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

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

I've paid my cleaner 20% of what I normally would, on the basis that she can now claim the 80% self employment assistance. Government have deferred the July tax payment for the self employed so that they can use those funds to live on until the grant is paid. I've kept in regular touch with her to make sure she wasn't struggling financially at any point in which case I may have had a re-think of my approach. She has seemed to be happy with this and I hope will return to work for us as soon as we both feel it is safe to do so.

I think you are free to work for whoever you choose and don’t have to give a reason.

I’ve been paying my cleaner but I’ll be giving her notice soon. Doing my own cleaning has made me realise what a very poor job she’s been doing recently. TBH she has been taking the piss and I’m annoyed with her for doing it and myself for not realising sooner. As soon as I know she is free to look for new work I’ll give her a months money in lieu of notice and look for someone more who is more thorough. I’ll also be a lot more on the ball with the next cleaner and be very clear about what standards I expect.

It's obviously up to you but if you can afford to drop clients in the current climate then you are in a better position than many. When the next surge of the epidemic occurs you may find that some of those that you retained as clients may no longer be able to pay...

@Quarantimespringclean
I am in exactly the same situation and considering doing the same. We have lost some income but continued to pay our cleaner but looking ahead, this maybe one of the areas we cut back on, as the quality of work was not great in retrospect.

Wonder if some of the OP's clients feel the same? If I had an excellent cleaner, I would feel very differently and would whatever I could to retain them.

I am also a SE cleaner, 3 of my clients have paid me(Only one for the entire time we have been in Lockdown)
I do have moments when I have felt a little undervalued as I do a good job, there are some I know earn a lot of money and would have still been working/getting paid
However I have text everyone to ask them if they want me back and most have now been back in touch to say yes, so i am starting back to them all, I will however compromise with those that kindly paid me something in the future, be that for extra hours/time slots/days

It depends. I am going back to a disabled lady who didn't want me to stop but her carers insisted on it. A few other never laid me off and one is even giving me extra every week, I will fit her in no matter what happens Inthe future. Two more I'm telling I won't be going back, no way in this world!

I wouldn't have been comfortable taking money for work I wasn't doing anyway but a token gesture when all this started would have been nice, especially from those I've been with for over 6 years, I've never missed and always on time. I'm looking forward to 👋 them two.

tbh I think the not particularly wealthy are the ones who are paying.

I paid my cleaner and I pay her the same hourly wage as I earn myself! I work for an employer and have all the security that brings, and have been working more not less hours during the lockdown and really need a cleaner! Having a cleaner is our one luxuary - we don't eat out, we always have juggled our hours around childcare and not paid for it since the preschool years (one flexitime office job, one shift worker), we go on holidays every year but they are within Europe and self catering (don't like hotel holidays or long haul with children anyway), we have old, sensible cars which are cheap to ensure and we own outright.

The cleaner really is our one and only extravagancem and it's also a fairly fixed expense in our budget, so not paying it would be pure grasping meanness, because the money is accounted for.

The only excuse not to pay until the cleaner can access a government scheme for the self employed is if the client has lost thier own income.

I don't blame you tbh, you'll get other customers, so many people outsource their cleaning.

There's self employment furlough anyway - so if you're not claiming that I presume you've been fiddling your taxes?

Not a nice assumption.

Not everyone is entitled to claim this - it depends how long you've been self-employed for. If you're newly self-employed and haven't yet submitted a tax return, you're not entitled to anything beyond UC.

I became self-employed in February this year, and DH in August last year. Neither of us is entitled to anything as we haven't completed a full years tax return yet. Luckily DH is still working in construction so he's covering our bills as I've had no income since March!

Actually I have realised that I don't really need a cleaner during this period

Agree with others who say it depends why they didn't pay. If they're not earning themselves, or earning less, they will struggle to.

My cleaner has been paid in full for the last 8 weeks and I asked her not to come. She's starting back next week with social distancing in place.

There are probably other cleaners in your area doing the same as you, so you'll probably just be picking up the "uncaring" clients who have been dropped by their own cleaner. Seems a bit pointless to me.

Isn't the 80% only available to those who have paid tax etc and kept accurate books? Many self employed people working under the table have been disappointed recently,

Talk about Cutting off your nose to spite your face!

You are self employed so it is their right to stop paying you when you are not working for them - as it is your right to stop working for them coz they’ve annoyed you.

But seeing as in an economical depression luxuries like cleaners will be amongst the first to go I would think very carefully!

Yes, we're not planning to having our cleaners back - it was a luxury we can manage without and we haven't been that impressed with what we've seen, now we've done the extra 'detailed' jobs ourselves that we've paid for but have clearly not been done!

But yes, as a self employed cleaner, you can pick and choose who you clean for and who you don't. So not unreasonable. I hope you've continued paying your childminder, occasional babysitter, hairdresser, window-cleaner, accountant, music time leader, baby massage instructor.

Well of course you can choose which clients you want to clean for, for any reason.

However I really wouldn't be so quick - cleaners are ten a penny around here; I've had leaflets through from a couple already touting for work when situation returns to normal.

Be careful in making a statement you're not harming yourself in the long run.

Lots of pp not having their cleaners back. So it may be harder to find new clients if that’s what you want.

We have carried on paying our lovely cleaner throughout this. It's the right thing to do.

I think we are set for a big recession and I agree that luxuries like having a cleaner will be the first expenses to cut. I would think carefully OP - fine if you can manage without that income coming in, but if you cannot, then I am not sure that you can be that choosy in the current environment.

I guess if you are confident that you have enough other clients then you can.

I understand why you would feel that way but on the other side I've only had my cleaner for 4 weeks before lockdown so personally I felt paying for a service I wasnt using for probably longer than I had been receiving the service in the first place plus the agency fee on a reduced income wasn't particularly fair for me 🤷‍♀️ I obviously dont have much loyalty after a few weeks tho and would happily go elsewhere if she choose not to come back.

I'm the owner of a holiday let who has been kept afloat with a 10k gov grant. So I have paid my cleaner in full for every session she was booked for and which I've had to cancel. We're up to the end of May now and I'm waiting to see what happens to summer holidays bookings. Will pay her for those if they get cancelled. It's the right thing to do. I hope she sticks with me tho because I'm expecting g next year to be a bumper one for domestic tourism

I didn’t pay ‘my’ hairdresser when they were closed. Or the cleaning agency I use. Or the gardeners I would probably have rebooked in spring had they not closed. If they chose to sack me, Meh

I’ve been bombarded with leaflets and emails advertising cleaning services - it really seems to be a buyers’ market at the moment - OP, be careful - you are now returning to a very saturated market

Payed our cleaner through, offered rather than waited for her to ask. Now asked her to come back as the government says it’s ok and it’s a touch irritating to be paying for cleaning and then clean yourself! She dosent want to unless we go out, provide masks gloves and all our own equipment to her standard (won’t use my hoover as it’s not powerful enough) and says we must leave all windows open for ventilation.

I’ve said fine to masks and gloves, ok for her to use all our equipment but she had to cope with our hoover and that of course we will be out at work when she’s cleaning. Also said she dosent have to clean bathroom as that would be higher risk. Said no to windows open as we are straight onto the street and someone would get in. She is of course welcome to open them herself when she arrives.

She says that therefore she can’t return and we need to keep on paying as it’s our fault we’re not providing a safe environment!

Sorry know that’s not the point of the thread but it’s seems a bit OTT!