AIBU to wonder if I am being overcharged for cleaning?

And yet there are posters claiming that £30/hr is a normal rate!

I’m in zone 3 and our cleaner charges £15 an hour.

I said this earlier in the thread. I really don't understand what is going on on these threads

My cleaner in London 10 years ago charged me £11/hr.

I literally contacted a load in my local area 4 months ago as our cleaner left the area and £14-20 with £20 being very much the anomaly was the range people said.

I don't know if it's people using expensive agencies or cleaners posting to drive up the established rate but it's really not the reality in my area of London

No that’s pretty cheap. My cleaner in London was £18 an hour almost a decade ago.

That’s exactly what I was thinking too, those prices don’t sound like legit cleaners running legit business prices to me, sounds more like the ‘cash in hand, no insurance’ brigade, so not a true reflection of current pricing

Presumably then not declaring the income and probably claiming benefits based on not having any other income. No way can someone genuinely be living on that kind of charge, paying taxes, paying insurance, etc. unless they're on the fiddle or being subsidised by a high earning partner.

Sorry but £25-30/hr is absolutely not normal range for a cleaner!

In London - we recently looked around for a new cleaner and the range of prices was £14-18/hr. One person said £20, I think, but they were an outlier. I think £20/hr is top end.

Without actually "seeing it" in person, no sane person is going to give a "discounted" rate based on your say so. They're going to quote on a "worst case" scenario to cover the likely reality. Even showing pictures doesn't show the full picture - they couldn't "smell" it, and no doubt the householder would deliberately avoid any "bad" bits being in the pictures.

Lots of people aren’t answering the question, they are just confirming that the OP’s own personal rate of £20 per hour is cheap

OP is actually asking if the quotes coming in from the cleaners she’s been trying to hire during her pregnancy were too expensive at £100 per hour etc (since she only charges £20 per hour herself for comparison)

I think she was hoping to get a clean done for a similar amount that she usually charges herself but is finding that impossible, so wants outside opinions on those kind of prices, but just keeps getting her own price commented on instead 🥴

Anyway my opinion is that, yes those £100 per hour companies are too expensive, I’d be looking more at £25/35 per hour as within normal range, I think OP’s price is at the lower end of the price range (but she already knows that part, hence that wasn’t in the question)

Whatever the going rate cleaning is a physically demanding and difficult job. £20 is fair especially if you’re providing the products.

I’m in Worcestershire and my cleaner charges £18 per hour and brings all cleaning products (except the specialist wood floor cleaner I need her to use). She does 2 hours per week inc changing beds. There are cleaners round here who charge upwards of £20 and don’t bring products so £20 in London is quite reasonable I think.

I think you need to stop coming from the position that you are doing anyone a favour by offering your bathroom for cleaning. Good cleaners get to choose their jobs and clients. I repeat my advice for you to find a cleaner with little client base as they will have the availability for your £40 to be worthwhile to them in the hopes you may give them regular work in the future.

I hope your business gains more traction

There is a rationale.

1. to get it to the standard you want to maintain as the cleaner*

2. to make that trip worth your while. Imagine if you end up not committing to 5 months of regular work? You going to pay me upfront for that so I know that the 2 hours now is a productive use of my time?

*people think that if it is good enough for them, it is good enough for the cleaner. No it doesnt work that way, a bit like tattoo artists. You get good enough that you dont want poor work in your portfolio. I don't want someone coming to your house, seeing a filthy shower seal, and thinking that is MY standards just because you don't want to pay me for the actual time it takes to clean your bathroom properly. I wouldn't have the client base i have if I did things that way.

Ok then you understand why nobody will clean your bathroom for £40 unless they need you to take them on a regular basis which a fully established and busy cleaner will not need.

Many business owners take the route of overpricing a job if they don't want or need to do it for whatever reason. That is why i am suggesting you find someone who doesn't have the client list that I (or you) have. Someone looking for a regular client.

I (and most good cleaners) wouldn't have space to offer you 2 hrs a week right now. I have regular clients and am fully booked. I do keep a weekly space where I can do one off jobs and that is where I could fit you in.

I start all my jobs with a deep clean of wherever I am meant to do at an hourly rate because I set it to the standard I am prepared to maintain. So the average flat that takes 2 hours for a Maintainence clean will probably start with a 4-5 hour deep clean.

As soon as someone starts suggesting we leave things out, I prepare to walk away.

I think you'd be better off looking on airtasker or one of those apps where someone who is starting out is seeking jobs to build their client list as they have the availability to take someone new on at a base price without it being a waste of their time.

You see if I came and did that bathroom for you at 15-20ph, it would be unproductive for me, because I can't have you as a regular client, so that 30-40 isn't a downpayment for further work. I am not investing in a ongoing working relationship.

For someone building a client list, it is worthwhile for them to have these trials with customers for that price. I could be using that time to forward my business in ways that are worth more than the money.

Deep clean for me includes inside cupboards etc, if you want to pay £30 to someone to do it, it wouldn't be me because it isnt worth it for me to come for a one off clean for £30. Even if it only takes me an hour.

That is why I'd offer you a deep clean for £80 or nothing.

I said that you should try airtasker for a budget option.