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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Is this hourly rate too high?

213 replies

Question285 · 28/02/2025 09:25

I’m looking for a cleaner for a couple of hours weekly. I budgeted £18-20 per hour, but I’ve received a quote of £25 per hour. This is an independent cleaner, albeit with a proper set up. AIBU to think that this is a lot?

I’m in the NW in a reasonably affluent area, but it’s not London. Also, we live in a very normal family home. It’s not a job with an NDA in a mansion.

I’ve checked some local sm groups and it seems that £25 per hour is not unheard of, so I don’t think she was trying to put us off.

I understand overheads, tax etc. come out of that, so she’s not left with £25. But I can’t help thinking that I earn less than that gross in a role that took the better part of a decade to train for. It also comes with a lot more responsibility and less flexibility than a self employed cleaner has.

Is this where things are because of minimum wage increases? I’m not saying they were a bad thing, people should be able to live off their wages. But it seems that middle earners salaries have not kept up if for a low skilled job you can earn as much as a high skilled worker.

OP posts:
McT123 · 28/02/2025 09:33

Do you get holiday pay? Do you get sick pay? Do you have to buy your own insurance? Do you get paid whilst you are having lunch or taking a break? Do you have to spend time and money generating work for yourself?

Comparing your hourly rate to a cleaner's is really not comparing like with like.

Doggymummar · 28/02/2025 09:34

That's why I don't have one, they earn more than I do.

brunettemic · 28/02/2025 09:34

To summarise your view…you think your job is superior to that of the cleaner in question and your training etc makes you “above” her. Nice.

Hedgerow2 · 28/02/2025 09:37

Market forces at play. She's not going to price herself out of work so charges what people will pay. Education/training has never been a guarantee of a good salary. Presumably you have more job security than she does, get sick pay, paid leave etc. you're comparing apples and pears.

Cakeandusername · 28/02/2025 09:37

I think that’s high for North but if she’s really good and in demand then obviously can charge what she likes. I pay £18.50 north for comparison to a small agency. Cleaner nice but not amazing.

LittleRedRidingHoody · 28/02/2025 09:38

My cleaner works harder and is more experienced than me, and I'm on six figures 😂 It's a hard (and skilled if you're doing it right) job!

I'm sure you can pick one up within your budget, but in my experience those charging more are like any other profession. They are the best, really know what they are doing, and do it very well. The ones at £18 an hour round here are essentially mums who want a convenient job around school hours. Nothing wrong with that but there's a difference between those who work for that, and those have done it for a long time, know their worth and charge more.

Randomusername37258 · 28/02/2025 09:39

That is a lot but if she's really good it's probably worth it. I had a fantastic cleaner who did more in one hour than a bad one in two. I'd ask for a trial session.

Amba1998 · 28/02/2025 09:40

I think it’s high for the NW. I would say up to £20 p/h is normal in my area

Molecule · 28/02/2025 09:41

I look at it this way - you need a cleaner 3 hours/week. If the going rate is around £20/hour, but your cleaner is charging £25 that is only an extra £15 a week to you, which in the great scheme of things is probably nothing to you but makes the cleaner feel happier and more motivated.

Remember that the cleaner doesn’t get holiday or sickness pay, will have clients cancelling when they go on holiday (and not expecting to pay), has to pay her NI and tax out of the £25.

MidnightPatrol · 28/02/2025 09:44

Seems very high.

I pay £15/h in London.

Original poster
Question285 · 28/02/2025 09:47

McT123 · 28/02/2025 09:33

Do you get holiday pay? Do you get sick pay? Do you have to buy your own insurance? Do you get paid whilst you are having lunch or taking a break? Do you have to spend time and money generating work for yourself?

Comparing your hourly rate to a cleaner's is really not comparing like with like.

Actually, including holiday pay and pension contributions I get about £25.5. I don’t get paid lunch breaks. I don’t have to ‘generate’ work, but I also don’t have flexibility to choose when / how much I work or work around school hours, need my holidays approved, have to travel for work, which is a crucial part of my job, but often unpaid other than expenses etc. So there are pros and cons in both situations.

OP posts:
Katemax82 · 28/02/2025 09:47

I used to get £17 and hour as a private cleaner in the south east, the client provided all equipment and products. Maybe this cleaner provides all these things

Catza · 28/02/2025 09:51

It doesn't matter whether she cleans a 3 bed terrace or 7 bed mansion. The cleaning job is exactly the same. Yes, it's above what I earn as a professional but so what. You are free to start your own cleaning business if you choose to. My SIL is a cleaner. She is a qualified physio but a cleaning job works best for her in terms of flexibility. Cleaning for others is not "unskilled", just look at the numbers of complaints about poor clean on MN.

Original poster
Question285 · 28/02/2025 09:51

brunettemic · 28/02/2025 09:34

To summarise your view…you think your job is superior to that of the cleaner in question and your training etc makes you “above” her. Nice.

I don’t think my training makes me ‘above’ her. I was just surprised that in a role that requires a lot of training, involves responsibility and legal liability, you earn as much as in a role that doesn’t require any qualification and doesn’t carry much responsibility. If anything, I think she’s made the better choice career wise

OP posts:
CTW23 · 28/02/2025 09:52

Mine is £25 per hour in the south. Worth every penny

Quitelikeit · 28/02/2025 09:53

I would not pay her that regardless

Its fine if she wants to value herself that highly

Everything is about supply and demand isn’t it and cleaners have become in high demand

Personally I would not pay more than 20pph

Adbertise on your local area FB group

sorrynotathome · 28/02/2025 09:54

I would expect a cleaner charging £25 an hour to be better and faster than me at cleaning. I agree - do a trial session and see how good she is.

WinterFoxes · 28/02/2025 09:56

OP, I've been self employed most of my life and can promise you that actual earnings are roughly half the hourly rate. Cleaners have to travel between different jobs each day but aren't paid for those hours. They have to meet new clients and assess jobs and aren't paid for those hours either. Most don't get holiday or sick pay and clients will cancel at short notice if they are going away all summer or just want to save a bit of cash, leaving the cleaner with an income shortfall. If you add up all the hours she spends specifically related to her cleaning jobs and then divide that by her income, it won't be anything like £25 ph.

Mumsgirls · 28/02/2025 09:56

I am in a similar nw area, I pay my cleaner 50 for 3 hours, she is excellent and works very hard and will tackle anything. She is self employed and I have had her for years. She comes once per week.sounds like yours is tonight but it is supply and demand. Mine turns down numerous requests and is loyal to her longstanding clients.She has become a friend

AmusedGoose · 28/02/2025 09:56

Yes it's expensive but how much is a takeaway?

Movinghouseatlast · 28/02/2025 09:57

I paid £30 an hour once and she refused to wipe down my kitchen cabinets, saying this was 'deep cleaning' and was £10 an hour more!

The thing with cleaners is it's hard for them to do 8 hours a day, 5 days a week due to logistics.

Badbadbunny · 28/02/2025 09:57

YABU

Someone self employed needs to charge at least double NMW to end up with NMW due to them having to self fund holidays, sick pay, pensions, overheads, travelling time & costs, risk of bad debts, equipment, materials, non chargeable time, etc etc.

You really can't compare an hourly rate for an employee with that for someone self employed.

Loloj · 28/02/2025 09:57

Too expensive imo. Mine was £15 an hour - cash in hand so I’m sure she didn’t pay taxes on it and it’s way above NMW with flexibility to work around her children’s school hours.

MarkingBad · 28/02/2025 09:57

I'm self employed but not a cleaner. When you work as self employed it's not free cash in you pocket we still pay tax and vat where applicable, she will have other expenses too so it's not pin money

If this cleaner achieves that hourly rate it's probably because they are worth it. Personally she is not the cleaner for you. You are already suspicious of her, you are likely to worry about it and look for faults. That will rightly piss her off and you may end up getting a poor rep as a customer.

Neither of you need that. Find someone cheaper you are happy to pay their hourly rate.

ComtesseDeSpair · 28/02/2025 09:58

Yes, it sounds like a lot - but we can’t on the one hand say things like “people such as carers and cleaners and shop assistants should be paid a real wage for the work they do, it’s totally wrong that working people have to rely on top up benefits” and simultaneously say “£25 an hour, that’s extortionate, there’s no way an ‘unskilled’ worker should be earning almost the same as a skilled one.” If she comes well-referenced and with good reviews then I’d give her a trial, and then trial a less expensive cleaner as well, for comparison. Then you can make an informed decision.