Mum’s outrage at “inappropriate” request by Airbnb owner while enjoying holiday

A woman left people fuming after sharing a request from the owner of the Airbnb they had rented, with many agreeing it was unreasonable to ask visitors to complete

When staying in someone else’s house, naturally you expect there to be some rules.

It’s fairly standard for owners to have strict rules on whether you take your shoes off at the door, or request that the beds are stripped before leaving.

And while they may be annoying, they’re often reasonable(ish) – but sometimes they aren’t.

One mum enjoying a week away was left unimpressed by the request to water 10 hanging baskets twice a day, despite the owner living next door.

She shared the request on Mumsnet, asking if she was acting unreasonably by not doing it, as she explained they had a busy schedule.

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The woman wrote: “On holiday in a cottage via Airbnb [and it has] as cost a lot of money for a week.

“Owner lives right next door to us and is tending to her horses that are at the bottom of our garden twice a day.

“Left a note on the kitchen table asking us to water the 10 massive hanging baskets on the walls of the cottage twice a day, which involves getting the hose out of the garage to do this.

“We are using the cottage as a base to travel all over this area of the country on day trips. We leave early and get back late.

“Am I being unreasonable to not water the baskets and to let her know (politely) that we won’t be doing it?

“She’s here twice a day to see to the horses. I’m here on holiday, we are eating out every night to give me a break from the domestic drudgery of the last 18 months!!

“I’m not about to start watering someone else’s plants when I barely do my own at home!!

“She has asked for honest, constructive feedback at the end of our stay, would you say something along the lines of it’s inappropriate to ask guests to do this?

“I’m going to tell her tomorrow that we haven’t had a chance to do this so they don’t die by the way.”

Her fellow Mumsnet users agreed it was an unreasonable request, with one replying: “You’re on holiday, she can water her own bloody plants.”

Another joked: “I’d do it personally but charge her a daily rate to do it. Look up what a local gardener would charge.”

A third wrote: “Absolutely not a chance in hell. You go on holiday to relax and recharge batteries-not do someone else’s chores!!”

But others felt it was better to do it yourself than have the owner visit the home twice a day.

“I’d far rather do it than have her hanging around. Twice a day seems a bit excessive though, mine thrive on once a day,” wrote one person.

Another added: “I’d do it, its not much to ask and the owner did ask nicely, to be honest she sounds lovely”