To think £14 an hour for a cleaner is too much??

[LucieLucie]

Booked a regular 2 hour cleaning slot with a local business on the understanding it was £14 an hour and work in pairs.

Discovered today that 2 hours actually means 1 hour with 2 people.

I turned up mid clean last week to find just one person doing the cleaning - I was charged for 3 hours.

Challenged her today after coming home to a half hearted attempt at cleaning, beds not made, bins not emptied, glass & mirrors not polished, only floors mopped.

Owner went mental at me on the phone for , only questioned how I can be charged for 3 hours when I was only out for 2 hours and it was some time during this time the clean was done.

When I asked for key back she hung up.

If she'd explained her terms and conditions properly and calmly rather than acting like a loon I may have given them another chance.

AIBU? Is it really the norm to pay a cleaner £14 an hour EACH??

If you were paying cash to a cleaner with no overheads i.e. Transport/ tax/ materials/references/ tax and ni / admin etc it would be a lot but if you break it down it doesn't seem excessive to me for a professional iyswim ( I'm in the south east)

Agree no excuse for rudeness... that firm are not for you

In my experience cleaners are something that are cheaper in London than elsewhere - I think it's because there's more labour available. We had a fantastic cleaner in London who came in for two hours for £20 and did a really great job. We're now in Belfast and have tried a couple of cleaners and have settled for one that comes once a fortnight for two and a half hours at £35 and do every alternate week ourselves!

littlefrog, that depends on the size of the house. If you keep your house tidy and your kitchen and bathroom wiped down on a daily basis, two hours is enough to clean a 2 bedroom house. I actually quite enjoy cleaning but when you work long hours something has to give and I'd rather it was doing my own cleaning than time with family / with my husband / at the gym etc.

Thanks everyone for your input. I don't know if I've had unrealistic expectations maybe I was confused with hotel maids, making beds up emptying bins - I expected this without question.

If I was a cleaner I would start with removing rubbish and make the place LOOK nice then clean. It's like no common sense was used, finger marks still on light switches, marks on mirrors and front of oven. Nothing on unit tops has been moved to allow it to be cleaned. (I agreed on her meeting to assess the house that I'd like things moved rather than cleaned around)

I've just paid her £42 invoice for yesterday's shocking service- hopefully she will return my key.

I think finding a cleaner can be like internet dating and it sometimes takes more than 1 date to find " the one"! Maybe ask around friends / mums for a recommendation! Which is how I came to find my marvellous lady recently. ( £10 p/h Surrey). As an aside I love that some people feel the need to justify outsourcing domestic work to other people. ( eg I have gout in my big toe etc). I've recently increased my work hours from 3 days a week to 4 and I'm thrilled to now have cleaner because essentially I don't want to do it. The extra day also enables me to pay for a personal trainer for which I give zero fucks what anyone else thinks. 😀.

I have had cleaners for years. Some much better than others. The two good ones I have had each stayed with me for more than 4 years (still holding on to a good one). It can take time to find and keep the right cleaner for you so don't give up just because you have had a bad experience. I have used the same agency for years too and they charge 12.50 pounds now per hour (cleaner gets about 8.5 pounds salary (agency does tax deductions within that), then agency takes a bit and 20 per cent goes on VAT!). This is Zone 5 outer London, but agency operates in zone 2 London too.
My cleaners have always changed our sheets, taken them down to be washed, emptied bins, cleaned ovens etc and also made beds/minor tidy up (although our house is not messy) as well as all the usual cleaning. I have paid them by the hour and they work hard to get the stuff done - they have their usual tasks and ironing and every now and then they will do the stuff that isn't required weekly eg clean above extractor hob thoroughly/clean all the chandeliers - at my request time permitting. Most of my cleaners have been Polish because the agency is run by a Polish couple. It seems that people either agree set hours with a cleaner or set tasks. Set hours have always worked better for me as it gives me some flexibility as to extra ironing or cleaning if eg builders have been in
The agency has to return your key

I've got a cleaner, but instead of paying per hour it's £43 per fortnight to go through a specific list of tasks per room. That is what the company I use offer and that suits me much better as there is no need to worry if I'm being ripped off. It's through an agency and the cleaners that work for them are salaried so no need to worry that any one is being paid below minimum wage either.

YABU partly, £15 is often quoted here, and an hour is one hour of one person's work. So I have 3 hours which is often 2 people for 1.5 hours. (I've also been quoted £25 per hour which is shocking and surely a front for money laundering as no way would anyone pay that?!)

But if you are paying for 3 hours you should get 3 hours and be clear about what will be done. And that rudeness would have me changing cleaners immediately.

I've had 2 sets of cleaners, and had quite high expectations but unfortunately they don't wipe up every bit of dust or spiderweb, but they do do a lot. The second lot were awful, came home to filthy hob etc and they promised the world when they first came round.

or think there are two classes of people, and the second class citizens deserve to be paid only half of what you earn for a hour of their work.

Most of the people at my workplace earn significantly less than I do. Nothing to do with them being 'second class ciitizens'. They just have lower job grades, as assessed by our HR based on the difficulty of the work, number of people reporting to them etc.

I really don't get all the sneering about 'too good to do your own cleaning, are we'. Yes I could do it myself. I just prefer not to, and someone else can earn money (quite a bit more than minimum wage) doing it. Whether I work while they do it or sit on my arse should not really matter. What exactly is the problem?

OP, our last cleaning company was £14/hour.

We booked slots of three hours and they'd charge £42, but it would either be two people doing 1.5 hours, or three people doing one hour.

The house was always immaculate, including beds being made and bins being emptied. In fact we've used five cleaners over the years and they've always done those jobs.

£14 and hour is around mid-priced and reasonable for a professional service, in fact it's on the lower end of what they will need to charge if they are planning to grow their company. We find we can easily charge £15 plus VAT (which is £18 an hour). Larger franchises do charge well above £20 per hour too.

At the same time I think you have received very poor and unprofessional service from this company, I hope that the company can learn from their mistakes here and improve on their communications and their customer service skills in order to iron out problems which have arisen mainly due to said poor communication in the first instance.

They did not really lay out their terms clearly or manage your expectations fairly and you were left feeling short-changed and unhappy. Then to compound this your feelings were not validated and the whole situation has left you feeling like you had a bad experience.

I promise there are good reliable services out there who are well worth the money and will take good care of your home and make sure any issues are ironed out straight away. I know lots of services as professional as I describe and another poster hit the nail on the head when they said it's like dating. You have to find a good match for your own needs. 'The One' will be out there but you may have to kiss a few frogs.

Speaking of frogs, littlefrog of course people in RL have cleaners it's a boom industry! I cannot even be bothered to list all the reasons people hire our services but the number one reason is because they can afford to and don;t want to do the work themselves for whatever reason. Same as how people order takeaways when they have the money but don't want to/can't get round to cooking that day.

We want the work and they don;t want to do the work so everyones a winner - as long as the service provider is professional and caring and the client acts within terms and conditions of said provider of course.

I guess different cleaners have differing ideas about what their role is.

I imagined them being like a domestic goddess and that I'd come home to a lovely sparkling clean and tidy home.

I didn't expect them to leave the place as they found it. My sons room after the cleaners had 'spent 3 hours here'

I wanted domestic help...I don't think they did themselves any favours.

littlefrog I have a cleaner as I don't want to clean my house thoroughly each week. I had cleaners growing up, my parents still have one twice a week. I had cleaners when I was single living on my own and I have cleaners now. I don't think I know anyone who doesn't have a cleaner. they can do loads in 2 hours, far more than I can

danglyearornaments thank you, you have verbalised exactly what I am feeling about the situation.

I will keep searching for my 'Domestic God/Goddess'!!!

Corr Lucie - I've just seen your photo! Wow that is poor service, I was thinking that must be the 'before' pic not the 'after'.

You poor thing, what a disappointment! It wouldn't take a minute to straighten the beds, would it! No wonder you complained!

@littlefrog3
I have a cleaner because we both work full time and commute. During the week there is only time to do "maintenance housework" ie tidying, cooking, laundry, dishwasher, school/bill admin etc. We were doing the proper cleaning at the weekends but realised we were sending our kids to watch tv/play on computer so we could spend 2 hours cleaning. Don't you think that's madness?

Our cleaners (agency) charge £18.95 per hour and we're not even in London. Ironing is extra. So I think £14 is a bargain!!!

£14 ph (per cleaner) pretty standard around here.

Vestal I don't exploit anyone or think I am above them, I'm paying a lady who sets her own price for a service I'm very happy with. At £10 am hour (and I supply the cleaning products) I'm paying well above minimum wage. She is happy, I'm happy (and think she is blooming awesome) it's a win win.

My wonderful cleaner cleans my house top to bottom for £30 once a week. I'm not sure how long it takes her but she hoovers a 3 storey house, cleans the kitchen and 3 bathrooms, makes the beds and tidies. She's worth her weight in gold to me.

I'm not even making any apologies to small frog because it's none of her damn business. I know lots of people irl who have cleaners and gardeners as well. I dont know why anyone is trying to justify having a cleaner. If you want one and can afford it...... what's the big deal? The op was asking about hourly rates not whether or not she should get one.

littlefrog3 Some of us have limited mobility! And cannot finish the housework and in my case cannot clean floors or skirting boards!!

Open your mind love

Open your mind love

Or don't. I have zero reason to have a cleaner / housekeeper except that it makes my life easier and gives me more leisure time. I'll justify myself to no one and no one else here need justify the way they spend their money or their time.

My cleaner cancelled last week.

Was I happy to have an extra £25? Nope.

Did I clean my flat as well as it would have been cleaned? Nope.

My cleaners both make the beds and empty the bins.

Why not?