Business idea

[Spacemoonpf]

Hi all. Thinking of starting a platform that links cleaners and ironing services with clients. We would dbs check all cleaners and let them have reviews on their profiles after a clean. All payments would go through our system via escrow. What do you think?

Sounds good, but aren't there lots of other services that do that? You would need to have a unique selling point. Is there something you could offer, one of your services perhaps, that no other business does? Maybe offer gardening and handyman/woman services as well? So you are basically offering everything somebody could need for help around the home.
Be careful about gardening services though, you would need to check carefully what your 'Gardeners' can actually do. We have had a couple that didn't actually know anything at all about plants, just how to use lawnmowers, hedge trimmers etc. One, who was asked to do some weeding, lovingly 'weeded' all around a big patch of ragged robin (a weed, for those who don't know) and left all the confines because they looked pretty.

Not confines... Celandines!

If I was a cleaner I wouldn't want to be constantly reviewed on a website. So I wouldn't join.

I think this is a really good idea - like Uber but for cleaning. I’m amazed it hasn’t already been done - set it up quick before someone nicks it!

Why not??

I think this works for tradesmen on the various sites that exist as you get them in for one-off jobs which are specialised. For cleaners, people are looking for longer term solutions, so there would be less availability per cleaner. Do cleaners want it anyway? It will only work if they have trouble fillings their slots, and from what I can tell, demand generally outstrips supply.

if was a cleaner or gardener I would not want to be reviewed on my work simply because so many reviews are subjective and biased based on only one or two opinions.

I would not join

Decent cleaners won't use it because they will already have enough business. So you'll get mediocre to crap cleaners on there, which will result in lots of bad reviews which in turn will make the site itself seem bad. I assume the cleaners will pay to advertise their services on the site? Why should they? What will they get that a notice in the local shop won't get them? Also, you'll be competing with Facebook and Next Door.

Why not??

It would be like having OFSTED in continually. Knowing that someone can review you at any moment is too much press,

One of my friends has a cafe and every now and then she gets a bad review on Facebook and it really upsets her.

Often they are nonsense. The last bad review she had said that the reviewer had heard that she had roof problems.

*Pressure

There are loads of these already.
Escrow is a weird choice.
Just pay them for their service. It's not for you to decide who gets paid for cleaning someone's house and that would totally put me off using it on either side.

You shouldn't be DBS checking the cleaners unless you are their employer. You are falling foul of data protection here by collecting unnecessary data on subjects. There is literally no reason for any human to provide a random website with all the personal data required to get a DBS, and no reason for a cleaner to need a DBS unless they are working unsupervised with vulnerable children or adults (which would make them a carer of some sort, generally speaking). If an individual employing a cleaner asks for a DBS, that is between those two parties and no one else.

And by taking responsibility for the DBS and for holding their money for a period of time before distributing it to them by your own payment holding/delaying/processing service instead of leaving payment and employment checks, contracts etc between the client and cleaner, you are heading for murky waters re: employment law where these cleaners could potentially claim you are their employer and demand their rights accordingly (paid holiday, sick pay, mat leave, rights with regards to termination of contract etc).

You sound totally clueless about any and all of this, you have clearly done zero research, and I think you shouldn't run a business on a whim.

Okay that’s absurd!!! I agree that reviewers can be ruthless

with that logic, you are probably also against Airbnb? Airbnb doesn’t release funds until 24hrs after checkout. I guess it would depend how long OP would be withholding funds for.