To wonder why every cleaner I've ever had leaves early?

[N0rfolkEnchants]

Do you have a cleaner? Is this normal?

I have one as a treat I suppose. Although I work from home for the most part, I have 2 hours a week to do bathrooms and kitchen and floors. It's a big help

Anyway I had to ditch my last cleaners as they were sloping off early, bringing children with them and not doing a good job. So I've found a new one and she comes highly recommended

We chatted about what I wanted and she asked to do 3 hours as an initial clean, it'll be just the 2 hours I want afterwards. Fine I said. So why oh why did she arrive at 8.35am and leave at 11.10am? A shortfall of 25 minutes. I'd left the cash for her as she's asked for this for the first week or two and then we will do it via bank transfer

I was at home when she got there and I then went out to give her space and I cane back at 11.10am and she'd left. She had done a good job but I've paid for 25 mins that she didn't do

Is this normal? Do I just suck this up? Or when you're paying an hourly rate should they actually stay for the time you're paying them for?

I didn't specifically set tasks. I said what my priorities were - namely bathrooms, downstairs loo, kitchen. And then living room, dusting, hoovering, etc

So plenty to do really in 3 hours

I do need to watch it though you're right Matilda

are you kidding me @slartybartfast ?

She will say I only did 3 hours today so that's £33 , so that's what I pay. She tells me what she's managed or what she has had time for. She charges hourly, not by piece work. Her business? her choice and she always works hard, that's kind of the default. She's great.

In a situation like that I would have a list of tasks that I wanted to have done definitely and a second list of smaller things that she could do if she finished the main list early.
Ask her to tick off completed tasks.

Mine sometimes leaves early, sometimes late. Depends on how much needs doing. It's swings and roundabouts, I guess.

It is simple op.
ask her outright how long she was there for? obviously you have paid her already but by asking the question she will appreciate how she needs to be more honest with you.

I had a cleaner that was paid for 3 hours & I caught her out doing just 30 mins with an (uninsured) friend that she'd brought along! I was leading a conference call from home (so I couldn't leave it) in my office with the door shut so she didn't realise that I was there.

I'd realised for a few weeks that she wasn't doing a proper job, ticking off items on the list of jobs I have that don't need doing weekly when it was obvious that she hadn't done them (Like claiming to have cleaned the cooker hood that still had a hand mark in the dust on it ), so she had to go.

I’m at work when my cleaner is here but things such as deliveries have led me to think she’s doing about 2 hours instead of the 3 we’re paying her for. She’s also not very good but cleaners in London are hard to find

What’s the best way of finding out for sure how long she is here? Someone spoke about a door sensor?

I've never had a cleaner, but have had this with gardeners and driving instructors. With the former I paid for two hours and they tried to knock off after an hour and 40 mins. I sent them back to do some more weeding. With the latter, when I realised he was directing me back home with over quarter of an hour still on the clock (of a one-hour lesson) I asked if we could do another route. I think he was surprised I questioned him.

I would text my surprise and ask if all was ok as you'd expected to see them on your return, and wondered if they'd had to shoot off early for some reason. I worked as a cleaner for a while and was paid hourly I would never have left early.

I was a cleaner, always tried to do a very good job...too much pride to have any complaints!! If I finished early I'd clean a window, which wasn't part of my job. If I finished late, too bad, my fault, but I couldn't leave a job not finished. I asked a client for a written reference once, to be sent direct to a new client. She didn't realise the new job was cleaning an office, and told my new client that she loved coming home when I'd cleaned as it felt like the fairies had been! I got the cleaning job at the office, and the boss had a laugh, and showed me the letter! The office cleaning job is the only one I still do, eleven years later!

Point of order.
It's not a 'treat'.

If you're busy working, and fortunate enough to be to afford a cleaner, it's not a treat. It's just a task that needs doing, and you're too busy.

It shouldn't be seen as something you're expected to do on top of working (even though many people do end up having to), and thus having a cleaner is a 'treat'.

As for the leaving early, it sort of depends on how you consider the contract. Do you see it as paying her for 2 hours cleaning time, or do you see it as paying her to clean the bathrooms, kitchen and floors (with an estimated time of 2 hours)?

It's important that you both understand what you're paying for. She may believe that if she works extra hard to complete the task in 1hr 45 mins, then she's at liberty to leave. Alternatively, if she's paid for 2 hours and doesn't manage to complete all tasks, she may argue that she's only paid for 2 hours, and that's that.

My advice is that you pay her for the specific tasks. Providing she does them to the standard you require, at the price you agreed, it doesn't matter how quick she is. If the quality isn't good enough, get someone else.

My daughter has just had this, only worser

She was away, and had house-sitters looking after her dogs. She agreed with an agency that she'd pay an initial £50 to get everything sorted, then a few hours once a week thereafter. The cleaner arrived late, left early, and did a smeary clean. The house-sitters sent her photos - things like wiping around the WHB with toilet paper, and leaving the lump of toilet paper in the WHB She wasn't going to pay the full whack until I pointed out that they knew where she lived, and she could view it as a cheap lesson.

I've had cleaners for almost 20 years. There is always something to do. If she asked for 3 hrs and left early on her first job...save yourself future hassle and move to the next one!

Food for thought there Torn. Thanks

I was very laid back about it all which I think is a mistake. I'm just too nice it's important my bathrooms take priority and then I listed out things lower down on my list. I showed her round the house and asked her if 2 hours was feasible for what I wanted and she said yes but would need 3 hours initially.

And yes, I must stop thinking of it as a treat. Because I work from home most of the time, I do feel a bit guilty that I don't do it all myself. I do the vast majority but it's a massive help to always have clear bathrooms and just have to keep on top of light cleaning each day

I've never understood the value of having a cleaner. Even if they do a good job, the hous eis still a pigsty two days later. Toothpaste gets spattered on mirrors, taps and in sinks the same day they're cleaned. Cat drags dust and seeds in, spirders make new webs. You only have to do it all again mid week. So why pay someone to make your house look gorgeous for a few hours while evryone is out?

My last cleaners only lasted four weeks. They did it as a team of two. They

Left early
Arrived late
Brought toddlers once
Spent lots of time arranging all my make up and skin care (I'm in the beauty industry and have lots of this stuff stacked about - so they'd spend time making it all look nice instead of cleaning
And the last time, when I finally had to tell them I no longer needed their services, they didn't even clean the kitchen. Just straightened my toaster and kettle and arranged a cleaning cloth nicely over the tap

@minapaws
Top tip - stay out for twice as long and double the value of the cleaner by having a tidy house for twice as long! Win-win ;-)

Mina - doesn't work like that for me. I still hoover and dust and clean each day. My house is always clean and clear as a rule

Having a cleaner means I just have to do quick wipe overs each day in the bathrooms. Just easy stuff as you're going along.
It's well worth it if you're generally a tidy and cleanish person. It probably isn't if you live in a tip and then make no efforts after a clean to keep on top of it

@MinaPaws it's a good compromise if 50% of the people in the house don't notice that it needs cleaning and don't mind living in a shithole, & the other 50% do and would be the only one doing cleaning. I can also recommend a double bathroom sink to save cleaning out someone else's mess.

You should get rid of them. I've had lots of cleaners over the years and have learnt the hard way - they are cutting corners because they think they can get away with it.

Last time I had 2 people, and when my ds was in the house they left 20 minutes early. So that's 40 minutes cleaning time missed. And if they did this when my ds was there, how early were they leaving when nobody was at home?

My current cleaner is brilliant, always stays the full time and does an excellent job. But people like that are thin on the ground unfortunately.

I pay through the nose by using an agency. Unlike some that charge per hour they charge a set amount to do a set number of things irrespective of how long they take.

Now I know that has its disadvantages but it does mean I don't care or need to monitor how long they are here for.

And yes, I must stop thinking of it as a treat.

Ask yourself if a successful working man would consider a cleaner a treat, or if he'd see it as proper time management, allowing for relaxation time.

Juells - very good point

Bitey - my neighbour uses an agency. Two people pull up and go in and then leave half an hour later and sit in the car having a chat, drink, smoke and looking at their phones for half an hour before driving off