Cleaning in Vacation Rental Properties: Outsource or Do It Yourself? Actual Costs and When It Changes

Cleaning is probably the largest operational expense for your vacation rental property, and also the one that most impacts your reviews. A poorly cleaned apartment can drop your rating from 5 to 3 stars overnight. In this post, we tell you the real costs of cleaning yourself versus hiring a company, how long it takes, what margin you have, and when it’s worth changing the model.

Spoiler: there is no one-size-fits-all answer. It depends on how many bookings you have, where the apartment is located, and how much your time is worth.

How much does it cost to clean a vacation rental in Spain

Let’s look at real market numbers in 2025. Prices vary depending on city and apartment size, but these are the usual ranges:

Apartment Type	Company Price (per service)	Average Time
Studio (1 guest)	25-40 EUR	1-1.5 hours
1 Bedroom (2 guests)	35-55 EUR	1.5-2 hours
2 Bedrooms (4 guests)	50-80 EUR	2-3 hours
3 Bedrooms (6 guests)	70-110 EUR	3-4 hours
4+ Bedrooms (8+ guests)	100-160 EUR	4-5 hours

In cities like Barcelona, Madrid, San Sebastián, or Palma, add 20-30% to these figures. In rural areas or small villages, finding professional service can sometimes be impossible.

What does the service normally include

A professional turnover cleaning includes:

• Complete cleaning of all rooms
• Changing sheets and towels
• Restocking basic amenities
• Emptying trash bins
• Checking the condition of the apartment (damages, forgotten items)
• Delivery photos if requested

What it usually does NOT include (and will be charged separately):

• Laundry (charged per kilo or per set)
• Monthly deep cleaning
• Exterior windows
• Large terraces or gardens
• Restocking consumables (paper, soap, coffee)

Doing it yourself: how much do you really save?

This is where most novice owners make mistakes. "I save 60 euros per cleaning" sounds good until you do the math.

The real calculation

Imagine a 2-bedroom apartment in Valencia. The company charges you 60 EUR per turnover. You do it in 2.5 hours. Additionally, you need to:

• Travel to the apartment (30-60 min round trip)
• Buy and restock amenities
• Manage laundry (or have it at the apartment)
• Be available during check-out/check-in windows

Total: between 3.5 and 4.5 hours per turnover. If you value your time at 15 EUR/hour, you’re "earning" barely anything. And if you work elsewhere, that time is taken away from something more profitable.

When it’s worth doing it yourself

• You live in the same building or less than 5 minutes away
• You own only one property and have fewer than 3-4 bookings per month
• It’s your second residence and you enjoy maintaining it
• The area has no reliable cleaning companies
• You’re starting out and don’t have cash flow to outsource yet

When it’s NOT worth it (even if your mind says yes)

• You own 2 or more properties
• You live more than 20 minutes from the apartment
• You have a main job
• You have frequent turnovers (more than 8-10 per month)
• You’re losing bookings because you can’t manage quick check-outs

Cleaning management models

There are more options than "I do it myself" or "company." Let’s see them:

1. Independent or private cleaner

A trusted person who charges by hours or by service. Usually cheaper than a company (10-14 EUR/hour), but also more fragile: if they get sick or go on vacation, you have to resolve it yourself.

Pros: cheaper, personal treatment, flexibility. Cons: no substitute, often no invoice, risk of no-show.

2. Specialized vacation rental cleaning company

Companies that only serve vacation rentals. They understand timings, take photos, manage laundry, and have replacement staff.

Pros: reliability, invoicing, scalable, experienced. Cons: more expensive, less flexible with odd hours.

3. Full management company (property management)

They handle everything: cleaning, check-in, communication, management. They take between 15% and 25% of your income. Be careful, it’s not always worth it. We discussed this in detail in Should you hire a management company for your vacation rental?.

4. Hybrid model

Many owners end up here: a company for regular turnovers, themselves for deep cleans or emergencies. Or vice versa: you do turnovers and hire deep cleaning once a month.

How to calculate your break-even point

Here’s the simple formula we use with owners who ask us:

Actual cost of doing it yourself = (total hours per turnover) x (your hourly rate) + expenses (products, travel, laundry)

Real example: a 2-bedroom apartment in Málaga, 12 turnovers per month.

• Company: 55 EUR x 12 = 660 EUR/month
• You: 3.5 hours x 12 = 42 hours/month. At 12 EUR/hour, that’s 504 EUR of your time, plus about 80 EUR in products and laundry = 584 EUR/month

Difference: 76 EUR. Is spending 42 hours of your life worth 76 EUR? Almost certainly not.

But if the apartment is your second residence, you live nearby, and only have 4 turnovers per month, the numbers change.

Important notice: When invoicing cleaning, the provider must issue you an invoice with VAT (usually 21%). If they offer "under the table" services to save on VAT, it’s illegal and you lose the deductibility of the expense in your tax return. More info at Tax-deductible expenses for vacation rentals (2026).

Common mistakes when outsourcing cleaning

1. Choosing based on price and not reliability

The cheapest company charging you 40 EUR today and not showing up on Saturday at 11 am will cost you 5 one-star reviews. Prioritize reliability.

2. Not leaving a written protocol

Each company cleans differently. Leave a clear checklist: what to restock, where each item goes, how to fold towels, what to check. Without a protocol, the result is a lottery.

3. Not doing surprise inspections

Every 2-3 months, visit the apartment right after cleaning. You’ll find surprises: missed spots, misplaced remote controls, cheap-smelling products.

4. Trusting photos without verification

Photos sent by the company are taken from favorable angles. Occasionally verify in person.

5. Not having a backup plan

What if your cleaner gets sick on a Friday at 10 am with check-in at 3 pm? Have at least an emergency contact (another company, a freelancer, a neighbor).

Laundry: the hidden expense nobody tells you about

Many owners forget that laundry is a separate chapter. It can add between 15 and 40 EUR per turnover depending on volume. We cover this in depth at Laundry in vacation rentals: outsource or wash at home.

Quick summary: if you have 1 apartment and space, washing at home is cost-effective. If you have 2 or more, outsourcing saves your life.

Minimum cleaning checklist between guests

Whether you do it yourself or want to know what to ask the company, this is the minimum:

• Bathroom: toilets, shower enclosure, mirror, floor, restock toilet paper, soap, clean towels
• Kitchen: countertop, stove, oven/microwave inside, empty and clean fridge, sink, floor
• Bedroom: bed made with clean sheets, nightstands, surfaces, floor, open window
• Living room: vacuum sofas, tables, clean TV/remote, arranged cushions
• General: vacuum and mop floors, empty all trash bins, check bulbs, verify air conditioning
• Restocking: coffee, sugar, salt, oil (if offered), paper towels, trash bags
• Details: square curtains, folded towels, remote controls in place, visible WiFi

How Autoregistro fits in

If you’re thinking of outsourcing cleaning, you’re probably looking to offload tasks. The traveler registration in SES Hospedajes is one of those repetitive tasks that eats up your time each week.

Autoregistro costs 1 EUR/month per property (less than a coffee). Your guests fill out a form and the data goes automatically to SES. No scanning IDs, no typing names, no fighting with the platform. Just like outsourcing cleaning to avoid 4 hours of scrubbing, you can automate registration to avoid 30 minutes per guest.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is cleaning expense deductible in IRPF?

Yes, as long as you have an invoice and the apartment is declared as a tourist rental activity. It’s one of the clearest and most deductible expenses.

Can I charge the cleaning fee separately to the guest?

Yes, and it’s common on Airbnb and Booking. You can set a cleaning fee that covers the actual cost. Be careful not to charge too much more than the cost, as it penalizes your ranking on platforms.

How much time should I leave between check-out and check-in?

At least 3-4 hours for small apartments, and 4-5 hours for larger ones. Shortening this increases the risk of poor cleaning or the guest arriving while cleaning is still ongoing.

What if the previous guest leaves the apartment damaged?

Notify the cleaning company and bill them for extra time. Many owners agree on a "special cleaning" fee for such cases. And of course, document with photos in case you need to claim the security deposit.

Is a monthly deep cleaning worth it in addition to turnovers?

In high-occupancy apartments, yes. A deep clean every 4-6 weeks prevents dust buildup in high areas, stains on upholstery, and mineral deposits on taps. Costs between 80 and 150 EUR and saves you from premature renovations.