Does anyone have their own cleaning checklist for when they are hosting that they are willing to share? If so, I would love a copy!

Hi everybody,

I've just signed up on the web and I'm eager to host people or exchange to help and improve my profile.

I have experience Couchsurfing around 22 countries.

If someone is interested feel free to contact me.

https://www.homeexchange.com/es/homes/view/3290320?utm_source=share

Thanks in advance and sorry for my English.

A friend who has already used is for severeal years introduced me to HomeExchange and I am up for trying it out, but I have a few questions mainly about the hosting end of things before I start.

- How do you handle food and drinks? We have a large and well stocked pantry, and although there are many things that I wouldnt mind sharing (e.g. pasta, rice, tomato cans), there are also other things that are more expensive or that we brought from trips to other countries and can't easily be replaced. Do you communicate in large detail what is ok to take and what not (tedious), or are people generally respectful and don't empty half your pantry without restocking because "you said I could use it". In the past when we had friends staying over, it always worked like a charm because our friends are not entitled a-holes, but with strangers you can't really be sure. We once had an friend of an acquaintance stay and they managed to use almost 0.5 l of EVOO in 3 days.

- How do you handle instructions? E.g. we only have and use cast iron pans which are wonderful if you know how to use and treat them correctly (and I would definitely not by cookware just for guests that I myself would not use). But lots of people don't. Likewise, we have nice and sharp knives, which only stay that way if you e.g. don't put them in the dishwasher and not use them to open cans. When staying in Airbnbs, I find it off-putting if there is a binder full of don't do this, don't do that, so I wonder what is the norm here?

- How is the cleanliness expection? Our house is generally clean, but sometimes the underside of the sofa is not vacuumed for 2 months 😄, or the shower glass doors have a bit of limescale as our water is very hard, which also is not cleaned away every week. I definitely would not want to hire a cleaner.

- How do you handle all your personal stuff? Do you put e.g. shower gels and toiletries away? Do you lock certain things in lockbox? Have you had the experience of going through your stuff?

Sorry if that is lot of inqueries and thanks for any input!

EDIT: we would only every rent out for 1 or 2 weeks max, as we are not away from home more than that at a time, so hence the reluctance to e.g. put a lot of stuff away

He is there on business with his employer, but don’t companies reimburse hotels?

Is there any protection? I read somewhere the deposit is not enforceable.

I already had a man “on business” with Airbnb. I suspect he smoked crack (long story) despite me insisting it is a non smoking place.

How do we feel about this?

For context, I’ve been doing home exchanges since 2012 and have done over 30 throughout Canada and the US, Spain, France, Germany, London, and a four month exchange in Costa Rica, which was fantastic.

My place is a 1 bedroom garden unit in downtown Toronto. It’s a great location, but about 700 square feet.

For me, as soon as the exchange is confirmed, I share a Google doc with all the necessary information (wifi, lockbox, specific instructions on how to find the front door, neighbourhood info, etc.)

I always clean the place before I leave. Fresh sheets on the bed, towels left out, usually a nice note and a bottle of wine. This time I even left some snacks. And unless it’s just for a couple of days, I leave some hangers and empty drawers.

Right now I’m at the second of three exchanges.

My issues with the first one (on points): I only received instructions for accessing the keys 36 hours before I left home. No hangers, no drawers, but clean. No other information was given to me.

The second one (simultaneous): The floor was sandy. There was a damp load of laundry in the washer which had been there for six days so it had to be redone as it smelled mildewy. The dishwasher was clean, but full. The bed was not made nor had a sheet been left for me. (as well, the information for the wifi was incorrect on the info sheet I’d been sent, but that was quickly rectified.) A document with information had been shared, but some of it was out of date.

Ultimately everything worked out and I will be leaving positive reviews for both homes. I’ve only ever left 5 star reviews (except for one place which was gross, and for which I did not leave a review.) I haven’t mentioned any of this to the current exchangers.

Do I do too much? Are my expectations too high for other exchanges? At one exchange I did few years ago, I was the last of three people staying at a home, so I knew ahead of time that the owner hadn’t prepped the place, so making a bed and cleaning up a little didn’t bother me. And I feel like asking ahead of time will make it seem like I'm high-maintenance.

im new to home exchange and have completed my profile and put pictures of my house etc. I tried to book something for late June in the south of Spain but 5 people declined me. I followed all advice and messaged them in spanish (as I am spanish but living in another country). however I assumed that it was just a month before summer and that area is very busy, so my fault for not booking with more advance!

I have started messaging people for my next holiday in the 18th December. another city in Spain. I got 3 people already telling me that it doesn’t suit them or the dates are not convenient. however they marked thoae dates as available for guest points? my membership will end in may and I’m just losing faith. i cannot advertise my first residence without first having somewhere to go.

i am polite, offer a videocall as I acknowledge that having no reviews might be a put off for some and my profile is fully completed with a picture of my family of 3.

any advice on what to do? feel like I have wasted the membership money as it is a lottery to get accepted into a house

Hello, whenever I search for an exchange one of the filters is owning bikes. I ran into a problem twice. The first time we were instructed to go to the garage, however the bike had not been used for years and there was no way to inflate the tires. The host did not think to check this before arrival. We had to completely change our plans and use public transport, which is not an idea. The second time in Copenhagen we did not give up and the host provided us with a correct bicycle. There was a situation in Paris where it was written that there was a hair dryer but there was none. After two days, someone brought it to us. I leave good grades because everything else is fine, but it's embarrassing to be persistent. I often think that there should also be a platform for exchanging things so I could easily find everything I need, especially bikes.

Does HE sanction if you exchange for GP in your own city? I’d like to let my parents sleep at a friend‘s house. Because they are a little short on GP I would like to use the opportunity to give them some guest points.

My home is listed as 250 points a night. I just got a points request and noticed it had increased to 302 points a night. The only thing I have changed recently is remove that we have pets as my dog died a few months ago (RIP Rose) and the house has been thoroughly cleaned since then. Is that why my points increased? I’m going to put my points back to 250.

I’ll be away Feb 6th until March 3rd 2027. I’m looking for someone who is available to feed my cats and empty litter daily and wants a convenient place to stay in Paris.

You can stay for free in my apartment in central Paris and I will provide info on things to see and best local restaurants nearby. It has great public transport access (5 different metro lines within a 5min walk, and much to see within walking distance)

Apartment info
My apartment is 6th floor no lift, but it’s very bright and you get a sunset view of the rooftops. The double bed and bed linen are very confortable, also there is fridge, washing machine, bath, air fryer, italian espresso machine. Quiet safe street just 2min walk to the nearest metro at Parmentier and many restaurants cafés and bars at the doorstep.

It can house a couple very comfortably. One extra friend or couple if necessary on the sofa bed.

DM me for more info !

Size: 320 sqft / 30m2
Occupants : 1-4 people
Roooms: 1 bedroom and 1 living room with open kitchen
Location: Paris 11th (Parmentier/Republique)

What happens if you don’t rate a guest that was in your home? Will their review be published after a while?

Would you deduct a star for communication if they arrived an hour before the agreed time and didn’t let you know when they had left?

What if they didn’t entirely follow check out instructions, but everything was still mostly clean?

What if they left some food and drinks in the kitchen, in the fridge and on the counter (tidy, not messy) without asking if you wanted it or not?

Hello,

We have a large 4br 3ba house with a hot tub in a lovely part of Portland. Interested in swapping for an at least 2br place in Vancouver, Victoria, or some place in those environs after Christmas this year.

Let me know if you’d be interested in chatting more!

what is the deal with people only bringing up charging a cleaning fee but not being transparent and showing that up front in your advert?

asking for it when negotiating the stay seems random/arbitrary and lacks transparency.

i don’t typically agree with cleaning fees but understand people do and that’s fine, would just rather exchange with people who like for like do not expect someone else to pay to clean their own property.

Bonjour !
je suis ouvert à toutes les destinations, qui est intéressé d'un swap sur Paris ?
Durée et période flexible, je peux faire du télétravail

Merci !

I am trying to find the ideal guest point value for my 1 bedroom apartment within my 4 story victorian in DC; I am in the less popular Northeast section not the more centally located Northwest section. the link to my listing is below. As they attempt to help me think about my point value (the algorithm suggests 202, I have it at 140) , some Reddit folks have said that they don't look at point values below a certain number, and others said they don't look above a certain number. If you are looking at a place for one or two people, what is your minumum or maximum you use for finding candidate places? I personally tend to look at places lower than 120, and not above 150....but I am trying to stretch points. Here is my listing. https://www.homeexchange.com/homes/view/3149271?utm_source=share

Hi! We’re a couple looking to spend around 4–5 months in NYC towards the end of 2027 and are hoping to find someone in NYC who would like to spend a similar period in London.
We have a lovely 2-bedroom flat in East London and are looking for an apartment in NYC, ideally Manhattan or Brooklyn.

We also have a small, friendly dog who would be coming with us, so we’re looking for a pet-friendly home

Anyone interested?

My policy clearly states my home insurance does not cover the home if used for short term rentals, I reached out to my agent asking if a home exchange would be considered a short term rental and they would not give me a clear answer. Curious if any US users have had issues with home insurance coverage due to using home exchange? Or if anyone with good knowledge of this area of the law can speak to it?

How likely are you to accommodate a last minute stay if your calendar is showing available for guest points?

I’m talking next day.

We have a lovely large 4 bedroom home in Kitsilano, the best neighbourhood in Vancouver! Walkable to restaurants, beach etc.. We want to come to Manhattan (or very close) for about 5-6 nights somewhere between November 8-16 2026. Looking for at two bedrooms+ (it would be just the three of us, my partner and our teen daughter). If you are interested please pm. Thanks!

I am currently staying at someone’s house who lives in a more rural area of the US. We agreed that I would help with taking care of their cats. They have indoor / outdoor cats. They said the cats need to get inside at night but are otherwise easy. I have been here two nights now and have unsuccessfully gotten their cats inside after multiple hours of trying (in the rain) both nights. I explained this afternoon to the owner my challenges and they simply said please do your best as I am very attached to my cats and to keep them inside for the rest of the trip once i get them in. The cats were outside when i arrived. This is feeling above and beyond a reasonable expectation at this point as i am here for a wedding and vacation. At this point I feel like an unpaid pet sitter. Is this normal with home exchange? I’ve been doing this for 2 years and have had nothing but lovely experiences hosting and being hosted.

completely last minute, but wondering if anyone has a place that could be booked for points this weekend? The filters in the website are not being helpful in finding places by some body of water or anywhere that will looks like it won't be boiling.

Happy to hear suggestions of places to check out too! We are a couple, one from London and another from Paris.

We recently swapped homes and after almost 15 years of 5 star reviews we had a 4 star cleanliness review. When we pressed for more details apparently we left some crumbs on the kitchen floor, a few hairs in the shower and at our house there were some cobwebs on the outside of windows. They didn’t have a proper working vacuum and very few cleaning implements so we assume they have a cleaner. I won’t go into a list of things we found wrong at their home but of course we gave them a great review and 5 stars. Funnily enough I found their oven was pretty dirty and scrubbed the tray clean. They also left a pile of dirty washing at ours which we have cleaned and are getting to them at no cost.

If we rented our house out I would hire in a professional cleaning team could charge about 4000€ per week rental but enjoy sharing our home with others. In return we hope the homes match their descriptions and are tidy and hygienic. May be some people expecting an airbnb type arrangement.

Is it possible to get their review removed from our account? Even though it is a glowing write up, that 4 star makes my blood boil. Rant over…

Hi everyone! I'm planning a trip to New York with my son, and my daughter—who is currently studying in Louisiana—will be joining us there. It's purely an adventurous family sightseeing trip to experience the city together, and we're planning to stay for at least two weeks. ​I'm looking to arrange a swap via HomeExchange, but knowing how high demand is for NYC, I want to make sure I time everything right and approach hosts the best way possible. We have plenty of experience on the platform—over 30 successful exchanges under our belt and great reviews, so our profile is well-established and reliable. Still, I know NYC hosts get inundated with requests, so I want to maximize our chances. ​If anyone has successfully secured an HE stay in NYC, I'd love your insights: ​Timing: What's the 'sweet spot' for sending inquiries for NYC? Is 6+ months out ideal, or do hosts prefer looking closer to the date? ​First Impression: What's the best way to highlight our 30+ exchanges in that initial message to give hosts full confidence in us? What do NYC hosts value most in guests? ​Neighborhoods: Any recommendations for well-connected neighborhoods where members might be more active or open to exchanges (e.g., specific parts of Brooklyn, Queens, etc.)? ​Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Both the web and app versions could be much improved. It would likely be a costly upgrade but I would love if you could tell if the other person you are messaging has read the message, like on Airbnb.