How are you holding your housekeepers accountable?

Question

I am re-thinking some procedures for our housekeepers. We have had an unofficial checklist, but I am considering an "official" checklist. This would include bullet points of every item, and the housekeeper has to check all of the points off, sign, and date, then send to our manager.

But...this is a five-page document! I don't see how we can expect housekeepers to do this.

Any thoughts on this?

But...this is a five-page document! I don't see how we can expect housekeepers to do this.

Any thoughts on this?

John Underwood · Answer

We have laminated checklists that they sign off on. Then they can be wiped and reused.

I know someone that pays a second person to check behind each cleaning and fluff the pillows

Mike Grudzien · Answer

I'm lucky if my housekeepers can read....

No, seriously, I would use a general checklist for them to follow. But here's the leverage: are you, or someone trusted, able to randomly do an after-cleaning inspection. Knowing that they could be checked on randomly might keep them on their toes.

Drew Sygit · Answer

We have the same issue with maintenance, repairs and renovations.

We stopped using pics a LONG time ago for everything but the littlest stuff.

Now require narrated videos showing everything they've touched.

But, even that's a challenge because someone actually has to watch the video to confirm everything was done, and done right, yet we ALL zone out when watching boring stuff:(

So, we had to hire another experienced person to randomly do spot checks.

Andrew Steffens · Answer

EZcare is pretty cheap, about $5 per listing per month and the checklist can be digital and signed off upon. It also sycs up with PMS so you can see in real time when a unit is clean and ready. We also make them take before and after photos and it generated a timestamped report which has saved me multiple times when guests lie about something that can be found in pre check in photo report.

Richard F. · Answer

Rather than an exhaustive checklist, establish a clear and simplified Standard that can achieve the desired result, and communicate that to the cleaning staff. Checklists are not practical for dozens of items when it is more effort to find and check off an item across five pages than to perform the actual task.

An item is either clean or it is not, there is no in-between state. Photos alone do not necessarily convey actual cleanliness. Logical grouping may help too, without seeing an example of your list it is hard to tell. I'm happy to take a look if you want to DM me. Good cleaners work logically, room by room, top to bottom, floors last, but depending on how linens and consumables are handled and whether one person or two person cleaning team all matter.

An additional question to ask, is always the same person(s) performing the cleaning, or is it a larger operation with multiple rotating staff?

Josh Ball · Answer

This was part of the reason I liked using Turno. It had a checklist with photos they had to take. Allowed me to ensure unit was properly cleaned & kept photo evidence of what my unit looked like before guests arrived for any damage claims. I don't use them anymore because all my properties now are local that I can check but it was a handy tool.

Jon Martin · Answer

If I had an operation like yours I would have an inspector who signs off after every clean

Daniel Jung · Answer

You're right to be skeptical of five pages. We've learned the same thing the hard way — a long checklist gets skimmed and signed without being read, and then you have no real accountability when something is missed.

What works for us: a short room-by-room checklist that fits on one page, plus photos of key areas that the crew submits before they mark the job done. No photos, no invoice approval. That single rule did more for consistency than anything else we've tried.

We also do random spot checks across our units each week so the team knows quality actually gets looked at. we found the crews actually prefer the shorter checklist — clear expectations beat a five-page document nobody reads.

Richard F. · Answer

Oi! Watching videos would be torture! Management by inspection and remediation will always cost more, in dollars, time, and inconvenience to someone...maybe your tenants/guests. Instead, manage through prevention, with the goal to eliminate mistakes and re-work. The better solution, truly is prevention. Establish the systems, procedures, standards, and guidelines that result in everyone doing work right the first time.

It is easy to place blame on those performing the work, but an objective, in-depth look will identify the areas that need improvement, and suggest how to do so. Look at each major process, and make sure you have them clearly defined. Determine the root cause of the problem, and make changes in the process to eliminate that cause, and re-evaluate. Clear communication is key so that the people performing the tasks fully understand those requirements. Telling someone they need to "do better" conveys no useful information.

Mark Miles · Answer

Laminated checklists taped to the inside of a locked closet door

How are you holding your housekeepers accountable?

How are you holding your housekeepers accountable?

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