).
- Kitchen: run dishwasher, wipe counters, clean appliances, check coffee maker.
- Bedrooms: make beds with clean linens, fluff pillows, check under beds for items.
- Floors: vacuum all carpets, sweep & mop hard floors.
- Trash: remove from unit & replace liners.
- Outdoor: tidy patio, sweep, check furniture.
- Amenities: check Wi-Fi, TV remotes, HVAC, hot tub status, pool chemicals log (if applicable).
- Safety: test smoke detector, ensure fire extinguisher accessible.
- Final touches: set thermostat, leave welcome folder and small local guide.
- Photos: take before/after photos of each room and upload to checklist app.
- Report: message host/manager with any damages, missing items, or issues.
Post-clean
- Confirm completion, time on site, and upload photos.
- Report linen counts and supplies used for reordering.
- Invoice for payment per agreed terms or confirm locked payment via ops software.
6) Pricing guidance & pay structures
- Per turnover flat fee — common. Small 1-bed unit: $50–$120. Larger 3–4 bed homes or premium properties: $120–$300+ depending on location and scope.
- Hourly — $20–$60+/hour depending on city and skill level. Hourly works for deep cleans and odd jobs.
- Subscription / retainer — some hosts pay a weekly/monthly retainer for guaranteed availability and priority scheduling. This can be cost-effective if you have frequent turnovers.
- Add-on fees — linens laundry, extra deep clean, dealing with excessive pet hair, hoarding/extra mess often incur extra charges.
- Manager fees — full-service turnover coordinator or manager often charges per turnover + markups on contractor hourly rates, or a monthly fee for a portfolio.
Note: prices vary widely by city and country. Always benchmark locally and ask about holiday/peak pricing.
7) Tools that make operations scalable and reliable
- Properly — checklist & photo verification app; many cleaners and hosts use it to standardize turnovers.
- Turno — turnover scheduling & cleaner marketplace; helpful for finding vetted cleaners and managing schedules.
- Breezeway — operations + task automation for larger portfolios; automates service tasks, inspections, and maintenance.
- Host Tools / Smartbnb / Guesty — automation for messaging & coordination (some include vendor scheduling integrations).
- Stripe / Square / QuickBooks — for paying cleaners, invoicing, and keeping financial records.
- Slack / WhatsApp — communication channels for quick issues with local teams.
- Google Drive / Sheets — lightweight SOPs, supply lists, and contact directories.
8) Pool, hot tub, trash, & other specialist services
- Pool/hot tub maintenance — typically handled by specialty contractors. Large hosts hire local pool companies for weekly checks. Examples (US): Leslie’s Pool Supplies (service network) or local pool techs. In other countries use local pool service firms.
- Trash removal / bulk pickup — coordinate with local municipal services, or hire a local junk/trash service for large cleanups. In the Seattle area I LOVE The Junkluggers, and they offer services in many other states.
- Laundry / linen services — local laundromats or pickup/drop services; some hosts contract with linen companies for commercial laundry.
- Handyman / electrician / plumber — maintain a short list of vetted contractors for quick response. Thumbtack, TaskRabbit, and local Google searches help.
- Pest control — local specialists on retainer are smart for beach properties or warm climates.
9) Quality control / KPIs to track
- Turnover completion rate on time — percentage of turnovers finished before check-in.
- Photo pass rate — percentage of photos that pass your checklist without issues.
- Guest cleanliness complaints — track number and nature of complaints.
- Damage/missing item incidents — count & cost per month.
- Average turnover time — helps price and schedule realistically.
- Guest satisfaction & cleaning-related review mentions — qualitative but invaluable.
Regularly review these metrics and hold monthly short meetings (or calls) with your cleaning team to discuss trends, supply needs, and process improvements.
10) Scaling: from single cleaner to full ops team
- Start with one reliable cleaner and document every process.
- Once you have 2–3 properties or 10+ turnovers a month, consider a turnover manager (scheduling, supplies, QC).
- At ~5–10 properties, property management software (Breezeway, Turno) becomes cost-effective.
- For 20+ units or remote ownership, consider hiring a professional property manager or an on-the-ground operations manager who can coordinate everything.
11) Red flags and what to avoid
- No references or unwillingness to provide them.
- Refusal to take photos or use checklist tools.
- Extremely low rates compared to market; could signal poor quality or hidden fees.
- No proof of liability insurance for cleaning businesses; keys and guest property need protection.
- Poor communication or inconsistent availability.
- A “yellow flag” I read about on the Facebook groups every once and awhile mention cleaners seeming very expensive. Time and time again, this indicates quality. If there is one non-negotiable for setting up your team, it’s having an amazing cleaner, and often this goes hand-in-hand with elevated pricing.
12) Sample contract clauses to include
- Scope of work and specific tasks covered per turnover.
- Turnover scheduling and cancellation/no-show penalties.
- Rates and payment terms.
- Photo checklist requirement and upload timeline.
- Damage reporting and liability process.
- Confidentiality clause about guest info.
- Termination notice period.
Final thoughts: make it a system, not a fire drill
The single best investment you can make as a host is to document your process and hire someone who understands STR expectations (photos, quick turnarounds, attention to amenities). Start small, vet carefully, and create an onboarding SOP so your cleaner becomes a predictable, trainable, and scalable part of your business. When you move from reacting to systemizing, you’ll sleep better, get better reviews, and be able to grow without constant operational headaches.
What has your experience been with setting up your team?
