To remind you to pay your cleaner…?

[honeyandbutterontoast]

Ive been working for years as a self employed cleaner. I charge a reasonable rate, do an excellent job but am really struggling to get clients to pay on time.

I understand it’s easy to forget to have the cash or not to bank transfer right away, but clients don’t seem to understand that I work because I need the money! If it’s not in my account I can’t pay my bills!

Already this week I have two clients who haven’t paid. Last week it was four in total I had to politely remind on Friday to pay me. Two of those had done the same the previous week.

Is there a nice way I can remind people? I’m wondering if it’s best just to drop those jobs and find new clients for their slots.

If you have a cleaner, how would you like her to broach this with you?

Wow! I got a real bashing for trying to respond to the OP saying I’d be happy to get a reminder text.

Just FYI, when she used to leave an invoice, I never forgot as I came home to a “visual cue”. In a day where a million things happen and I’ve been at work for 12 hours, it’s easy to forget. I’d happily pay in advance or set up a direct debit but sometimes my cleaners take a week off at short notice so that wouldn’t work.

Side note: I continued to pay my cleaners throughout the lockdowns and I did this by direct debit as I didn’t see why they shouldn’t get paid when the law forbid them from working. So I’m not a git…just a bit scatty!

I know it shouldn't be necessary but I would do a courtesy text after finishing the iob saying all done, pls can you transfer payment today? It will become a habit for client to pay promptly.
I think a direct debit is annoying as too many missed weeks with holidays / appointments - yours or clients.

I need to toughen up I think and start sending reminders and then dropping clients. There is lots of work at the moment out there

A perfect solution OP
Forgetting once can be a mistake, twice is carelessness, but more than that is probaby deliberate - and they wouldn't get to pay Tesco when it suits, so why would you allow them to do this with you?

Payment in advance

I had this conversation with my window cleaner today - he was telling me people don’t pay him sometimes. I was shocked, I’d be so embarrassed. Can you imagine going into a shop and saying’ hey I’ll pay you later… probably’ , it’s ridiculous. I value people who jobs so I don’t have to so highly - they keep the world going.

Thank you all.
so many nice and helpful comments.

I think I need to get tougher. Text people by the end of the day if I haven’t been paid and replace my “repeat offenders”. And I will do a bit of research into credit card machines.

Ive realised that my embarrassment about asking for payment with these kind of clients is also because they are the same people who habitually leave their houses in a disrespectful manner for me to clean. (Before anyone tells me that I’m a cleaner and should just get on with that, I’m talking very dirty toilets, used sanitary towels on the floor, dirty underwear needing to be picked up so I can vacuum etc). They are also the same clients who never offer me a coffee (I rarely accept tbh but it’s just polite?). So I’m maybe feeling embarrassed because of how they view me? So for those clients I am going to do a text as I leave saying that it will be xx payable today and these are my bank details.

And I’m so glad everyone on here pays their cleaners on time and sorry that so many other people in se jobs have similar issues.

I was a tutor for a while (GCSEs). There was a parent who constantly forgot to pay me and I had to keep chasing. Same mother always expected me to spend an extra 10-15 minutes (free) at the end of each session giving her an update on her child's progress. I ended up sacking them as clients as I didn't need the stress.

Can you create a new system where they have to pay two weeks upfront for your services so say like with a new client t you say to them ok I’ll clean your house but I need two weeks upfront and then weekly or monthly going forward, that way if they don’t pay at least you’ve got their upfront money as a fall back.
I’d ask for it to be monthly paid at the start of the month for the month going forward.
Send an email out to all clients explaining why you have had to change the way you are paid and stipulate that if there are two late payments there will be no cleaning. Your not a charity xx

I am genuinely shocked by how many people forget to pay their cleaner regularly. If you know that you forget why wouldn’t you take steps to ensure you don’t forget.
I absolutely hate having to remind my clients to pay, it’s really awkward and humiliating when I’m providing a damn good service. I can’t believe that so many people just don’t pay their cleaners. And other services and seem to think it’s ok because they forgot 😳
these people work hard enough without having to then continually chase payments because people can’t take their own steps to ensure they pay for a service they’ve received on time.
this is quite shameful that so many people think this is normal and ok!!

It’s not a bashing but some people haven’t been SE so they are not aware how annoying it is to have to chase payment.

if you could set up a system - a reminder on your phone so you don’t forget she would prefer that.

But I still don't understand why you can't set a reminder on your phone for Friday mornings to pay her before you go to work?

As a dog walker I have loads of clients who have their dogs walked on different days and they don't forget to pay me unless an emergency has cropped up.

If you've never been self employed you don't understand how demeaning it feels to ask people to pay you your wages.

@honeyandbutterontoast used sanitary towels and dirty underwear and late payers

def give them a weeks notice and work for others who respect you

i remember a temp nanny job years ago. Prob 20. And they were the same. Asked me to change their bed and do their washing (not usual nanny duties) and the sheets were blood and semen Stained 😱

plus pooey boxers from husband

blondes heaves

luckily was a week but always refused their jobs after that

Agree @TheDuchess1979 you need to set reminder at 7/8am to pay cleaner

if coming home after a hard week to a clean nice smelling house isn’t reminding you to pay after then need to pay before

Even if they paid on time I’m afraid I wouldn’t be keeping these kind of clients

Sadly I would say in the years I’ve been doing this, roughly half of all clients have homes like this. And it’s never the ones you expect! Thankfully I have a strong stomach and a stronger desire to pay my bills and keep my children fed.

I have a small business with DH. We got paid in March by one customer, for work we did in November ...and they sent a cheque which is a PITA

What is wrong with some people? 🙈

They'd all be up in arms if their bosses decided not to pay for them for several months

Gosh some people really are CFs.
I have a reminder set in my phone to prompt me to get cash the evening before my cleaner is due. I leave the money on the hall table for her. It’s not difficult to do.

I pay my cleaner cash, that's what she prefers and as she's self-employed that's her right to decide. I get money out the night before, on the odd occasion I have forgotten and had to rush about like a mad thing to get to the cash machine before she arrives in the morning.

I would drop the non-payers OP, it's time consuming for you to be constantly chasing these people up

I completely understand why you're embarrassed.

Just yesterday I finished a clean, my customer was on a work call and mouthed "we'll settle up next week" and I stood like a lemon outside his office waiting for him to finish his call so I could explain that I needed the £30 as my car desperately needed petrol and I needed to buy some lunches for my son. 😳

He looked pretty dumbfounded but found some cash for me but it's humiliating having to explain to someone why I need the money <cringe>

This guy is actually a very nice person, he's a hedge fund manager though so we just lead very different lives!

There are some helpful suggestions on here, some are just not practical for self employed cleaners whose hours fluctuate
I've had customers wanting to pay monthly but calculating that as the cost of 4 weekly cleans which leaves me out of pocket. (4 months of the year have 5 weeks) for example.

There are ways to enforce payment is always on time and on completion of the work but it'd be a Hell of a lot easier if the customer could just pay the money each week as agreed.

Please also remember to pay your childcare provider. It's not unexpected, it's month end and you know the invoice is due.

Tax Free Childcare: Do it now, not after 3pm as it won't then even queue the payment until Tuesday due to the bank holiday.

Not just cleaners chasing payments, it's lots of different service providers.

Oh my gosh, I haven’t offered my cleaner a coffee. I’m always running out the door when she arrives so I’ve never thought. I’ll leave a note to say hello yourself I think.
I can’t believe people expect cleaners to clean such horrible environments. My cleaner told me recently that she’s happy to do other stuff if I’d like, such as changing bedding and hanging washing out and to just leave a note if something needs doing. So this week I asked her to change our bedding, but I stripped it first so all she had to do was put on the clean stuff because I figured it’s not her job to touch our dirty laundry!!
my cleaner is actually amazing and every week I wonder how she manages to get everything done to such a high standard in the time she does it. On the other hand, my partner didn’t even realise I’d hired a cleaner 🤦🏽‍♀️😂

Be more assertive and send a mass text or email to each late paying client to remind them you need paying on the day you clean. I’d also consider late charges if they don’t or just cutting them from your list after two late payments.

It may be easier to have them set up a standing order tbh so it goes straight into your bank. Cash is messy, we don’t use cash at all so rarely have it in the house and specifically have to draw it out for cash in hand jobs like the bin cleaner.

He should leave the cash out so you don’t have to ask or wait.

It’s not hard to do, exact change left out