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.

You really are all so lucky to have a cleaner. I had no idea so many people had them, or that anyone would have one for 5 hours a week. Good for you. I wonder what I could cut out to afford a cleaner. I think it would make all the difference to our lives.

Just remember that if you cancel then want them back, you might have to pay much more that £16 an hour... You will go back to new customer rates!

What cleaner charges more than £16 an hour!?

@ThinWomansBrain

they've given us 2 days notice of the rise

so giving them a month is pretty generous - they have upped their charges by 33% - not unreasonable for you not to accept it.

either say they can have a month's notice at the current rate - or say you;ll give them two weeks at the new rate and they can work four hours rather than five (and you do expect four hours, not three and a half) cheeky gits

This is extremely fair and also excellent negotiating.

I am sure cleaners are just trying to cover their own increased cost of living, but everyone else's has gone up too so there will be less work to go around as people try to make savings so they also need to make sure they keep as many clients as they can.

I feel for cleaners it's a really hard job. I don't have one can't afford it and I do a shit job of mine. (Although still a million miles better than DH who I'm sure doesn't lose any sleep over his competence.)

33% is a mad increase - but for all those saying "I'm in the NHS and only get £xx an hour" - by the time you factor in sick pay, holiday pay, employer national insurance, employer pension contributions (14.3% for the NHS), £16 equates to around £11.50. - and that's before time needed on admin and tax, or paying someone else to do that.

thanks UnderripeBanana - maybe keep my "cheeky gits" comment quiet when negotiating OP

Im a cleaner and I've just put my prices up to minimum £15 an hour. Some jobs are £20 as i do end of tenancy and holiday lets also. Ive given a months notice and everyone was more than happy and understanding.
As other people have said I dont get sick/holiday pay or pension l ect so by the time I've taken my costs, tax and national insurance into account plus the fact that if i need a week off i dont earn any money its really not that well paid.
I do agree also with all the posters who have said 5 hours is far too much! I have a regular client who lives in a huge 7 bedroom/4 bathroom house and i do that in 4 hours. Thats all surfaces, windows, skirtings, oven top, hoovering dusting and mopping throughout. Its hard work but as im there every week i can rotate things to keep on top of it.
No way should it take your cleaners 5 hours to do your house. I think they are skimming over the work and leaving early knowing they will get paid anyway.
Im not against thier price rise as i think cleaners are expected to work miracles for pittance by most people but good ones are hard to come by and worth every penny.
Id ask about for personal recommendations in your area and bin the slackers off.
However please dont expect to pay them £12 an hour! Be clear about what you most want them to spend time on as its your money.

Some of these women on here have a shocking attitude to cleaners,and I suspect many of them are lying with their 7 bedroom houses that can be perfectly cleaned in 2 hours! If you can't pay,do it yourselves! If they are agency cleaners,you do realise the agency takes several pounds from their hourly rate?You do realise, we are going through huge price and bill rises? If cleaners want to earn enough to live on,they have to fit in several of your mansions every day,and travel between them. I'm an office cleaner, well educated and working part time as my state pension certainly isn't enough to live on.We certainly are not inferior to the madams on here,but seriously,how the other half likes to pretend it lives with it's dh 's and dc 's! What a lot of nonsense.

In my experience, cleaners work better when given specific jobs and not allowed to do ‘random jobs.’ Why not have them once a fortnight or cut their hours and ask them to do certain rooms or tasks?
Tbh £12 seems a bit low for professional cleaners.

@telvg

You really are all so lucky to have a cleaner. I had no idea so many people had them, or that anyone would have one for 5 hours a week. Good for you. I wonder what I could cut out to afford a cleaner. I think it would make all the difference to our lives.

We don't have a car, eat meat or drink , so we can afford one once a fortnight:) Not possible for everyone though. I also buy only basic cosmetics and clothes ( M and S, Uniqlo, H and M).Worth it for us.

@Gingernan

Some of these women on here have a shocking attitude to cleaners,and I suspect many of them are lying with their 7 bedroom houses that can be perfectly cleaned in 2 hours! If you can't pay,do it yourselves! If they are agency cleaners,you do realise the agency takes several pounds from their hourly rate?You do realise, we are going through huge price and bill rises? If cleaners want to earn enough to live on,they have to fit in several of your mansions every day,and travel between them. I'm an office cleaner, well educated and working part time as my state pension certainly isn't enough to live on.We certainly are not inferior to the madams on here,but seriously,how the other half likes to pretend it lives with it's dh 's and dc 's! What a lot of nonsense.

I agree with this. Rising costs (petrol, cost of products and rising bills) will reflect the rise in the service they are providing.

£16 an hour is expensive. Even more so if they’re not very good. That’s a massive pay rise. 5 hours is way too long to do your house and you’re paying them for 5.5hrs! I would definitely find new ones who don’t expect you out the house when they come, that’s just ridiculous!! Good luck

£16 an hour!? I’m in the wrong job!

@Beastieboys

Can I be your cleaner?? I'm a qualified theatre nurse of 33 yrs experience with als training on £15.80 an hour and that's it post pay rise!!

With holiday pay and sick pay and pension contribution I do think you should be paid more though

@Tallulah1972

£16 an hour!? I’m in the wrong job!

It's not £16ph take home, though.

Out of that they need to pay fuel to get to work and between clients, cleaning supplies, insurance, NI payments, tax and pension, plus save up for holidays and sick days too.