Cleaning policy

We expect hosts to provide guests with a clean car. We expect guests to return the car in the same condition in which they received it or as close as possible.

Guest responsibilities

If a guest finds a car to be unacceptably dirty, they shouldn’t accept it. Instead of beginning their trip, they should contact Customer Support for help. Purchasing a Cleaning Extra from a host doesn’t allow guests to smoke or to have pets in the vehicle. These are still prohibited activities unless the host gives explicit written consent via Turo messaging. Guests who purchase a Cleaning Extra could still be held responsible for cleaning charges if they return the vehicle in extremely filthy condition.

Host responsibilities

If a host receives a dirty car from a guest, they can charge the guest for cleaning costs by filing a cleaning reimbursement.  Even if a guest has purchased a Cleaning Extra, a host may be eligible for a cleaning reimbursement if there is verifiable evidence that the guest returned the vehicle in extremely filthy condition.

Documenting the vehicle’s condition

Hosts and guests should take multiple photos of the vehicle inside and out at the start and end of a trip. We suggest:

Interior photos

Exterior photos
  • middle console
  • front seats and floor
  • back seats and floor
  • driver’s side
  • passenger’s side
  • front and back of the vehicle

The more photos, the better. It’s important to capture the same views of the car in both the pre- and post-trip photos so that it’s easy to compare the two.

The best way to capture and save these photos is via the trip check-in and checkout feature in the Turo app (iOS or Android). It guides guests and hosts through each photo to take. It places a timestamp on the photos and stores them in Trip Photos, where they can be easily viewed by both parties and accessed by Customer Support.

Photo review

In the event of a dispute, Turo uses photos to determine if a host is eligible for reimbursement of cleaning costs and if a guest should be charged a cleaning fee. Hosts and guests who take multiple, clear, consistent-view photos have verifiable proof of a vehicle’s condition at the start and end of a trip.

Fees and Fines  

The cleaning levels and related reimbursement amounts are as follows:

Ineligible for reimbursement
  • Minimal amounts of trash.
  • Small amounts of crumbs, sand, or dirt on floor mats that can be shaken off or vacuumed out.
  • Small marks that can be cleaned off easily by hand.

Moderate cleaning - Up to $50*
  • Car exterior is returned significantly dirtier than it was received (e.g. dirt on car body, wheels, or windows).
  • Floor mats or upholstery are returned significantly* dirtier than they were received (e.g. requires more than a shake-out to be restored to original condition).
  • Large amounts of food, dirt, or mud that cannot be shaken out and must be heavily vacuumed to remove.
  • Light stains or residue on hard surfaces (e.g. liquid spills or sticky substances).

  *In the event of a dispute, Turo will use its discretion to determine the amount of the          reimbursement.

Heavy cleaning - $100
  • Major stains or residue on seat fabric or other hard-to-clean surfaces.

Severe cleaning - $150
  • Situations in which a car contains the aforementioned violations on an egregious level that would require steam cleaning or a full detail.

Pet hair - $150
  • If a pet enters a vehicle at any time without a host’s consent, the guest will be held responsible for having the car cleaned.
  • Hosts may still charge cleaning fees if they give consent and the car is returned with significant amounts of pet hair.
  • Service animals are not excluded from this policy.

Smoking - $50 - $150
  • $50 for smoke scent removal only.
  • $150 for smoke scent removal and physical remnants of smoking (e.g. ash, cigarette butts). If there is damage to your car (e.g. a burn mark), you should submit a damage claim, not a cleaning reimbursement.

Maximum - $250
  • If a car is returned with multiple cleanliness issues (such as a combination of severe cleaning and smoking remnants), the maximum fee that will be assessed is $250.

The currency values listed above differ based on where the trip was booked. Trips booked in Canada are priced in CA$. Trips booked in Germany and all countries in the eurozone are priced in euros (€). Trips booked in the United Kingdom are priced in pounds (£). Trips booked in the United States and everywhere else that Turo is available are priced in US$.

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