To think my client could have given me more than one day's notice

[Pollyxcx]

That she won't be needing me for the next 4 weeks?

I'm a cleaner, I cleaned this evening and she left a note next to my money saying "off on hols tomorrow, see you again 17th Jan!"

It has completely fucked my budget for the month and next month (I work 5 hours once a week so that's £200 I'm down)

I'm really bloody pissed off that she didn't think to tell me before

'Have a great holiday, I'll pick up my holiday money on the 17th when I next see you'

Hi Polly

I am on the panel of a trade association for domestic cleaners (and also have owned a cleaning business for 19 years). It is widely agreed within the industry that cleaners need to issue a contract or agreement or 'terms and conditions' to the clients at the beginning of the relationship. Some sort of written communication anyway.

This is to protect your business income in instances like this, it's up to you what the terms you would like clients to adhere to but once you decide upon these then at least you and the clients are then on the same page as to what is expected from their part of the arrangement.

We have around 90 clients currently and most of these would value us and never treat their cleaning service unfairly and most will respect that the cleaners need a steady reliable job income but then there are the few flakey ones who will cause the bulk of your headaches. If you just set out terms and send these out to your clients every six months or so to remind of these then its more fair for both parties.

Communication is essential and can solve most issues, and cleaners are responsible for communicating what they need to continue forward with services for the client and remain viable as a business.

At the same time, clients are responsible for accurately communicating what they need at the time the cleaner is setting a price for services and it is also unfair of your client to add to the scope of the work on the day of the service without allowing you time to schedule this in. I do hope she expects to pay for this additional work she is so late ordering?

Our clients need to book additional work in advance so we can get it on the schedule and if anyone asks to order work last minute on the same day as the clean, we let them know it will have to be booked for the next visit at this late time as it's far too late to alter the schedule. obviously, there is also an additional charge attached for any increase in the scope of the work. Everyone understands this and the troublesome ones learn to let us know in advance of anything that will affect us.

These types of things should go into your terms and conditions or 'agreement' and any time you come across other inconsiderate behaviour that will affect the flow of your schedule, just add into your terms and keep sending out updates every six months or so.

It's only fair really to let clients know what we need, some people are flakey and bad mannered but if you let them know they often just haven't considered these things and will take things on board if pointed out

Inbox me if you would like details of our trade association, it's a whole world of support for domestic cleaners or I can help you personally with anything at the moment as we are closed for Xmas right now so I have a bit of time, if you need some help setting out your boundaries within terms and conditions let me know and I'll see what I can do to help start you off.

There are times in the year that are quieter (such as Christmas because people are away on hols!!) but that has to be taken into consideration by me. So my wage isn't 'what I am earning this month' but what I am earning in the year divided by 12 iyswim. This allows for times when things are quieter and times when I am away on hols myself.

God, you sound smug. I am guessing you are not on the minimum wage - which is what most cleaners earn, by the time you have factored in the dead time of moving from one house to another. (So they might get £10 an hour but it averages out as less over the day).

Get back to us when you have been earning £50 odd quid a day for a year and tell us how your saving for quiet times is working out.

I think you need to find yourself another job! You also need to be clearer in your terms - for example, a week's notice of any cancellation otherwise you expect to be paid in full. I also think you need to be more organised in the run up to Xmas and ask when people want you to come. A couple of years ago, our cleaning day fell on the day which was Xmas Day and New Year Day so I wouldn't have had a cleaner for two weeks and during those two weeks had three different sets of house guests. Our cleaner came on different days when other people had cancelled on her & we paid her for some extra sessions. A couple of years before than, our single Hindu cleaner mentioned in passing that this time of year could be hard as she had less family, met up with friends on Xmas Day but never had much to do on Boxing Day at which point I offered her double pay to come & clean as I knew we'd be out for the afternoon. It was perfect! This year, my cleaner just left a note on Weds to tell me she wasn't coming on the next two Weds. This hadn't been mentioned before &, as neither day is a bank holiday, I had no reason to think she wouldn't be working although I had been meaning to ask.

shiny I don't think that's fair because most cleaners are able to charge enough to earn a decent wage well above min wage.

Yeah I agree that £10 per hour is going to work out at min wage or below when you take out expenses like travel between clients and supplies and equipment plus time spent on your admin and necessary client communications off-site but most cleaners are charging much more than that nowadays and £12 per hour is considered a lower rend ate within the domestic cleaning industry.

As a larger company offering a fully-equipped, fully managed service we need to charge £15 per hour plus VAT so £18 per hour in all and we are always too busy and struggle to hire and train in time to keep up. Sometimes we can't take clients or they have to go on a waiting list for a bit until we find the staff we need. We pay high and margins are tight but we get what we need.

Cleaners are self-employed choose and set their own rate and if one client won't pay it then there will be ten more that will in an industry where demand outstrips supply. It's just a case of asking for what you need and deserve to run an effective business. Not everyone will take your price but many will. OP is a good quality, reliable cleaner, she can name her price within reason.

you are extremely lucky if you can get a cleaner for £10 an hr.

But this is about upfront T&Cs and being clear with clients. I think a conversation when they get back if they are generally good clients, is on the cards.

Shorter term could you ask local clients if they want a bit more over Christmas or got any special jobs or generally offer a one day superclean - I wouldn't mind one of those as can't afford anyone normally.

Sorry they have been inconsiderate. Put your rate up next year to cover holidays if you stick with them.

My cleaner just about dances a jig when we're all away - some jobs are easier for her with an empty house!

We pay her when we're away, she also gets paid holiday etc. I'd cry if I lost my cleaner.

shiny actually its you who sounds smug and are making huge assumptions about what I earn or dont earn.

My comment is a quite basic for some who is self employed, whether it is MW or not.

Fwiw, I dont earn a lot at all (My earnings are slightly under a full time job on MW fwiw). And I do get that, when you dont have a lot of money, this is very hard to do. I know because I am having to do that sort of exercise myself and when you have less money coming in one month, its hard (even harder at Christmas)
But when you are self employed, you arent getting paid for your hols, nor are you getting paid if you dont work.
That's the whole problem with being self employed and what makes it so unreliable and hard work at times.
That's also why it is so important to have a contract and rules that your clients' should abide to!

As has already been posted you need new clients and when you get them upfront T&C about situations like this.

When I first got my cleaner I signed a contract with her about how much notice I needed to give if I wanted to cancel my service with her completely, that I would be paying half rate retainer if I was on holiday and didn't want my normal service, retainer over Christmas, what she worked over Christmas etc etc. It also laid out what her insurance was.

I'm sure it annoys her when I give v little notice of holiday but she is never being paid nothing! I've now used the same cleaner for 9 years and am one of her original clients - it works v well for both of us.

Pollyxcx - I've just PMed you.

I always pay my cleaner if she or I will be away. It's her income, like any job. She won't be coming over Christmas so I have already paid her two weeks in advance plus a gift. You should contact your client and tell her you won't be seeing her 17th Jan or any time soon. Then advertise, good cleaners are hard to find.

Another vote for getting a basic contract in place when you start. Clients need to understand that when you don't work you don't earn, so the more notice they give you the more time you have to plan / pick up other jobs.

£18/ph?!? I don't care about a fully managed and equipped company, I just want someone who cleans properly. Without fail every single company I've used has churned out crap cleaners. They might be wearing uniform t-shirts and driving liveried vans but they can't clean properly. One man (or more usually woman...) bands have always worked much better for us. That said, we always still get them in if we are on holiday.

Although: We were once doing building work and living away from the house for 4 months and asked then cleaner what she would like to do (including the option of leaving us altogether). We agreed to pay her half pay every week and did so. She came for one week after we moved back in and then left. Had presumably got another job in the meantime but didn't want to tell us. That's the only issue we've ever had with a sole cleaner and it was very unusual circumstances.

I pay my cleaner for 4 weeks hols for her and when I'm away she uses that time to do deep cleaning - I couldn't manage without her and she's worth every penny

phoo I want am errant auntie to scold me and clean my house .

Op thats unacceptable. Agree LTB.

So she's just messaged back

'no sorry we don't need you should have been clearer, there won't be anybody making a mess lol, have a good xmas'

Please message her straight back and say your services are no longer avaliable, then message your usual clients and ask them if they have anyone that can fill that time spot, you will be re-employed in a shot, its so hard to find a good cleaner!

no, message her the day before you were due to go back and tell her you're not available - what a horrible woman

Totally unreasonable

When we went away last month for 3 weeks my cleaner still came and spring cleaned the house top to bottom, it was lovely to come home to.

I've told her not to come now until 3rd January but I've still paid her!!

I'd suggest you write to your existing clients and ask if they know any friends/rellies who need a cleaner. I think you'll be swamped.

I'd pop a dated letter through her door giving notice effective the day she comes back.

I'd suggest you write to your existing clients and ask if they know any friends/rellies who need a cleaner. I think you'll be swamped.

Yup. So hard to get a good cleaner.

We pay when we are on holiday. Why wouldn't you? She can do things like move sofas / clean cupboards / change beds that kind of thing.

Pay up to 2 weeks hol pay when she is on hols although this isn't anything agreed, just seems a bit petty to change the direct debit when she has so little holiday a year anyway and I get holiday pay.

Bonus equal to 10 weeks wage at Christmas.

When you start working for someone, do you not outline the minimum notice you need for holidays etc? I'd think that was a pretty important thing to lay out at the start.

shiny - Marjorie did not sound smug at all. She was describing her situation. I am also self-employed. It meant I could be with the kids when I needed to be when they were young. I would now prefer a full time, full salary job - but not easy to get - so I run my business in exactly that way. Christmas and January are always terrible for me - but on the positive side I am not in the position of some who are being forced to cover shifts on Christmas Eve.