That I shouldn’t have paid cleaner for four full hours

[Bizawit]

I have recently had a baby. I’m a single mum and in need of help, so I hired a cleaner through a friend’s recommendation.

I originally asked for 3 hours every 2 weeks. After coming once, she insisted it was not possible to fully clean my flat in 3 hours and she needed 4. I said ok.

The next time she came, after about 3 hours and 40/45 minutes, she announced she was done, and was leaving. I was surprised that she still charged me for the full four hours.

My bf says that’s fair because it’s a charge for every hour started. I think she was being a CF and she should have either stayed the full 4 hours as agreed, or expect to be paid less. AIBU?

Four hours is taking the piss for a two bed flat!

I always round up to the nearest hour, but my cleaner does the full 4 hours and can’t do it all anyway (I have a big house and we’re not tidy)! But for babysitting and the like always rounded up.
I think she should do the full four hours but if she has done it all to good standard then let it go.

Of course you're not being tight ffs. If she's being paid for for hours she should do 4 hours.

Next time just insist on 3 and do the rest yourself. Or find some extra bits for her to fill in the time.

Lots of people replying to this obviously think it's ok to fiddle your timesheets at work

If you're going to have her regularly and she cheats you out of 15-20 mins each time that soon adds up.

We always trained our cleaners that those extra minutes on regular jobs was time to use to get extra bits done i.e skirting in one room, inside windows, maybe the fridge, things you don't get around to each clean but that still need to be done. I wouldn't have quibbled about money but I would have said "Oh great you are done, next time if you have those 15 minutes spare you might do x or y for me please", she's paid for four hours, she stays for four hours, would I divide her money down to minutes? No of course not but then I wouldn't expect to have to do that, I would expect them just to stay for time paid

Pay her and stop moaning over 15 minutes or do it yourself.

Ummm..... OP is paying her SO that she doesn’t have to do it herself

dos she take any breaks in 4 hours?

I would have suggested she does 3.5h in future and not to worry if she doesn't manage everything. Or perhaps ask her to do ironing with any spare time in future. Definitely cheeky to insist on 4h and then not work it!

She worked for more of the 4th hour than not so the CF is you.

Are you the cleaner?

But what is she doing though? I could clean a 4 bed, 2 bathroom, 3 bog big house which included skirtings and big glass shower screens in 2 hours.

Seriously, get someone else. She's taking the piss unless she's pulling out the fridge and doing the oven/steam cleaning the floors etc.

The thing is though, she's not your employee and you are not her manager so you don't really have a right to insist she stays until 2pm or whatever time it is the four hours would be up.

She is self-employed selling a service and if the terms and conditions of that service state £xx per hour or part hour/hour started then she is within her rights to bill for the full hour even if she's only worked 40/45 minutes of it. If the flat takes more than three hours to clean but less than four and she only charges in full hours then she will of course charge four hours to cover it. That's her prerogative.

Yours is to vote with your feet and take your business elsewhere if you don't like that she's not staying for the whole four hours or reduce the time you're paying for to three hours and accept that not all of the jobs will be done.

Aside from the hours/billing issue are you otherwise satisfied with the work? Because if you are then you should consider whether it's worth losing a good cleaner over this.

Think the main issue you're getting at here is that she's saying she can't possibly clean your place in 3 hours... yet manages to have absolutely nothing else left to do in 3hrs 45 mins yes?

Either keep paying her for 4 and accept she needs a wee bit longer than 3 hrs, or say she does what she can do in 3 hours. Or switch cleaner as you've clearly not clicked with this one, just say no hard feelings and move on.

Unless she’s doing a really deep clean - oven, inside of fridge, windows etc - she’s absolutely taking the piss. My cleaner does my whole house (3bed) in 2hrs every Friday.

Reduce your hours with your cleaner.

That’s crazy. My cleaner does a large four double bedroom house with a lot of living space in 2-3 hours. I think she’s mugging you right off.

She worked for more of the 4th hour than not so the CF is you.
Pay her and stop moaning over 15 minutes or do it yourself.

How bloody stupid. Don't do it yourself. You just paid someone ( who wanted the work ) to do it. Jeez. What is it with MN and cleaners?
Since when did you pay someone for 4 hrs and then they decide that 3hrs 45 is fine? I couldn't do that in my job... and it's not as if she's been doing it for you for ages and you're both a bit flexible. It's only the 2nd time she's cleaned. She's making all the rules!

My house is 5 bed ,4 baths and 3,700ft
My cleaner does it in four hours.
She's taking the piss find a new cleaner.

She's making all the rules!

Because it's her company/business?

She's taking the piss, try and find another cleaner that doesn't require quite so much time to clean a flat, and will work the time they're paid for like everyone else has to.

myolive
It's not stupid at all. Maybe you are just too think to grasp it.

My cleaner and I agreed 3 hours per week. My house is bigger than yours. So 4 hours does seem excessive.

I don't actually know if my cleaner does work 3 hours. She comes when I'm at work, I leave money on the table. House is clean when I get home so to be honest I don't care if she's only stayed 2 hours, as long as the job is done.

Not sure if that's helpful. But yes, I would have paid the 4 in your situation and not given it a second thought.

Don't see why a cleaner needs that long to clean a 2 bedroom flat. I used to clean holiday apartments and I was expected to do the 2 bed one in 1 and a half hours and it was done to an excellent standard - including making beds etc.
And sometimes it was filthy!

It’s once a fortnight so she will have more to do than once a week so I guess that’s where the 4 hours come in. I would not quibble over 15 minutes for a once off .

YANBU

Only because I work 4 hour shifts for NMW and my boss wouldn't allow me to leave 15 mins early and expect it to be fine.

4 hours sounds excessive- you should only need around 2-2.5/ 3 hrs max for the space that you’re describing. We have a great cleaner who does 3 hours for a three bedroom, 1 bathroom/ 1 cloakroom plus large family room and kitchen and front room. In that time she manages a thorough house clean plus extras including oven deep clean every other week. If you start adding up the 15 minutes every week of non cleaning, it’s a wasted hour every month that you’re paying for!