What should your cleaner report after every turnover?

A useful cleaner report should highlight anything that requires the host or property manager's attention, such as damage, missing items, low supplies, maintenance problems, unusual mess, forgotten guest belongings, damaged linen, tasks that could not be completed, or anything that could affect the next guest.

The goal is not to create a long report after every cleaning. When everything is normal, a simple completion confirmation may be enough. The important thing is that exceptions do not disappear inside the cleaning process.

Cleaning completion and issue reporting are different

It helps to separate two questions: “Was the turnover completed?” and “Did anything unusual happen?”

A cleaner may successfully complete the entire turnover and still need to report a damaged chair, a missing hair dryer, a slow-draining shower, low coffee supplies, a stain on a duvet or a guest item left behind. Likewise, a cleaner may discover an issue that actually prevents the turnover from being completed. Keeping these two things separate makes reporting clearer.

1. Damage to the property

Damage is one of the most important things a cleaner can identify between stays. Examples include broken furniture, damaged doors, marks or holes in walls, broken kitchen equipment, damaged bathroom fixtures, broken lamps, cracked glass, damaged electronics and damaged outdoor furniture.

A useful damage report should include what is damaged, where it is, whether it affects the next guest, and a photo where useful.

For example: “Living room: the leg of the dining chair closest to the window is broken. The chair should not be used by the next guest. Photo attached.” This is far more useful than “Broken chair.”

2. Missing items

Short-term rental items can disappear accidentally or deliberately. A cleaner may notice missing towels, linen, kitchen utensils, remote controls, hair dryers, decorative items, keys, chargers, guest equipment or small appliances.

Not every missing item requires immediate action. The report should make clear whether the missing item needs replacing before the next guest, can wait, or may simply be in another part of the property.

For example: “Bedroom 2: one bath towel appears to be missing. There are enough spare towels for today's booking.” This tells the operator both what happened and whether urgent action is required.

3. Low guest supplies

A cleaner is often in the best position to see what needs restocking. Depending on the property, this might include toilet paper, soap, shampoo, coffee, tea, sugar, dishwasher tablets, washing-up liquid, kitchen roll, bin bags, laundry detergent, firewood and welcome items.

Where possible, avoid vague reporting such as “Running low on coffee.” Define a restocking standard instead. For example, the property should have at least 12 coffee capsules in storage. Then the cleaner can simply report when the stock falls below the required level. This makes supply management more consistent.

4. Maintenance problems

Cleaners regularly notice minor maintenance issues before guests report them. Examples include slow or blocked drains, leaking taps, broken light bulbs, loose handles, damaged blinds, malfunctioning appliances, heating problems, unusual noises, broken locks, damaged furniture, problems with doors or windows.

The cleaner does not necessarily need to diagnose or repair the problem. They simply need to make it visible. A good report might say: “Bathroom: the sink is draining much more slowly than usual. It still works, but should be checked.” This is more actionable than “Sink problem.”

5. Anything that could affect the next guest

Some issues deserve immediate attention because the next guest may be arriving soon. Examples include no hot water, heating not working, broken toilet, entry lock problem, insufficient clean linen, major damage, strong unusual smell, appliance needed by guests not working, or property cannot be cleaned in time.

Give cleaners a clear rule: “Report anything that could affect the next guest immediately.” Urgent issues should not wait for a normal end-of-day summary.

6. Tasks that could not be completed

Sometimes the cleaner cannot complete everything on the checklist. Possible reasons include missing supplies, broken equipment, maintenance work, inaccessible area, damaged linen, unusually heavy cleaning, insufficient time before check-in, or a task requiring another professional.

A skipped task should not simply disappear. The cleaner should report which task was not completed, why, whether it affects the next guest, and whether any follow-up is required.

For example: “Oven deep-clean was not completed because the oven is still hot from the previous guest's use. Normal kitchen cleaning is complete. The deep-clean should be moved to the next turnover.” This allows the operator to make a decision rather than discovering the omission later.

7. Damaged or unusable linen

Linen problems are common enough to deserve a clear reporting process. A cleaner may find stains that cannot be removed, torn sheets, damaged towels, missing pillowcases, worn mattress protectors or insufficient clean linen.

A useful report explains both the problem and whether a replacement is available. For example: “One double duvet cover has a large stain and cannot be used. A spare cover was used for today's booking. The damaged one has been set aside.” The operator now knows the current guest is not affected, inventory needs attention, and the damaged item is separated.

8. Guest belongings left behind

Cleaners often find clothing, chargers, jewellery, toiletries, children's items, medication, documents, food or other personal belongings. The cleaner should know whether to move the item, where to store it, whether to photograph it, and how the operator wants to be notified.

Do not leave this to improvisation. For example: photograph the item, leave it in the designated lost-property box and report which room it was found in. Sensitive or valuable items may need a different procedure.

9. Unusual or excessive mess

Normal turnover cleaning is expected. But occasionally a property requires significantly more work than usual. Examples include excessive rubbish, large food spills, heavy staining, unusually dirty kitchen equipment, furniture moved extensively, smoking evidence, pet-related mess where pets are not expected, or large amounts of additional laundry.

A report can help the operator understand why the turnover took longer, additional cleaning may be needed, damage should be investigated, or the cleaning company may charge extra where applicable. Photos can be particularly useful here.

10. Signs that a deeper cleaning task is needed

The cleaner may also notice that a periodic task is becoming necessary before its normal schedule. Examples include oven buildup, limescale, blocked drain, dirty extractor filter, staining underneath furniture, or deep-cleaning needed in a high-use area.

A report might say: “The oven is due for a deeper clean. Normal turnover cleaning is complete, but I recommend scheduling the deep-clean during one of the next two turnovers.” This is more useful than waiting until the problem becomes visible to guests.

11. Inventory problems

Cleaners can also spot problems with property inventory. Examples include not enough glasses, damaged cookware, missing cutlery, broken plates, missing hangers, incomplete children's equipment, low spare linen or missing remote control.

These are not necessarily cleaning issues, but they are often easiest to detect during the turnover. You may not need the cleaner to count every item every time. Instead, define important inventory checks periodically or ask cleaners to report obvious shortages when they notice them.

12. Access problems

Anything that makes access difficult should be reported. Examples include key missing, lockbox difficult to open, smart lock not working correctly, incorrect access code, building key damaged, door difficult to lock, or cleaner unable to access a storage area.

Access issues can affect both future cleaners and guests, so they should not remain as informal knowledge with one person.

13. Safety concerns

If a cleaner notices something that may present an immediate safety risk, it should be escalated promptly. Examples might include obvious electrical damage, strong gas or burning smell, broken glass, unstable furniture, serious water leak, damaged entry security or visible fire damage.

The cleaner should not be expected to diagnose technical or safety issues beyond their competence. The important thing is to stop, report the concern and follow the property's agreed emergency or maintenance process where appropriate.

14. What doesn't need to be reported?

Reporting should focus on exceptions. If the turnover was completely normal, there is usually no need for a long written report saying kitchen cleaned, bathroom cleaned, bed made, floor vacuumed and rubbish removed. Those belong in the checklist.

The report is for things that require additional information or attention. A useful principle is: checklist = what was expected to happen; report = what happened that was different from normal. This keeps communication concise.

15. Don't make cleaners write essays

A useful reporting process should be quick. For most issues, the cleaner only needs category, short description, location, photo if useful, and urgency. This can often be completed in less than a minute.

Long reporting requirements make it more likely that small but useful observations are never recorded.

16. Use photos when they add information

A photo is valuable when it helps the operator understand the situation. Good examples include visible damage, stained linen, unusual mess, broken item, maintenance problem, missing component or condition of an area that needs deeper cleaning.

A photo may not be necessary for “Coffee supply is down to four capsules.” The best reporting method depends on the issue.

17. A photo alone is not a complete report

Consider receiving a photo of a wet bathroom floor. You may not know whether it was just cleaned, whether something is leaking, where the water came from, or whether action is needed.

Better: “Bathroom: water appears from underneath the sink after running the tap. The cabinet is dry, but there is water on the floor. Photo attached.” Photos should add evidence to context, not replace the context.

18. Define urgency clearly

A simple reporting structure can use three levels.

Urgent — before next guest

• no functioning toilet
• access problem
• insufficient linen
• significant damage
• heating failure
• serious leak

The operator should be notified immediately.

Needs attention soon

• slow drain
• damaged spare chair
• low stock
• minor appliance problem

The next guest can still stay normally, but action should be planned.

For information

• minor cosmetic damage
• item moved
• small observation worth recording

This helps the operator know where to focus.

19. Keep reports connected to the right property

When you manage several properties, messages such as “The shower drain is slow” can create another question: “Which apartment?” A structured report should automatically or clearly identify property, turnover, date and reported issue. This becomes increasingly important as the number of properties and cleaners grows.

20. Keep reports connected to the turnover

Knowing when an issue was found can be useful later. For example, “A dining chair was reported damaged after the turnover on Monday.” If a guest contacts you about it on Wednesday, you already have a record showing when it was first noticed.

Turnover-linked reporting can help create a clearer property history without requiring cleaners to maintain separate documents.

21. What should happen after an issue is reported?

Reporting alone does not solve the problem. There should be a simple way to move the issue through its lifecycle:

• Reported — cleaner identifies the issue.
• Reviewed — host or operator checks it.
• Action required — repair, restocking or replacement is arranged.
• Resolved — no further action needed.

Not every cleaning system needs full maintenance management. But the operator should at least be able to distinguish an open issue from one that has already been handled.

22. Avoid turning cleaner reporting into a full maintenance system unnecessarily

For a small operation, cleaner reports may only need to answer: “Is there something I need to know?” A full maintenance platform with work orders, technicians, vendor management, cost tracking and parts inventory may be unnecessary if you only manage a few properties.

Start with simple issue visibility. Add more complex workflows only if your operation actually requires them.

23. Reporting with an external cleaning company

If you use an external cleaning company, agree on reporting before problems occur. Clarify what should cleaners report, where should they report it, who receives the report, what counts as urgent, are photos required, does the cleaning company already use its own system, and who is responsible for follow-up.

Avoid requiring cleaners to report the same issue in both the cleaning company's app and another system unless there is a clear reason. One clear process is usually better than duplicate reporting.

24. What should be included in every turnover report?

You do not necessarily need a formal report after every turnover. A simple completion record can contain turnover completed, required tasks complete, recurring tasks due today complete, required final photos submitted, and issues: none / reported.

If there is no issue, “Completed — no issues reported” may be enough. If there is an exception, the detailed report becomes important.

25. Example cleaner report

Here is an example of a useful report after a turnover.

Property: City Apartment. Turnover: Completed.

Issues:

• Bathroom — maintenance: The shower drain is running slowly. It is still usable, but should be checked before it becomes blocked.
• Kitchen — supplies: Only three dishwasher tablets remain in storage. Five have been left for the incoming guest, so more should be purchased before the next turnover.
• Bedroom — linen: One pillowcase has a permanent stain and has been set aside. A spare was used.

Urgent issues affecting next guest: None.

This gives the operator useful information without requiring a long narrative.

26. Example of an urgent report

URGENT — Property access: The front door smart lock is not locking correctly. I can close the door, but it can still be opened without entering the code. The property should be checked before the guest arrives.

This immediately tells the operator what is wrong, where, why it matters, and that action cannot wait.

27. Use reporting to improve the property

Individual reports can also reveal patterns.

For example:

• Repeated report: Coffee is running low. Possible improvement: increase stored supply or define a restocking threshold.
• Repeated report: Cleaner can't find spare linen. Possible improvement: change storage or add a photo showing the location.
• Repeated report: Shower drain is slow. Possible improvement: add a recurring drain-cleaning task or arrange maintenance.
• Repeated report: Sofa bed setup unclear. Possible improvement: add better instructions and a reference photo.

Reports should not only create more work. They should help improve the process.

28. Keep cleaner reporting separate from cleaner performance

An issue report should not automatically be treated as evidence that the cleaner did something wrong. For example, “Dishwasher broken” is useful information. It does not mean “Cleaner failed.”

A healthy reporting culture encourages cleaners to make problems visible instead of hiding them. If every report is interpreted as criticism of the person reporting it, useful information may stop flowing.

29. Make it easy to report small problems

Small observations often become larger problems if nobody records them. For example: loose door handle, one missing glass, slow drain, damaged pillow, low coffee stock.

If reporting takes 30 seconds, cleaners are more likely to mention them. If it requires opening another system, remembering login credentials, filling a long form or sending a separate email, the issue may simply be forgotten. Keep the process proportional to the problem.

30. A simple cleaner reporting framework

For most short-term rental operators, this is enough:

• Cleaning status — was the turnover completed?
• Exceptions — was anything left unfinished?
• Property issues — was anything damaged, missing or broken?
• Supplies — is anything running low?
• Guest belongings — was anything left behind?
• Urgency — does anything affect the next guest?
• Evidence — add a photo where it helps.

This covers most useful information without turning every clean into an administrative task.

Keep cleaner reports connected to each turnover with DoTidyDone

DoTidyDone allows short-term rental cleaners to do more than tick off cleaning tasks. During the turnover, cleaners can report observations or deficiencies directly from the property instructions. Reports can include photos and comments, helping hosts and operators see when something needs attention.

Combined with property-specific cleaning checklists, recurring tasks, completion photos and turnover completion records, this creates a simple record of what happened during each clean. The cleaner does not need their own DoTidyDone account or app. They open the shared property link on their phone and can complete the workflow from there.