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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Cleaner Price! AIBU?

183 replies

Wyntersdiary · 02/07/2020 11:51

So i was looking for quote for a cleaner and most of them came back at what i thought it would be, between 10 - 15 PH except one... £25 PER HOUR for just 1 person! i couldnt believe it , i wish i could get paid £25 an hour to clean someones house.

End of tenancy clean ... £95 for 2 hours!!!

This is all for just cleaning a bathroom, lounge and kitchen .. in a small flat as i said bedrooms didnt need doing... im shocked.

OP posts:
ChanklyBore · 02/07/2020 16:34

The cleaners I have met are wonderful people with magical powers doing a under appreciated and under rated job. Many are also savvy businesspeople and long may it be, I say.

Don’t pay it if you don’t want to.

user1497787065 · 02/07/2020 16:39

I think the hourly rate is immaterial. One cleaner could quote four hours at £12.50 per hour and the other two hours at £25 to do the same job. What's important is what work is going to be done during that time.

snowballer · 02/07/2020 16:46

@Beautiful3

Why not? Cleaning is one of the hardest jobs going. If someone wants a cleaner and that's the rate, then why not!
If people want to pay her £25 ph then good for her. But this post above is ridiculous. In no world is cleaning one of the hardest jobs going.
Northernsoullover · 02/07/2020 16:55

snowballer come and spend a day doing end of tenancies with me and tell me if you still think that at the end.

Wexone · 02/07/2020 17:24

@snowballer a few months ago (before lockdown) one of our tenants left his rental property ( it was newly acquired by us ) the previous landlord didn't check up, as long as rent was paid no complaints. A single man living on his own had never cleaned it in 10 years I say. Took me, my cleaner and three men a week to clear out the crap and get the place to normal state before we could even start redecorating ect for new tenants. The place stank, kitchen covered in grease, one spare room full of glass bottles that took 6 full car loads to the bottle bank ( looked like a right alcoholic). Don't even get me started on the bathroom. Some people live like pigs and have no respect for anything . Anyone that's goes into clean someone else's mess and filth to a clean standard deserves whatever pay she or she asks for . Spend a day doing it and see how you think after it

snowballer · 02/07/2020 17:35

Seriously, "one of the hardest jobs going?" Compared to all jobs out there? Come on. It's boring and - physically - more demanding than being in an office say, but comes with negligible work stress, no responsibility, no risk to life of yourself or others, no 100 hour weeks etc etc. It's just not one of the hardest jobs out there.

Also you'll note I did say if someone wants to pay £25 an hour then good for her. I don't say she's not worth it! Also I assume the OP's house probably doesn't bear any resemblance to Wexone's description of her rental property.

SeasonFinale · 02/07/2020 17:39

An end of tenancy clean is not just a regular clean though. It will include literally everything. Deep clean of skirting and woodwork, oven cleaning, window cleaning and so on. £95 for an end of tenancy clean is cheap.

notalwaysalondoner · 02/07/2020 17:40

End of tenancy cleaning is almost always more per hour than normal regular cleaning as it’s not regular income, plus tenants may try and blame the cleaner if it’s not done to a good enough standard and the landlord tries to keep the deposit, so there’s more risk involved from their side of extra admin to take photos, reply to emails from the client if that happens etc.

My normal cleaner in central London is £14 per hour, whereas end of tenancy by an agency is commonly as you said, £25 or more.

chubbyhotchoc · 02/07/2020 18:11

I got a quote for a deep clean of my 4 bed house. It was a bit dusty after we'd had work done. I was quoted £320. I thought that was extortionate. This was before covid. The woman worked alone and was planning on doing 9-3. Gave me some motivation to just do it myself as I knew nothing she could have done in that 6 hours would have made me happy to pay £320

nopoo · 02/07/2020 18:17

I pay that for my cleaner. She's amazing and I trust her implicitly

chubbyhotchoc · 02/07/2020 18:17

For what it's worth I think you are being a little unreasonable. If I had more money and she was good I would pay £25 ph. If she took three clients on per day and did an hour in each home that's only £75 a day.

nopoo · 02/07/2020 18:19

Oops, pressed send too soon!

So for me YABU,
I have a lot of respect for domestic workers.
It's also not how much you value her skills, but how much you value your time.

As long as I can afford it, I would rather pay my cleaner and then come home and not have to worry.

If you don't want to pay that, don't pay it. Simples.

But I do believe that if you pay peanuts... Hmm

Tunnocks34 · 02/07/2020 18:59

Well I wouldn’t pay £25 per hour for one cleaner 🤷🏻‍♀️.

I have fantastic cleaners, I currently pay them £37.50 a week and that is 90 minutes for two cleaners. So £12.50 an hour if you break it down.

ILoveTotoro · 02/07/2020 19:39

I am a cleaner and I charge £16 - 18 per hour for domestic cleans, clients pay it because they know I am an outstanding cleaner and worth every penny. I don't advertise, in ten years I have only ever got clients via them recommending me

End of tenancies are a different ball game. The houses need to be absolutely spotless from top to bottom because otherwise the client risks losing their rental deposit. For an average 3 bed semi EOT it takes me 6 - 10 hours and its £20 per hour. I am a member of a cleaners network and apparently I am quite cheap

For anyone looking for a cleaner, be really careful. I have been in this business for ten years and the amount of horror stories i have heard are unreal. Sadly, there are way, way too many chancers advertising on gumtree etc for £10 an hour. My advice is to shop around. When you find one you like, always get as many references as possible from existing clients, check they have the relevant insurances, and that they are ideally CRB / DBS checked as well. I personally always show my proof of being HMRC registered as well although that's down to the individual if they want to go that far. I also invoice clients electronically so we both have a paper trail, and insist on bank transfer or card payment where possible.

anon5000 · 02/07/2020 19:42

£95 for an end of tenancy clean sounds cheap to me.

Gobbycop · 02/07/2020 19:45

It's a ridiculous price.

I know skilled joiners charging their work out at that price.

ILoveTotoro · 02/07/2020 19:51

Oh and to the other cleaners on here !!

DamnYankee · 02/07/2020 20:05

As a PP pointed out, she probably bring her own supplies and it is likely commercial-grade. Are you able to/ can you ask to contact any of her current clients for their "review"?

For that price, though, I'd ask her to clean the bedrooms. As a prospective tenant, I would certainly want them spotless!

Northernsoullover · 02/07/2020 20:10

@chubbyhotchoc there is absolutely no way that she could have cleaned a house that size in 6 hours by herself. Its just impossible. A kitchen will often take us 3 hours by itself if we do the white goods. You dodged a bullet there.
snowballer just stop talking! No stress? I cleaned a flat to the best I could given its age and condition. The tenant rang me saying the agency were going to deduct from his bond because it wasn't clean.. it turned out they were trying to charge him for worn enamel, a burn mark on the worktop etc.
Luckily I had photos of the cleaned property so he was able to take the dispute to the TDS (he won) but not before his original tirade at me. That was stressful.
Cleaners not turning up to assist on big jobs that have a deadline because new tenants are moving in. Also pretty stressful. Painters leaving fag ash in the sink and skid marks in the loo leaving agents to say it wasn't cleaned properly.. (this is why I take photos). Invoices not being paid in a timely fashion? Stressful. I might not have the stress of say a heart surgeon but you know NOTHING about the industry so just stop!!
Cleaners that pho

Northernsoullover · 02/07/2020 20:11

don't know how that typo got into the end Confused

roarfeckingroar · 02/07/2020 20:13

That's nuts. I pay £17 an hour in London. My cleaner is brilliant.

SmileyClare · 02/07/2020 20:26

Say the cleaner was excellent and worth paying over the going rate then I think you need to look at this differently. Instead of being shocked at the price, compare it to other luxuries you might treat yourself to in a week.

You have a small flat that just needs the living room, kitchen and bathroom done. So that could be cleaned to a great standard in an hour every week or couple of weeks. Compare that to what you might spend on a takeaway, a few coffees out or a trip to the cinema or whatever. (rather than speculating on the cleaner's annual turnover).

Some people are happy to pay well for the convenience of not having to clean and having a reliable, trustworthy person in their home. Some would rather spend their disposable income elsewhere.

I agree with the advice above; the best cleaners come through recommendation and references are a must. Some cleaners will reduce the price if cleaning products and equipment is provided. You can also set out a trial period.

Whoopsmahoot · 02/07/2020 21:15

I’m in the wrong job. ☹️

ComDummings · 02/07/2020 21:35

People can charge what they want, if you can’t afford a service then don’t use that service 🤷🏻‍♀️

Northernsoullover · 02/07/2020 21:44

Do it then @Whoopsmahoot and come back when you make your 50k and tell us how easy it was.