Am I being unreasonable increasing my cleaning rates to £17.50 an hour?

[Chattychoo]

I am a cleaner , I am half semployed half self employed. I charge £15 an hour(north west) , some I provide cleaning products some they provide.
I last increased my rates 3 years ago but now employ my daughter a few hours a week.
I have a few clients I travel to (20 mile round trip) and due to inflation, fuel and general increased prices thought it was time for a price increase.
i have googled and tried to find what the general prices people charge and I don't want to overcharge anyone.
i have sent a couple of clients that I travel to an email raising to £17.50 an hour but it's not going down well. I haven't heard off one but the other has questioned it . I stated costs have risen and did mention fuel which I probably shouldn't have.
Ive been asked to re consider as it's now coming back down but all my other costs have gone up, insurance , minimum wage even cost of washing my cloths , even my rent so now I don't know how to reply , I feel I'm overcharging and wish I'd never mentioned it!

As some others have said, it’s less about whether it’s fair and more about what your clients will pay. That said, it definitely looks to be in the right range.

The thing which could put you off is you pairing up with your daughter unless she’s good. Our last one sometimes brought her daughter who did a dreadful job. Appreciate yours might be brilliant though.

If you don't value yourself, your clients won't either. You are absolutely worth what you are charging.

I’d stick to your guns. Sounds like you have a good business if you’re full and you will easily replace them. £17.50 an hour is not too much. I charge £25+VAT. I personally think cleaning is a luxury and it’s also hard work. Try and believe in yourself a little more, you are worth what you charge.

Where are you in the country op?
I’m in south west and i have been paying £20 for my cleaner since 2024.

Always constant people posting on my local facebook page asking for cleaners.

Why should she? They dont value her at all are quibbling over 2.50!!!!! Honestly tell them take it or leave it and find customers who will pay.

Absolutely not. The twenty mile round trip to these clients is eating into her time and therefore earnings. If anything she should be charging them more. My dog walker charges extra per mile beyond a certain point. As he's excellent in every way I happily pay the extra.
As it is she would be better finding new clients nearer to home.

I would increase your prices as you have not raised them in 3 years and everything has gone up in price so much. You need to make a decent living too.

You do know that not all solicitors earn mega bucks? Particularly those in smaller firms / who have legal aid clients.

She's in the market for a regular cleaner, though, so she must earn decently well. We couldn't afford a cleaner full-stop; but we wouldn't nevertheless expect to still be able to have one but just pay them a rock-bottom price.

I know it's a different magnitude of costs, but it's a bit like with private school, where parents say they can afford it "if we're careful" - by even considering it, they're still starting from a much more comfortable position than many/most people are, even though there may well be others in their social group who are seriously loaded.

I would advertise at the new rate locally saying that you have an opening and are established with references available.

You owe them nothing.

Drop the clients unwilling to pay and slowly drop the ones further away.

My partner (gardener) has done this and has ended up working mostly in a single village!
He also drops those who are stingy and keeps the ones that show appreciation through bonuses etc

You're running a business, not a charity. Look out for your own interests.

I understand that but I don't take my daughter to this job so that isn't an issue

I think doing it at the moment feels a bit profiteery. All very Iran war. I’d have left it for a couple of months. Regardless of whether it’s true.

I would happily pay anything upto £20 an hour for a cleaner so I think thats reasonable

Put it up even more a good cleaner is like gold .

Your cheap compared to mine £20 an hour. South of England

Thanks for that, however just to be clear I used to be self employed, I currently work for an employer and dh is self employed. I understand how it works.

My point is while it may seem expensive to an individual, OP is not taking home £17.50 an hour, and anyone who has put in the effort and taken the risks to start their own business deserves more than minimum wage.

Really? “Profiteery”?? OP is barely on minimum wage as it is, if you factor in her travelling time she isn’t making minimum wage. Bear in mind her breaks, sick pay, and holidays are unpaid- she’s hardly being grabby!

It's about a 17% increase. I haven't had a wage increase in 4 years so I'm always pretty pissed off when companies do these big increases in one go. You'd have been better doing a 2% increase each year for the past few years. You're not the only one feeling the pinch.

She may not be the only one feeling the pinch however cleaning isn’t an essential service, it’s a luxury, so why shouldn’t the price of her hard work be paid for as such?

She was about 16% over minimum wage and the increase takes her to over 30% over minimum wage so she's hardly barely over minimum wage.

But 17% of not a lot is still not much. It’s £2.50 not £250. With increases in fuel, cleaning products and insurance it isn’t really a big increase as prices have been steadily rising for a few years.

OPs clients can simply say it’s too much for them and find someone else. OP would be better off to find closer clients who value her work.

Because companies should also be ethical and affordable. It's not exactly luxury like say a personal yacht. A large increase in one go isn't morally something I would do to my customers who have presumably been loyal. I'm not saying not to have an increase but that much in one go isn't great. However, the OP knows whether she is comfortable with this and comfortable with maybe losing customers. Her choice.

It would price me out whether or not I valued her work.

She was about 16% over minimum wage and the increase takes her to over 30% over minimum wage so she's hardly barely over minimum wage.

Is that before or after deducting all costs such as NI, pension, business insurance, materials and equipment, cost of running a work vehicle, and allowing for holiday pay, time spent on admin?

And business owners should be earning above minimum wage. They have responsibilities that people who turn up, do the job and go home don't have.

YAMDNBU I would be ashamed to pay my cleaner £17.50. I pay her more than that and she’s worth even more than I pay her. Good cleaners are very, very hard to find and, if you’re not a good person to work for, they are hard to keep. Fortunately, I hasting to add, mine has stayed with me for years.

I’m so aware of how hard my cleaner works, of all the jobs that she does, of the amount that I rely on her and of how hard it would be to have to replace her.