What the work actually is
An Airbnb clean is a turnover, not a house clean. You have a fixed window, often 10am checkout to 3pm check-in, and the property has to look exactly as it does in the listing photos. Beyond cleaning, the job includes linen, restocking, a damage check and photos for the host.
The work is uneven. Weekends and school holidays are heavy, weekdays are light, and same-day turnovers cluster. Plan your team around the peaks, not the average.
Register the business
- ABN. Apply through the Australian Business Register. It is free.
- Business name. Register it with ASIC if you trade under anything other than your own name.
- GST. Register once your annual turnover reaches A$75,000. Price your services knowing whether GST is on top.
- Bank account. Keep business money separate from day one. It makes tax time and pricing decisions far easier.
Insurance
Public liability insurance is the one clients ask for. Many property managers want a certificate of currency before your first clean. If you employ cleaners you also need workers' compensation cover in your state. Talk to a broker about cover for keys and damage to client property.
Pricing your cleans
Price per property, not per hour. Hosts want to know what a turnover costs, and a flat price rewards you for getting faster. Build it up from:
- Your time on that property, measured over a few cleans.
- Your hourly cost, including super, insurance and travel time.
- Linen, if you supply or launder it.
- Consumables you restock, unless the host supplies them.
- A same-day loading if the next guest arrives that afternoon.
Our Australian Airbnb cleaning price guide walks through the numbers. Outside Australia? Read the US and global guide.
Finding clients
- Small property managers who are growing faster than their cleaning team.
- Hosts with two or more properties. They feel the pain of unreliable cleaners most.
- Where hosts already look: Airtasker, local host Facebook groups, Turno and Google Maps.
- Referrals. Hosts know other hosts. Ask after every month of good cleans.
The systems you need from day one
The business stops scaling the day you can no longer remember every property. Before that happens, put four things in place:
- A checklist per property, so any cleaner can do any property.
- A schedule from bookings, so you are not copying checkouts from calendars.
- Photo proof of every clean, kept with the job, for when a host complains.
- A way to report issues with a photo, so damage is raised before the next guest finds it.
Turnover Check does all four, and builds each property's checklist from its listing. You can try the checklist generator free.