To not pay the cleaner more??

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We currently have a cleaner every week. I want to cut this down to every other week since a) it's expensive and b) we don't need someone every week.

I asked her today if that was ok, and said I'd understand if she wanted to leave us to find someone who could hire her every week. She said she'd stay and do every other week but only if we paid her more.

IMO this is undermining what we set out to do (i.e. save money), plus we'd basically be giving her a salary rise for no reason (since it wouldn't be twice as dirty - I'd do the cleaning in her week off).

DH thinks we should go with it, but I think we're being ripped off.

I'm happy to find someone else so don't mind if she leaves us entirely.

AIBU in refusing to pay her more?

Wow, now employing a cleaner is an act of charity. That's a dreadful way to see it.

I'm tempted to phone my office tomorrow and half everybody's hours just for giggles and see how they like it I'm sure they will be delighted

I agree with everyone who says YABU. You have changed the contract you agreed with her and are surprised she isn't suddenly grateful to still be earning a regular income!

Everyone that says you have put her in a difficult position are right - she now can't offer another client a weekly slot which will make it more difficult to make up the shortfall.

I don't think that you have to offer her extra. You have to offer her 4 wks notice for the new schedule imo.

If you like her i would just ask her if she wants me to e-mail all my friends to let them know in case someone wants to fill the gap.

Get another cleaner and hire them on that basis from day one

It's not about being charitable or otherwise - you are her employer (or one of her employers) so you need to treat her properly - not just legally, but fairly. That doesn't include being a mug, but you should treat her as you would expect a decent employer to treat you.

How is she being unfair?

People's jobs do change. No one is guaranteed a set amount of hours for life

As long as the OP gives her notice of the change and the option to take the shorter hours (or decline) then she's being fair.

Ashes, you are right, so it kind of makes this thread a bit pointless really - just tell the cleaner no and look for someone else (and hope that you can find someone who is willing to work alternate weeks as this wont suit many people)

I have a cleaner every other week in this house and also had the same in our previous house in a different area. Everyone I spoke to, in both areas, when providing initial quotes, gave a rate that was slightly more expensive if they only came fortnightly, but which still provided an overall saving. So for example, $65 a week if weekly or $90 a fortnight if fortnightly. Reality is that 2 weeks of dirt/ dust does take a bit longer to clean than 1 week's build up.

In my example they probably prefer fortnightly cleaning if they can find someone for the other week! I think if you can provide TheFace's solution then great. If not a small increase would be nice. This person has access to your house and keys etc so be kind.

But the cleaner can offer someone else that spot, if someone else wants her.....the OP has said, she is willing to find another cleaner.

It is usually the industry norm to have a higher rate of pay for less hours.

Yabu

What the others said really. She will have to double the amount of work for half the hours, generally I would expect to pay more on fortnightly rate.

"this person has access to your house and keys etc so be kind" err, what? I suspect you have just worded this badly, or at least i hope so!

I clean somewhere local to me, i do this job alone, i have access to keys, the safe, drugs and money, computors, personal data, i know the alarm code etc - i don't expect to respect this only if my employers are "kind" to me! As an honest person in a position of trust, I would simply leave if my employers cut my hours as it would no longer be worth my while to do the job.

But the OP has said she would clean the weeks the cleaner doesn't come, so it won't be twice the work.

I cut a Friday morning cleaner (was a small agency), and they did ask that if they had a client who wanted every week on that day, would I consider swapping days? Which I thought was fair enough. (Friday is the most popular day, apparently).

I think it's perfectly normal in a huge number of circumstances to pay less per unit for something the more of it you buy. I would therefore consider it reasonable for a cleaner to charge more per-hour to clients who bought fewer hours, and less to those who were buying more.

You are of course at liberty to cut the number of hours you are prepared to pay her for, but equally she is NBU to tell you that she is increasing her hourly rate.
She is self-employed, rather than your employee, so she can change her terms when she likes, especially if you have altered the 'contract' between you.

Part of the issue of being self employed rather than an employee is that your hours are subject to change at short. Price. Tis the nature of the beast

I recently did something similar. Our cleaner was coming 4 hours weekly and I asked if she could do 5 hours fortnightly which she seems fine with. I actually thing she enjoys finishing early every other Friday as she is very busy all week. I do think it is normal for fortnightly cleans to be slightly more than weekly.

I can't believe how much everyone has jumped in OP. I think it perfectly reasonable to change cleaning hours and since she is not your emploee but a service provider (I assume she doesn't just work for you but has a business cleaning many people's places) ten she can choose to accept your new requirements or not.
I use a cleaning service and I don't have to give them notice if I change hours or cancel contract and they certainly don't charge me different for weekly or fortnightly cleaning (I've switched through all options over the years as finances have changed at home).
At the end of the day this is the cleaners business and while we'd all love clients to maintain contracts this is not a business reality I have encountered.

It's AIBU.

The OP takes a kicking.

It's MN law.

YABU.

Fortnightly cleaning requires her to clean more dirt as there is more time for stuff to build up. It may well take her longer / be harder work ergo the request for a payrise.

I would also warn you about opting for fortnightly as anecdotally I don't think it is as good. My parents have fortnightly cleaning (6 hrs/ 4 bed house, ping chef cooking only) and I have weekly (2 hours, 2 bed 2 bath hse with heavily used kitchen). My house is MUCH cleaner and my cleaner routinely finds time to do nice things for me like change the beds, hang out washing and even a bit of ironing despite the fact that she has less time (even accounting for the difference in property size).

On this basis I wouldn't go for fortnightly cleaning.

she's self employed. its up to her. other self employed people can't always dictate terms.

"when jobs offer less hours they do tend to offer more money" - I'm self employed paid on an hourly rate - I must tell my clients that.

People can change the hours they pay self employed workers with reasonable notice.

OP - you need to consider what you would pay if you took on someone new to do the reduced hours - if its what you're offering her then stick to your guns and continue to offer her a fair rate. IF someone else would charge you more to do reduced hours then you aren't being reasonable and should offer her the market rate.

As the OP seems to be avoiding quoting the rates of pay and the notice period she's given for the change I deduce that she is BU.

Oh and here anyway you pay more for fortnightly. I pay £10quid/hr and my parents pay £15/hr (they actually pay 30 quid/hr as they have two people for 3 hrs not 1 person for 6....IYSWIM).

Fortnightly cleaning requires her to clean more dirt as there is more time for stuff to build up OP has said she will be doing the cleaning in the week her cleaner doesn't come in.

She has also said she pays more than central london rates.