PRACTICAL PRICING GUIDE · FOR VACATION-RENTAL CLEANERS
How to price a vacation-rental cleaning job
Start with what the turnover will cost you—not a national average. Location, property size, condition and scope vary enough that there is no single correct rate. A cost-based quote gives you a floor you can explain and improve after you see the actual job.
1. Estimate the whole job cost
Job cost = labor + laundry + travel + supplies + allocated overhead.
- Labor: expected hours × number of cleaners × your loaded hourly labor cost. Include your own pay when you clean.
- Laundry: labor, machines or laundromat charges—not just detergent.
- Travel: mileage, fuel, parking and unpaid travel time when those costs are material.
- Supplies: the portion used on this turnover, including restocking you provide.
- Overhead: a reasonable job share of insurance, software, equipment, administration and other business costs.
Industry guidance likewise warns cleaners to include labor, materials and overhead instead of copying a headline market rate. Jobber describes hourly and percentage methods for allocating overhead, while Turno notes that vacation-rental cleaning prices vary by location, bedrooms and condition.
2. Convert cost into a target price
If you want a target contribution margin and expect a percentage payment fee, use:
Quote = job cost ÷ (1 − target margin − payment-fee rate).
Example: a job costs $112.50, the target margin is 25%, and the estimated payment fee is 3%. Divide $112.50 by 0.72. The result is $156.25, which you might round to $160.
A 25% margin is not the same as adding a 25% markup. Adding 25% to $112.50 produces $140.63, but the remaining share of that price is smaller after fees.
3. Define the scope before quoting
Record the assumptions that can change the time or cost:
- bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens and additional living areas;
- guest count, beds to turn and where laundry is completed;
- restocking, dishes, grills, hot tubs or exterior areas;
- inspection photos, damage reporting and supply runs;
- same-day turnaround window, access and parking;
- what counts as a deep clean or separately approved extra.
A flat quote can still be cost-based. The scope tells the client what the flat price covers; your estimate tells you whether the price is workable.
4. Compare estimated and actual results
After every job, record actual labor time and the costs that changed. If the same property repeatedly runs over, adjust the estimate, scope or price before the next turnover. One job going well is not proof of a profitable account; look for a pattern across several visits.
What should you charge?
Your result depends on your costs, scope, market and what a client will accept. This method does not guarantee that a quote will win—or that every entered cost is complete. It shows what remains from the price after the inputs you provide.
Preview the downloadable ledger
Turnover Ledger sells the optional downloadable tool linked above. The free calculator requires no signup.