A True Story from an Osaka House Rental Owner: How Switching Cleaning Companies Boosted Occupancy
“If I keep cleaning costs low, that translates directly into profit.”
That’s what an Osaka-based vacation rental owner once believed without question. But at a certain turning point, he completely reversed his thinking and switched to a more expensive cleaning company on purpose. So what happened as a result?
Remarkably, his occupancy rate jumped from the 60% range to over 85%, and his bottom-line profit hit an all-time high.
Let’s start with the conclusion of this article upfront.
In vacation rental management, “cleaning” isn’t just an expense—it’s the most powerful “investment” you can make to drive revenue. This is especially true for the whole-house rentals that are so popular in Osaka: high-quality cleaning positively influences Airbnb’s search algorithm and becomes your single greatest weapon for attracting higher-paying guests.
In this article, we’ll dive into the real-life experience of Owner K (a pseudonym), who runs a 3-bedroom house in Osaka City, and explore exactly why simply changing cleaning companies led to such a dramatic turnaround—along with the underlying logic and the concrete changes he saw.
[Real Account] The Struggles of the “Dark Age” of Low Occupancy
K bought a used detached house in Nishinari Ward, Osaka City, and started his vacation rental business two years ago.
Anticipating strong inbound demand, he prepared a spacious three-story house—but the early days of operation were far from smooth sailing. His biggest headaches were “stagnant reviews” and “unstable bookings.”
The Vicious Cycle of Choosing a Company Based on “Price”
When he first started out, K wanted to maximize profits, so he focused on cutting running costs as much as possible. He signed with a discount cleaning company he found online that advertised “the lowest price in the area.”
This turned out to be the beginning of every problem that followed.
- A different person every time: One day it was a young part-timer, the next an older worker—there was no consistency, and quality was all over the place.
- No reporting: All he’d get was a single LINE message saying “Done”—no photos, no way to know the actual condition of the property.
- Corners cut in hidden spots: Guests complained things like, “There was a previous guest’s water bottle under the bed” or “There was a buildup of hair in the corner of the stairs.”
The Shock of a “4.2” Cleanliness Score
The final straw was when his Airbnb “Cleanliness” score dropped to 4.2.
“The room looked clean at first glance, but the details bothered me.”
“The towels smelled slightly damp/musty.”
Reviews like these kept piling up, and his search ranking gradually declined. Bookings only came in when he slashed prices at the last minute—he couldn’t raise his rates—and K began to feel that “vacation rentals aren’t as profitable as I thought.”
The Turning Point: Why He Decided to Switch to a “Pricier” Company
“At this rate, things will only keep getting worse.” Feeling the urgency, K reached out to a fellow Superhost for advice. What that person told him completely changed his mindset.
“You’re having one person clean that big house alone? That’s never going to work. I hire a professional team to come in. My cleaning fees are almost double, but I can charge more per night because of it, so it pays for itself.”
Still somewhat skeptical, K decided he had no future if he stayed on his current path, and made the decision to switch to a quality-focused company (a managed cleaning service).
The new company’s quote was, indeed, several thousand yen higher per cleaning than before. But the proposal itself was on a completely different level.
- An appropriate staffing proposal: “For a three-story house, we’ll send a two-person team.”
- Full transparency: “We’ll send over 50 photos every time.”
- A concrete strategy: “We’ll focus intensively on the corners of the stairs and behind the plumbing fixtures.”
3 Dramatic Changes After Switching Cleaning Companies
Three months after switching companies, K’s property saw visible, measurable changes.
1. Reviews Turned into a String of 5-Stars, and Search Rankings Soared
The most noticeable change was in guest feedback.
“The moment we walked in, it smelled amazing and everything was spotless, corner to corner!”
“We were surprised how clean it was for such a big house—like a hotel.”
His cleanliness score climbed from 4.2 to 4.8, and eventually to 4.9. Since Airbnb’s algorithm favors highly-rated properties, his listing started appearing at the top of search results far more often. As a result, a “virtuous cycle” emerged where bookings came in naturally, without needing to spend on advertising.
2. The Peace of Mind of Getting Reports Without Even Asking
Previously, K had to be the one asking, “Is the cleaning done?” or “Were there any items left behind?” With the new company, he started receiving detailed, real-time reports through an app.
- How messy the room was before cleaning
- Any damage found (with photo evidence)
- Consumable supply inventory levels
- Close-up photos after cleaning, such as “inside the drawers” and “how tightly the linens were tucked”
This allowed K to know the exact condition of his property with 100% confidence without ever visiting in person, freeing him completely from mental stress.
3. Trouble-Related Costs Dropped to Zero
Previously, K had to deal with at least one “refund due to cleaning issues” or “emergency dispatch” per month. After switching, these incidents dropped to zero.
With the time spent handling problems and the losses from refunds eliminated, his actual profit margin improved by more than enough to offset the higher cleaning fees. Most importantly, no longer having to repeatedly apologize to guests and feel miserable about it was, for K, the biggest relief of all.
Why Does Changing Your Cleaning Service Raise Occupancy?
K’s case is by no means a miracle or a coincidence. From a vacation rental marketing perspective, it’s a perfectly logical outcome.
Getting the Platform’s “Algorithm” on Your Side
Booking platforms like Airbnb prioritize showing “properties that satisfy guests.” The most heavily weighted metrics for this are “cleanliness” and “accuracy.”
As cleaning quality rises and 5-star reviews accumulate, the platform recognizes your listing as “excellent” and boosts your visibility. In other words, high-quality cleaning is the single most powerful SEO strategy (search ranking booster) you have.
Exceeding the Unique Expectations of Whole-House Rentals
Guests who book whole houses tend to be families or groups, and they tend to stay longer. That means they notice every corner of the room.
Defying their assumption that “a big house probably isn’t cleaned thoroughly” and instead delivering the pleasant shock of “wow, it’s this clean”—that’s what creates repeat guests and word-of-mouth on social media.
Freeing the Owner to Focus on “Offensive” Management
An owner who’s constantly putting out cleaning-related fires has no bandwidth left for the work that actually drives revenue—things like pricing adjustments and interior improvements.
By fully securing the fundamentals (cleaning), owners are finally free to dedicate their resources to growth-oriented management, which in turn drives up both occupancy and nightly rates.
Criteria for Choosing a Cleaning Company for Your House Rental—Without Making Mistakes
Based on K’s success story, here are three iron rules for choosing a cleaning company:
1. Do They Operate as a “Team”?
Cleaning a property with three or more bedrooms is physically impossible for one person. Choose a company that sends in teams of two or more, with clear role division and double-checking.
2. Is the “Resolution” of Their Photo Reports High?
Check whether they send not just wide shots of the “whole room,” but close-up photos of the spots that get dirty easily—”behind the toilet,” “corners of the stairs,” “inside the microwave,” and so on. The companies willing to show you the places they’d rather hide are the real deal.
3. Can You Shift Your Mindset from “Cheap” to Paying a “Management Fee”?
If a cleaning quote is far below market rate, it means the company is either underpaying its staff or cutting corners in the process. You need to embrace the mindset of paying a fair price (a management fee) in exchange for professional-grade work (peace of mind and higher ratings).
Conclusion: Investing in Cleaning Turns Your Vacation Rental into a Winner
K left us with these final words:
“I used to think of cleaning costs as ‘money lost.’ Now I see it as ‘the capital that generates my income.’ I wish someone had told me sooner that by pinching pennies, I was letting hundreds of thousands of yen in revenue slip through my fingers.”
- Declining quality from cut-rate cleaning is a direct cause of lower occupancy.
- High-quality cleaning improves reviews and is the single most powerful tool for driving bookings by boosting search rank.
- Investing in a company that offers a “team system” and “transparency” always pays off in a big way.
To come out on top in Osaka’s fiercely competitive market, “the quality of your ongoing property maintenance” matters even more than your property’s specs. If you’re not satisfied with your current occupancy rate, why not start by reevaluating your cleaning at the ground level?
Stay Buddy Can Make This “True Story” Your Reality
“I’m unhappy with my current cleaning company’s work, but I keep putting off switching because it seems like a hassle.”
“I run a large house and want to boost my reviews to justify raising my nightly rates.”
“Like K, I want to be free from problems and grow my revenue.”
Whatever your concern, leave it all to us.
We at Stay Buddy Co., Ltd. are a team of professionals specializing in vacation rental management and cleaning services in Osaka City.
We meet every single condition K looked for in his “ideal cleaning company.”
- We always send a “team” for large properties like whole houses, eliminating shortcuts caused by fatigue.
- Our proprietary app delivers “detailed reports with 50+ photos,” so you have complete visibility without ever visiting the property.
- We’re committed to improving your “cleanliness” score through rigorous quality control and staff training.
- We prevent problems before they happen by managing consumable supplies and checking for equipment issues.
“Change your cleaning, change your rental business.”
Experience this truth for yourself, with your own property.
Get in touch for a free individual consultation and quote today—including a diagnosis of whether your current cleaning fees are appropriate.
