Cleaner's pay London?

[abvgd]

My cleaner has announced an increase from £12/ hour to £15/hour. We last increased her rate two years ago from £10 to £12. She works with us 7 hours a week; I paid her through COVID and she got a few new clients through my network.

I find it quite steep, both as a 25% bump up (I don't get a double digit annual salary increase, the inflation and cost of living increases are way below this, there is no other service we use that has increased so dramatically in such a short period of time) and compared to average London pay for cleaning services. I want to be fair and competitive but this seems quite excessive.

AIBU?

@MurielSpriggs hahahaha yeah I think she's fine. I pay her what she asks me to. How odd, I certainly won't ask to pay more in shops or for any other services so why would I? Her company, her rates. Now go clean your halo love

@SandandSplashes

I'm in outer London and pay £17.50 an hour, which seems to be tge going rate around here.

Ouch

I'm London and have an amazing cleaner for 12 p/h. I will def cherish her

Or you could do the right thing and pay her the going rate. She's trying to earn a living, not do you a favour.

Cleaners ' pay threads always seem to generate angry responses for some reason, as if the OP has said they are paying below minimum wage. Whilst I think many cleaners do charge £15 per hour so it's not out of the ordinary, you could also find someone for £12. It's a question of whether you think the risk/hassle of rehiring is worth the saving really.

@urbanbuddha

I'm London and have an amazing cleaner for 12 p/h. I will def cherish her

Or you could do the right thing and pay her the going rate. She's trying to earn a living, not do you a favour.

So funny that people keep saying this. I asked her her rate, she told me that, so I pay it haha you guys crack me up! I run a business that has been slowly failing since covid, so I work 12 hours a day 7 days a week and want a little help but have very little money left to spare. So nope, I will not pay her more even tho she hasn't asked for it, she's quite new so could have easily told me a higher rate. What an odd thing to suggest.

@SnowyPetals

Cleaners ' pay threads always seem to generate angry responses for some reason, as if the OP has said they are paying below minimum wage. Whilst I think many cleaners do charge £15 per hour so it's not out of the ordinary, you could also find someone for £12. It's a question of whether you think the risk/hassle of rehiring is worth the saving really.

Totally agree. Like you're doing something terrible for finding a bargain. I technically work for around 3 quid an hour right now so zero sympathy especially when it's cash in hand! Also I'm not sure people on here realise what some people get paid, 12 an hour is actually far above minimum wage, check out what waitresses get who also clean during their shift. No one gives a damn about that but for some reason oooh poor cleaners working for the exact amount they've asked for

I’m in the East Mids and I pay my cleaner £15 an hour.

You’ve had a bargain, now pay a reasonable amount.

Mines on 50 for 2 work. I’m in London.

There is a major cleaning shortage in London at the moment post Brexit and many people moving on to other work now other industries as opening up.

I use two agencies (work and home) and both have had major issues finding people and then introduced a price rise. I don’t resent it as I can see it’s just a simple supply and demand thing.

bloody Brexit

Look at how price of everything has rocketed over past year and still rising. Pay her or lose her, it's not an excessive amount by any means.

2 hours work*

I pay 19 inclusive of agency fees who ensure a replacement if regular cleaner is unavailable. Cleaners are in short supply, our agency is turning down clients. They state they cannot get cleaners to sign up post brexit due to supply of labour

You probably can't afford to live on £12 per hour in London. She deserves a pay rise. Cleaning is hard work

You don't get to "increase her rate". She's self employed and can charge what she wants for her services.

Cornwall calling. £15+ an hour.
But that factors in the fact that in summer cleaners/housekeeers are at a premium.
I began paying mine £8 and hour 10 years ago and now pay her £15 plus a lot of flexibility/give and take.

Do your own cleaning !

How can the agency have been less that £12 an hour? They have to pay NI and pension, they should pay travel between jobs.

They must have been paying their staff less than NMW.

i charge £15 per hour in the midlands, i find my product prices are increasing as well as my fuel etc

I texted the same thing in the summer, admittedly with details of cleaner’s erratic approach to attendance. I was told that £15/ hour was a total joke, & people were very sympathetic. amazing how rates have increased so dramatically in 6months (& no no increase in cost of supplying services in this instance as she isn’t t providing anything beyond services).

@hellcatspangle

You don't get to "increase her rate". She's self employed and can charge what she wants for her services.

I increased our previous cleaner's rate without her asking. She was charging too little.

£15 ph is not "incredibly cheap" in London. Cheap for the agency, yes; but agency cleaners get £10-£11 ph from the agency for residential cleaning, and min wage for hotels.
I pay £15 ph to a self employed cleaner / housekeeper in London (around 15 hours pw, depending on how filthy we've been), and she is incredibly happy.

£13 in the Midlands

@Theteapot

Do your own cleaning !

And in general - do your own cooking, sit at home with your own children, ideally barefoot and pregnant too! Women these days, with their sense of entitlement, arrgh!

I'm in the NW and we pay £15 so I think that's a bargain. Yes a big jump but surprised she could live on that