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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU to think that £35 an hour is a lot for a cleaner

146 replies

Mamamia2020 · 29/10/2020 19:43

My elderly parents are moving house. My Mum has recently been in hospital with pneumonia. She is the sort of person who in the past when moving house would have all carpets cleaned and scrubbed the bathroom with a toothbrush. The thought of moving out and not doing this is abhorrent to her. Her home is immaculate.

Anyway, she is panicking about moving day and wanted a cleaner for the move day as she has been under the weather. It literally just needs someone to whip around with a hoover because as furniture is moved there will be dust behind etc. My Dad said he would do it but she says she wants a 'professional'. My Dad will scrub the bathroom and insides of the kitchen cupboards the day before but we wanted someone just to do a last-minute wipe down. Someone is already coming in to clean the hob and oven two days beforehand.

I contacted a cleaner and explained that I just wanted to book 4 hours, one-off, to hoover through, mop the kitchen floor, clean the bath and toilet, and a final wipe down of the cupboards. I said the property would be empty from 2pm and would probably take 2 hours but would pay for 4. I stressed it is not a full-on 'end of tenancy clean required' just a final whip-round. They are moving 2 hours away and wanted to get off as soon as the van is loaded before it gets dark. She originally quoted £20 an hour which I said was great and I said that I would confirm with them then arrange payment to book the slot. When I came back to her, she asked for photos of the property which I thought was odd as we'd already agreed on a price.I sent them to her from Rightmove and she then changed her mind and said it would be £140 for the four hours. Is it just me that things this is really OTT? I emphasized that it wasn't an end of tenancy clean but she still kept saying to me that I would never get someone to do an 'end of tenancy clean' for £20 an hour. I stressed (again) that I don't need that - just a hoover around, a quick wipe down of the bath, toilets and wipe down the insides of kitchen cupboards (that would already have been cleaned).

I live abroad otherwise I would do it for them, it would take me 2 hour tops.

AIBU to think that £35 an hour is OTT? She said it was also because it was out of hours but only because she couldn't come at 2pm and would have to delay it until 4.30 pm

YABU and therefore I need to start my own cleaning company and earn £35 an hour.

OP posts:
starrynight19 · 29/10/2020 20:07

My sister charges £12.50 an hour for her cleaning business

TheYearOfSmallThings · 29/10/2020 20:07

Woah, your parents house is gorgeous!

The cleaner smells money and someone has told her she can ask more.

Akire · 29/10/2020 20:07

Is this a rental that insists on end of tenancy standard clean or selling?

namechangetheworld · 29/10/2020 20:12

Ooh, what a lovely house!

I'm no expert but would agree that she doesn't want the job. I assume she takes most jobs hoping to get a long term client out of it, and that won't happen here. It's a silly amount of money.

Mamamia2020 · 29/10/2020 20:12

@Akire
The house is sold and they are moving. They just have pride in wanted it to be clean for the new owner. It will be cleaned daily in the final week but they just wanted someone to do those final jobs - i.e clean the bath after they've showered that morning (it will have been cleaned thoroughly every day leading up to the move), hoover round after the furniture has been taken out, give the toilets a clean.

OP posts:
Mellonsprite · 29/10/2020 20:13

She’s seen the pictures and thinks you’ve got money and has adjusted her price to suit. I think it’s too expensive.

PrincessBuggerPants · 29/10/2020 20:16

£100-£200 is standard for an end-of-tenancy clean.

If you don't want it to count as an end of tenancy clean then be specific about what you need/don't need.

If it isn't an end of tenancy clean I assume you don't want skirting boards and cabinets cleaned? Or do you...

Akire · 29/10/2020 20:16

Goodness well if was me I’d leave £50 for a takeaway and dusty skirting boards would be forgiven! Win win

Gwenhwyfar · 29/10/2020 20:17

I'm surprised you think it only takes 2 hours to clean a whole house. It takes me at least that for a small flat.

bloodyhairy · 29/10/2020 20:17

Cleaners do charge extra for this kind of thing. It's like beauticians charging way more than usual for wedding make-up.

famou5ive · 29/10/2020 20:18

She has seen the house and thought she would stick her arm in a bit. Get other quotes!

Sunsetdawn · 29/10/2020 20:19

I agree that she's put the price up because she thinks they are loaded.
My ex FIL did that to someone he was doing a job for once. Friend of ours - we were mortified when we found out and ex made him give her some money back.
Just look elsewhere. You're being more than reasonable.

JoJoSM2 · 29/10/2020 20:19

Was it a one man band cleaning service or a company with overheads?

If your parents don’t have a regular cleaner, perhaps some neighbours do and could recommend them? That’s usually when you get sb at a standard rate rather than ‘end of tenancy’.

Ophelia2020 · 29/10/2020 20:20

I said the property would be empty from 2pm and would probably take 2 hours but would pay for 4

This is why she's trying to charge more.

Mamamia2020 · 29/10/2020 20:22

@Gwenhwyfar
I've got a 5 bedroom house overseas that I clean top to bottom in two hours and it is a dusty country on the edge of the desert. Their house is a quarter of the size and I can hoover thoroughly in 45 minutes. Bathroom done in 30 minutes. Easy. I can't do it for them though as i live 3000 miles away.

OP posts:
Thehop · 29/10/2020 20:22

The house is so clean and tidy. Leave a welcome card with £50 for a takeaway x

Squiz81 · 29/10/2020 20:23

She’s definitely chancing it because the house looks so lovely and she has decided they can afford to pay more. Please find someone else, hate people being so cheeky!

Georgeoftheinternet · 29/10/2020 20:24

It’s £140 for a vacate clean. If you think it’s too much don’t bother.

tillyandmilly · 29/10/2020 20:25

what a beautiful house!

hotdog44 · 29/10/2020 20:25

Please please get more quotes , I am a self employed cleaner who supplies her own products and I charge £12 per hour . The house is beautiful and I think she is taking you for a ride with that price !

switswooo · 29/10/2020 20:25

My end of tenancy clean was £150 for a 1 bed! Shock

It was a new build too and we were there for just 2 years and left it spotless as wanted our deposit back.

The inventory folk almost penalised me for not getting the carpet professionally cleaned in bedroom but in the end he conceded we had left everything pristine, including the carpet.

We never put a single on the walls either.

IncandescentSilver · 29/10/2020 20:25

I'd expect to pay around £60 - £85 for that, but I'd probably just do it myself.

But then I'm a mere university lecturer on an hourly rate, which is £23 per hour. Clearly I should have not bothered studying and become a cleaner!

BrightSunshineDay · 29/10/2020 20:25

That is not an end of tenancy clean. That house is spotless and you just need someone to give it a once over once furniture has been moved, hardly the same as an end of tenancy clean after a student flat share for example. Definitely get another quote. That hourly rate is more than an experienced qualified veterinary surgeon earns fgs.

switswooo · 29/10/2020 20:26

*single thing

PumpupthePumpkin · 29/10/2020 20:27

I said the property would be empty from 2pm and would probably take 2 hours but would pay for 4

This is why she's trying to charge more.

Exactly, you gave an inch OP.