Self employed cleaner only going back to clients who have continued to pay/support.

[shonapop]

Seriously considering ditching the people who didn't give a toss. Anyone out there the same?

If people become redundant then cleaners can become a luxury expense. Personally if I were you I'd claim the 80% I'd be eligible for, offer those that had paid me during the lockdown an hour free clean or something to thank them for their support and carry on serving all previous clients as before knowing there was every chance if we hit recession service demand may decrease. Good cleaners can be hard to come by but it's also a job that costs very little to start up in- if you find you start having more competition you may just wish you'd kept your clients.

Your self-employed, its one of the disadvantages you just need to suck it up.

I'm doing unpaid payroll work for all the furloughed employees - its just one of those things, no point getting my knickers in a twist about it.

Are you eligable for the self employed grant?

@80sMum the self employed assistance is only starting now, nobody has claimed it yet!

I'm on benefits and I've paid my cleaner.
In all honesty I knew she'd come back to me anyway, but that's not the point.
Whatever she decides about her other jobs is entirely up to her, I wouldn't blame her her for ditching the ones who could pay and didn't, or didnt even give her a polite explanation.

Self employed cleaners can claim government support? I'm not paying my cleaner because she's not coming just like my contracts (I'm partly self employed) aren't paying me for work I'm not doing because they are closed.

Being devil's advocate... Did they tell you not to come or did you chose not to work? Would you have cleaned their house if they asked to come and clean but socially distance?

I haven't offered to pay mine as I can't afford to.

I have rarely heard of self employed people who expect to be paid for not working. For many years DH was self employed, and whilst it has good things going for it, being paid for doing nothing isn’t one of them! But yes, you can choose who you work for.

I've not paid my cleaner because my income is reduced to zero as I'm self employed (as is she). We've been texting each other to update on the self-employed 80% we can both hopefully claim. I don't get paid for a job I'm not doing and neither should you. Glad you're not my cleaner.

The others haven't been paying your wages, they've been paying you a retainer. You have been retained to start cleaning again when safe to do so. Those who chose not to pay you a retainer can ask if you're still available but will look elsewhere if the answer is no. No need for ill-will on either side.

I do see your point and would definitely prioritise the ones who have treated you well, but assuming you can't go down to part time, if you replace them with new clients, how do you know the new ones didn't do the same with their previous cleaner?

I would not say “ditch nonsupportive clients”
I would say that as part of your phased return to full operations, you are prioritising your premium clients. And that you thank nonpremium clients for their continued patience as you continue to cope with the COVID crisis.

OP I think the clue is in the title of your post "Self-employed" - you can decline to work for any of your clients that you wish. Equally they do not need to pay you when you are not providing the service and can reasonably expect you to access the government help that your and their taxes have been/are paying for.

My cleaner send me a message saying he wouldn’t be coming for the foreseeable from before lockdown.
That was the end of the communication and I did not offer to top up their income

If they choose to drop me from their books that’s fine
Having a cleaner is a luxury and not having one has meant I’ve just managed as and when I can whilst working etc

It could be some people find they can live without a cleaner too now and they decide to cancel as well so you may find your client book balances out of people choose to not have a cleaner now?

I've been paying my cleaner in full. She's a single mum and needs the money more than I do (or she wouldn't clean my house I'm sure). I've been lucky enough to stay on full pay. I can do my own cleaning for a bit it won't kill me though sadly I'm not nearly as good at it as she is but then I'm not as good at teaching as my children's teachers are either. This is a pandemic.. standards have dropped

She's said that when she returns she's going to do a full deep clean for me for free she probably thinks I'll need it by then and give me an extra 10 hours i can ask her to add on an hour at a time to my session on an as and when basis if that makes sense. Perhaps those are ideas you could consider for those who've supported you through this OP?

I am very much looking forward to seeing her again.

I find what you are saying really upsetting - I have not been able to pay my cleaner as I am also self-employed and my income has vanished! I should get the 80% from the government scheme but not yet obviously. I would hope that my cleaner is claiming that as I am. We are OK as my husband is still working, but what I earn pays for luxuries including the cleaner. I'm not sure why you think you should be paid unlike the rest of us self-employed people!

Meh, it's your choice isn't it.

I'm a dog walker and I've had no work or income since March as obviously everyone is now at home! Nobody has offered to pay me any form of retainer - why would they when I'm not providing them with any services?

I'm just hoping things pick up again soon.

I see why you feel that way. One of the perks of being self employed is you can pick and choose your work and clients.

You owe them nothing

And likewise, they don't owe OP anything for a job she isn't currently doing.

It's part and parcel of being self employed. Your clients are not your employers, they are under no obligation to continue topping up your wage.

It's hard, DH is self employed, he's had some customers drop out of things. We can't expect them to continue paying him to do nothing for them though. That's not how it works.

Sounds like shooting yourself in the foot to me

YABU. It's not their fault you can't work.

I haven't been paying my cleaner because I haven't been paid myself - yes I'll be getting the self-employment grant but it hasn't come through yet I simply don't have the spare funds to pay for nonessentials. I would be quite sad my cleaner wouldn't have me back on that basis.

My cleaner is a self employed single mum to 3. I'm still getting paid and WFH so I've been paying her 80% while she can't come.

I'm not suffering financially, and she's a good cleaner, so it felt like the right thing to do.

Are you self employed? It's up to you to claim the government grant. If not you should've been fourloghed. Not everyone can afford to pay for a service they're not receiving.

There will be people queuing up to provide cleaning services. I've had three leaflets through my door already. Be careful slamming the door on a customer.