New cleaner wants to be paid more as house is bigger?

[Saltedbutter]

I agreed an hourly rate with a new cleaner prior to her coming and also an approximate amount of hours but left that quite open as I obviously don’t know her pace yet.
She is currently at my house and just messaged to say actually she’d like more money per hour as the house is bigger than she expected.
Surely she’ll still clean the same amount per hour as in a smaller house but just might be paid for a few more hours?
I’ve provided all products and the rate she now wants is more than my previous cleaner (who included her products).
AIBU?

Just a thought: is there anything about your home that makes it harder to clean, for example high ceilings with fancy ceiling roses that are difficult to reach, and maybe that's the reason for wanting a higher rate?

Don't message her, speak face to face, she's hiding behind her phone.

If you get paid for doing a job than that’s a wage, even it’s it’s self employed…

No, it really isn't. Educate yourself. Take a look on the government website to see your responsibilities as a self employed person.

Yep, it was really more me biting back at the people who don’t clean their own houses and call their cleaners ‘lazy, greedy, thick’ etc

I think that does make sense. Cleaning a tidy house is much simpler and less stressful than cleaning a messy one, even if the physical labour expended is the same. You can just shove a podcast on and get on with it without having to think. If I were given the choice between spending 2 hours cleaning a tidy house or a messy one, I'd only take the messy one if it was paying better.

And I speak as the owner of a fairly messy house who's been ghosted by cleaners in the past.

Large house/small house doesn't make much sense though, unless you're having to carry hoovers miles up and down stairs and corridors.

I don’t understand those who can afford to pay a decent rate not doing so. We always give a months money at xmas too. Obviously it’s different if money is tight but people who try and pay cleaners etc as little as possible annoy me immensely. Same as not paying them when you’re away, there’s always things they can do. Cannot stand tight people!!!

But I’m not trying to pay her ‘as little as possible.’

I’m querying the logic & also whether it’s right that she can change it whilst on the job!

Some do unfortunately. I only recently managed to convince my aunt to up her (London) cleaner's wage from £8 to £10.

Not sure why the cleaner agrees, although she has told me aunt's home being very decluttered and small household / no kids helps.

@Eadfrith God you're hard work! I bet people are always doing the 'wrong' thing around you.

Have you considered that she may no longer want the job of cleaning your house? Start looking for another cleaner.

Apparently there’s a national shortage of domestic cleaners. lol.

Cleaning isn't unskilled work.

Totally missed the point. Who said the OP was not paying a decent rate. Think you are making up your own scenario here.

An hour after arriving? I don’t think so as she’s just messaged asking if this regular slot would work for me.

My cleaner charges £15 an hour. And to be fair OP did say she provided cleaning materials - just that her previous cleaner preferred her own so OP paid for them at the rate of an extra £5 an hour. Not sure what your problem is there tbh.

Just say no. Payment is per hour that's it. Some people think they can practically blackmail you. Don't fall for it. You have already discussed rates nothing has changed except she may need to work an hour or two more which would increase what she gets paid. Think she wants to try and do it in less hours but for more money. Stand firm.

I was talking to someone the other day about a cleaner who charges her wealthy clients more than ones on lower incomes. I don't know how common that is but maybe that is the reason she wants to charge you more?

Where did you sprout from?

Around here, cleaners change £20 an hour or more. That isn’t minimum wage!

@Chenecinquantecinq for all you know, OP may be paying her cleaner £100 per hour. Maybe even £200.

Well apparently she will need to work more intensely if working in a bigger house.

I never understood the deal with paying more per hour for a deep clean than a general clean. The deep clean would just take longer no? But it's apparently the intensity of work

Maybe a bigger house would overwhelm her or something like that? Who knows. But you can ask her?

It’s considered unskilled work. You don’t need any qualifications or a special skill set to become a cleaner. Just be physically able and ability to manage own workload, good time keeping, attention to detail etc

@Eadfrith one minute you’re saying OP is looking down on minimum wage workers (which cleaners aren’t anyway), next minute you’re saying it’s unskilled work and they shouldn’t be paid too much.
It seems that you just want to criticise people, whatever their stance.

Yes, it is.

So this is your chance to say yes, and confirm the hourly rate you agreed. I’ve had several cleaners and they all came to look at the job first before estimating how long it would take to complete a clean, and the hourly rate stays the same - they don’t quote for the work they’re doing in those two or whatever hours it takes. So if she’s saying she’s underestimated then its more hours, not more pay for the same time spent.