Home exchanges take place without economic transactions between members. The only required payment to begin exchanging with HomeExchange is the annual membership fee. Nevertheless, on HomeExchange, every home is different and there can be exceptions which include extra fees.
In order to guide you, here are the main principles we recommend for you to consider regarding extra fees on an exchange:
1. HomeExchange is like welcoming friends and family from around the world. As a host, you open the doors of your home to a family, a couple, or a guest of your choice. As a guest, you wouldn’t expect any kind of standard and “hotel-like” services. The homes you can find on HomeExchange are real homes, just like yours.
2. HomeExchange is not about imposing a fee like with a typical rental process. However, you can agree on asking for the help of a cleaning service. We understand that each home exchange is different and that, in some cases, cleaning fees are helpful and can make you feel more secure. HomeExchange will allow these additional cleaning fees as long as they respect and are consistent with the principles of home exchange.
What fees are permitted?
The only fees allowed are checkout cleaning fees (or the tourist tax when it's required for exchanges). We understand that it's sometimes difficult to do home exchanges without some extra help (for example in second homes, the help of long-trusted people in charge of the home, etc).
In every case, the amount should be reasonable given the location of the home, the size, and the length of the stay. These fees must be clearly stated in the home description and discussed in the conversation between members, always before finalization of the exchange. We also recommend you to consider the option of splitting the fees between you and your partner.
Members are to find a way to pay the cleaning fees upon the guest's arrival at the home, either by cash or a transfer (i.e. PayPal). These fees should not be paid prior to arrival.
Example 1
You love hosting in exchange for GuestPoints and your home is far away from your primary residence. You have a trusted person who helps with the cleaning of your second home. You are paying this person to deal with the logistics and the cleaning, and you ask your guests to participate in these fees, to help you to continue hosting as much as possible.
Example 2
You are hosting 2 families in a row and you want to make sure that the cleaning is done before the second family comes to your home. As you don’t have enough time to check before the second exchange, you feel more comfortable if a trusted person helps you with the cleaning.
Examples of fees we do not allow:
- Fees asked for welcome gifts/packages. HomeExchange is about welcoming members into your home and having a personalized and friendly experience. Welcoming is in the HomeExchange DNA.
- Fees for late arrivals or departures: our homes are not hotels. Communication between members is key with HomeExchange. You should arrange the details of your exchange in a way you feel comfortable with. If your guest is arriving late and it’s inconvenient, don’t hesitate to talk about that. You should find a solution together.
- Guests shouldn’t pay for the home to have access to the basics (such as cooking equipment, towels, etc.). When exchanging, homes should have all the basics for a comfortable stay. We do everything we can to make our guests feel at home!
- Other fees for the normal use of the home (electricity, heating, etc.). Instead, we recommend that you adopt as a guest and share as a host the best practices for a conscious use of energy resources during exchanges.