A turnover clean is the least glamorous line item in short-let operations and, arguably, the one that decides more Airbnb reviews than pricing, photography or the listing description combined. Guests forgive a slow WiFi router. They rarely forgive a bathroom that wasn't properly cleaned. This post covers what a proper London turnover clean actually costs, what's genuinely included versus what's an add-on, and a room-by-room checklist you can use whether you're doing it yourself or checking a cleaner's work.
Why turnover cleaning decides your guest rating
Airbnb rates stays across several categories, and cleanliness is one of them — visible on every listing, and one of the fastest categories to tank if a single turnover goes wrong. Unlike location, price or the building's amenities, cleanliness is entirely within the operator's control on every single stay. A host who gets everything else right but rushes the changeover is choosing, every time, to leave the one variable they fully control to chance.
It compounds operationally too. A short-let calendar with back-to-back bookings depends on the turnover happening reliably in the gap between checkout and check-in — often the same day. A cleaning process that isn't standardised is also a process that's hard to schedule reliably, which is where same-day turnovers go wrong: not because the clean is impossible in the time available, but because nobody wrote down exactly what "done" looks like.
What a turnover clean actually costs in London
Here is our published, all-in pricing — the same numbers used in our instant quote tool, with no drip pricing added after the fact.
| Property size | Base price (all-in) |
|---|---|
| Studio | £100 |
| 1-bed | £120 |
| 2-bed | £140 |
| 3-bed | £160 |
| 4+ bed | £190 |
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Oven clean | +£40 |
| Inside windows | +£25 |
| Ironing | +£20 |
| Fresh linen set (sheets, duvet cover, pillowcases, towels) | £18 per set |
| Same-day turnaround | +15% |
| Prime central London postcode | +10% |
So a 2-bed flat in a central postcode needing a same-day turnaround with an oven clean and fresh linen for two beds works out to roughly: £140 base + £40 oven + £36 linen (2 sets) = £216 subtotal, +10% central London = £237.60, +15% same-day = £273.24. The two uplifts compound because they apply sequentially — the central premium is calculated first, then the same-day uplift is applied to that adjusted total, not to the original base.
If your property needs repair work rather than cleaning — a leaking tap discovered mid-turnover, a broken lock — that's priced separately: a £49 call-out (including the first hour) plus £55 per hour thereafter, coordinated through vetted, certified partners rather than a fixed quote for unseen work.
The room-by-room turnover checklist
This is the standard we hold our own cleaning crew to on every turnover, same-day or not. Use it as a script, not a suggestion — a consistent checklist is what makes a same-day turnaround reliable rather than lucky.
Kitchen
- Empty and wipe down the fridge; check for anything the previous guest left behind
- Degrease hob, backsplash and extractor fan
- Wash and put away all crockery, cutlery and cookware — nothing left in the sink or drying rack
- Wipe all worktops and cabinet fronts
- Empty the bin and replace the liner
- Restock consumables: dishwasher tablets, sponge, bin bags, tea/coffee/sugar sachets if provided
Bathroom
- Sanitise toilet, sink and shower/bath thoroughly, including grout and door seals
- Polish mirrors and taps — smudges are the single most commonly mentioned complaint in negative cleanliness reviews
- Replace towels with fresh, hotel-grade sets
- Restock toiletries: soap, shampoo, toilet roll (leave a spare roll visible)
- Empty the bathroom bin and replace the liner
Bedrooms
- Strip all bedding and remake with fresh, ironed linen — not just straightened
- Check under the bed and behind headboards for anything left behind
- Dust surfaces, mirrors and light fixtures
- Vacuum carpets or mop hard floors, including under furniture where accessible
- Check wardrobes and drawers are empty and free of the previous guest's items
Living areas and final staging
- Vacuum or mop all floors, including entryway and hallway
- Plump cushions and straighten throws to match listing photos
- Check all lights, remotes and smart-lock batteries are working
- Take out all rubbish and recycling — nothing left in any bin
- Do a final walk-through against the listing photos before marking the turnover complete
"The checklist isn't there to slow the cleaner down. It's there so a same-day turnover looks exactly like a two-day turnover to the next guest."
Same-day turnovers: what makes them work
A same-day changeover is not a shorter version of the checklist above — it's the same checklist run against a tighter clock. What makes it reliable in practice is scheduling buffer (most London short-let calendars build in a 3–4 hour window between checkout and check-in), a crew that already knows the property layout rather than seeing it for the first time, and a fixed order of operations so nothing gets skipped under time pressure. That's why we price same-day at a 15% uplift over the standard clean — it reflects the tighter scheduling and the premium on crew availability, not a reduced standard of work.
If you'd rather not think about scheduling turnovers at all, this is exactly the kind of operational detail a full-service manager absorbs on your behalf — booked automatically against your calendar, checked against the same list every time.
