To cancel the cleaner?

[flamungo]

Have a very ordinary 4 bedroom house, three young DC (youngest is three and a half). Both work long hours but mostly from home, which makes things easier.

Have had same cleaners for 4 years, who do 5 hours a week. Just cleaning, no laundry or bed changes, house always tidy before they come.

They are lovely, but not brilliant and can be a bit random, we are very flexible when they come and understanding of frequent cancellations/ late notice. But they've also kept the same pay £12 an hour for the last two years (used to be £11). Just had a message that it's now going up to £16. I think that's top end of the market here but not crazy.

I don't think we can justify this, we're already stretched with everything else and I'm not sure I can justify spending that much on something my husband and I could do ? That said I feel bad - they're obviously feeling the pinch too.

That's a big price increase and if you can't afford it you can't afford it. I pay £12 an hour, realise I might be lucky though and this is to an individual rather than a cleaning company. If her rate went up by that much I'd also be questioning whether I could continue to pay, or would cut down to every other week. (Ours is also a 4 bed house and she cleans from top to bottom in 3 hours by the way).

@flamungo: I am sorry but if they have given you 2 days notice if change that’s all the notice I would give of a change on my side!

In your position, I would cancel the cleaner as you say they don’t do a brilliant job and do it yourself instead (also assigning some tasks to any DC/DP)

Try ‘the organised mum method’ or any variation of zone/task cleaning

Ie instead of doing the whole house at once, pick a few days each week & split it up

Eg 1 day kitchen, 1 day bathrooms, 1 day upstairs, 1 day downstairs excl kitchen : I find this means I stay on top of it and am not spending my whole life cleaning

Then if life gets busy & I have to do 2 lots at once it’s not the end of the world

I think 5 hours is the issue not the rate. What do they actually do in those 5 hours, why do you have to be out?

Are cleaners hard to come by where you live, what rate do agencies charge? I would have an agency give me an estimate of both time and cost.

[quote FantasticFebruary]@SparklingStars10

Of course you can. They've given 2 days notice of a large price rise. Nothing at all wrong with negotiating. Either side can say 'no thanks' & walk away.

People negotiate on goods & services all the time.[/quote]
But why is it acceptable to expect someone to drop their prices to accommodate their affordability, whilst having to lower your standards of living.

You let the customer know of the increase and it’s either a yes or no.

Also, I don’t think it will be that hard to find a cleaner who is cheaper in future if you need to.

A lot of people will take part time/additional work and cleaning falls into that vein. You have been getting stiffed for 30 mins on 5.5 - ie you’ve been paying for 20% of the time and not getting that

The only thing I don’t understand about your post is why you would feel bad about dismissing cleaners who are unreliable, average not brilliant and have been cheating you on payment?

Our school cleaners get around £10 an hour... £16 seems excessive.

30 minutes out of 5 and a half hours is about 9% not 20%. It's the equivalent of paying 13 quid an hour.

I think 4 hours should do your house, so if you reduce it to that it's affordable. However you say they aren't brilliant so I'd be looking to replace them.
I had one woman do a six bed house plus ironing in 4 hours.

I'd be expecting a months notice for an increase in pay. That seems fair enough. How much notice do you need to cancel their services? They should be providing you the same courtesy.

How big is your house @flamungo ? Obv there are larger and smaller 4 beds but 5 hours seems an awful lot with no bed changes or general tidying. Are they doing ironing or something else as well? A deeper clean each week?

I have a 4 bed too - 3 bathrooms, 1 large lounge and larger dining kitchen plus utility room. My cleaner does 3 hours per week and changes the beds each week. She rotates ours one week and the kids the next. It seems to me like you're paying them for more hours than you need already!

@Ninecatz

Our school cleaners get around £10 an hour... £16 seems excessive.

Your school cleaners will be employed, with the security that brings as well as paid annual leave and entitlement to paid suck leave, national insurance and pension contributions.

The OP's cleaners may be self-employed with additional costs.
For me the issue is the low standard and the charging for an extra half hour each week , not the cost per se. £16 an hour is pretty reasonable where I am.

Paid sick leave, not suck leave

Yes, as pp said, the issue here is that you're not happy with the service you're getting. So it's madness to pay them £12 or £16.

For 5 hours I’d want it immaculate. I used to do 3 hours for a 4-bed but got really pissed off with our agency and gave notice after the last cleaner we had was in and out in 1h30 and did a rubbish job. 3 hours was plenty every week tbh. Before the rubbish lady, I had one lady who was thorough but slow and everything would be immaculate that she cleaned and she often had time to do the fridge etc. The other one was quick and more of a tidier and would organise cupboards, toys etc but didn’t do as thorough job with the actual cleaning. Both were fab and I’d have paid extra to keep them.

5 hours is a lot for a 4 bed home - even if it’s big. Especially if you tidy first.

Yep. Mine is a big 4 bed and the cleaner does 3 hours a fortnight, and everything gets done, with some extras thrown in (which she suggested)

But it comes down it, if you can’t afford it then stop it.

It’s a lot and if you’re struggling it’s an obvious thing to go. I’d cut back, rather than cancel. Four hours a week? Mine did two hours for a four bed, and she was excellent. Could have done with a little more (she didn’t do beds) and a spring clean once in a while.

I always sound a cow on these threads, but I am secure in the fact that I am a great and understanding employer of those who don’t fuck me about. Unfortunately, a hell of a lot of cleaners do, over the many years I’ve used them.

Give a month’s notice to mediocre cleaners, who you regularly over-pay anyway yet they still muck you about on times and frequently cancel - plus have now implemented a substantial price hike with very little notice? - not in this house!

When they finish this week, tell them you are not prepared to pay that rate and no longer require their services, then take your key back immediately if they have one. Then you can either trial sharing the work yourselves, or fine another cleaner who will do better.

Thanks all, this has been really helpful - I have given them a months notice and will pay the higher charge.

I can see the problem is my complete avoidance of the performance issues/ slowness.

I don't think it's fair to ask them to do the same for less. We'll do it for a while and see how it goes.

@feministqueen I live in a box, four bedrooms all probably small/medium doubles. Two aren't used regularly. Four rooms downstairs. No utility, no hallway, two small bathrooms.

5 hours is a ton, i used to clean and would do 2 hours for a 3 bedroom house or 3 hours for a deeper clean

@Whitney168

For what it's worth, I don't think you're a cow.

MN has a very condescending attitude towards cleaners. They must be venerated and lionised etc.

They are providing a service, one intended to make the purchaser's life easier. They shouldn't require endless management and faff to deliver that service, or else what is the point?

If it's too expensive and you don't feel they are worth it, then cancel. You don't owe them a living or any significant period of notice.

You're paying for a service not a charity.

However, despite all the MN cleaners who clean a 23 bedroom house in 40 mins for minimum wage, I'm not sure you will find anyone anyone better or cheaper.

[quote flamungo]@TonkaTruckduck I agree - we have to be out when they come and the time they turn up can vary by a couple of hours ?

@ComtesseDeSpair - I have that fear - we didn't have them during lockdown obviously and it was pretty challenging - though we were also in the horror of homeschooling.

So I've checked and we actually pay them for 5.5 hours - though they normally do about 5. I know £12 is low but I think in my mind We we're generous on the time. DH and I can do everything in about 4 and a half hours - but this is a more comprehensive clean that we do.

That said I don't think I can say to them to do the same stuff in less time. Think we may cancel and see how it goes.

On notice, they've given us 2 days notice of the rise.

I was thinking we would ask if they have other clients immediately available if not we'd give them a months notice.[/quote]
I have a 4 bed. The cleaner has just upped to £15.

She is punctual, regular (fortnightly, 3 hours) thorough and I'm thrilled with her.

In your circumstances, they don't sound worth the money.

A 4 bed house shouldn't take that long to clean. Get a new cleaner or ask them to do less hours.

Our cleaner is closer to 20 an hour so I think you’re onto a winner there!!

5.5 hours seems excessive though….maybe look around for someone else and just have 2-3 hours a week instead?

Do you need 5 hours a week for a 4 bed house? I have 4 hours every 2 weeks for mine

They don't sound great cleaners but...

Could you manage on £12ph minus expenses???