This is a big one—because in our view, cleaning is at the very core of any successful vacation rental operation. If your cleaning is excellent, you’ll see lower maintenance costs, better guest experiences, and stronger reviews. On the flip side, if cleaning is subpar, guests will notice immediately—and they won’t be shy about mentioning it in their reviews.

A high-quality property management company understands this and designs its cleaning operations around aligned incentives and rigorous accountability. Unfortunately, not all managers operate this way. Some rely on in-house cleaning teams or tack on markups to third-party cleaning fees. That can create misaligned incentives: the property manager profits from more cleanings being done, and may resist switching to a better vendor if it cuts into their margins. That setup rarely serves the homeowner well.

At Vinifera, we took a different approach because we believe better cleaning protects your property and your reputation. We interviewed over 50 cleaning companies before selecting just a handful that met our standards—and our standards are high.

For example, every cleaner must integrate directly into our tech stack. They use Slack for real-time communication and Breezeway for detailed task coordination. Each cleaning follows a thorough checklist covering everything from linens to outdoor spaces. After every clean, our teams upload photos to document their work. They can’t mark a job as complete until our team reviews and approves those photos.

We also run periodic third-party inspections to keep everyone honest. And we tie cleaner incentives directly to guest satisfaction: we’ve implemented bonus programs for consistent five-star cleaning reviews and penalties for anything below five stars. This ensures everyone has skin in the game when it comes to delivering exceptional results.

Consistency is equally important. You don’t want a revolving door of cleaners cycling through your property. Cleaners are the eyes and ears of your home—they’re in it more often than anyone else, including you. That’s why we use a “primary and secondary” model: every home has a dedicated primary cleaner who knows its layout, quirks, and standards inside and out. When needed, there’s a trained backup cleaner who can step in—but we never use random contractors who are unfamiliar with the property. That kind of inconsistency is where mistakes happen.

Another overlooked piece of the puzzle is scope. Are cleaners only responsible for the interior? Or do they maintain outdoor areas too? Many of our homes have high-end outdoor spaces—deck furniture, fire pits, kayaks, landscaping—that are just as important to the guest experience as the master suite. Our checklists extend outdoors. Cleaners make sure everything is guest-ready: lounge chairs arranged properly, umbrellas secured, kayaks tied down at the dock—everything polished and in place.

If the cleaning team doesn’t handle these areas, you need clarity on who does—because if it defaults to you as the owner, or turns into a last-minute scramble with a pricey vendor, you’re the one left holding the bag. Clear accountability is critical.

So, when you’re evaluating a luxury property manager, here are a few key questions to ask:

• Do they use in-house or external cleaners—and are incentives aligned with your best interests?
• Do they apply a markup to cleaning fees?
• How are cleaners selected, trained, and evaluated?
• What systems do they use for checklists, communication, and photo verification?
• Is there a system of bonuses and penalties tied to guest reviews?
• Do they ensure continuity with a dedicated primary cleaner—not a rotating cast of unfamiliar faces?
• Do cleaners handle both indoor and outdoor spaces? If not, who does?

Ultimately, quality control in cleaning isn’t just about tidiness—it’s about protecting your asset, delivering exceptional guest experiences, and maximizing your long-term returns. Done well, it’s the single most important investment you can make in your vacation rental operation.

Want to understand how much cleaning can cost? We wrote an article on that as well – follow this link.

Written by Anish Patel, Head of Owner Relations at Vinifera Homes (anish@viniferahomes.com)