Cleaners - tardiness and fees?

[SpringDreams26]

I have moved house, 15 miles but a different county.

I paid £20 per hour for a cleaner who was with me several years and wonderful. She continued to clean for a few months to help us but couldn’t keep up with the travel so gave me notice. She cried when she left she was genuinely fantastic and we got along so well.

Now everyone is charging £25-27.50 per hour. Even self employed, one woman bands. AIBU to think that’s madness? I come out with about £30 after taxes earning £50 an hour. Cleaning used to be marginally above minimum wage and now it seems the same cost as a professional? Not to say cleaners aren’t professionals, but the start up costs and overheads low.

Then you have to weed out the awful cleaners, I’ve had many in my time who just move dirt around.

Had 4 people quote ALL have been late by atleast 30 minutes. If you want to justify your rate atleast show up.

and yes, I know the answer is to do my own cleaning. But AIBU that the market has changed this much?

So because someone doesn’t have student debt they don’t deserve to earn more than minimum wage? Employed people’s wages usually go up every April (not by much I know!) but that doesn’t mean self employed people’s wages shouldn’t go up.
Cleaners possibly charge above minimum wage because they need the minimum wage to live but then there’s things like insurances, travel, products…. They are not all free are they, so the cleaner has to earn above minimum to be able to pay living expenses plus business expenses

Your language makes you come across as rather snobby.

Can you not just train the kids up to doing the housework for pocket money? 🤣🤣🤣

£20/25 isn’t just above minimum wage. It’s above the average salary! Going to uni isn’t just about amassing ridiculous debt (which you do), it’s about the years of study and skill people develop. That deserves financial recognition.

You don’t need loads of cleaning products to clean a house, I clean my own, I know.

Lets agree to disagree on this.

So instead of paying what you consider too high you'd prefer to employ her yourself and pay holiday and sickness pay and a contribution to her pension?

Someone on £25ph after tax and NI is on £18.50-£19.50 ph, take away the ‘minimum’ wage they’re left with £6-7… that has to add up to be enough for travel, insurances and products and you think that’s not good value for money?

I didn’t say it’s ’just’ above minimum wage, I said it above minimum wage. We will agree to disagree because you’re clearly not accounting for the fact that they have travel, insurances, products, tax and NI plus they don’t have holiday or sick pay and seem to think only those who get into debt are worthy of a decent salary which is untrue

Every cleaner I have ever had over the last 50 years has been responsible for changing bed linen! Most of them are also happy to put it in the machine, wash it and hang it out to dry, but that does depend on how many hours work they do.

Wow people. The OP just asked a question. Why does everyone try and turn it into a fight or some sort of moral point about the validity of a having a cleaner in the first place?!

OP - we live in east London and pay our cleaner £18 an hour. FYI

You will be aware that our taxes aren’t the same.

No. I don’t think it’s good value for money.

What because I can articulate myself in a discussion without contradicting myself?

Coconutter24 · Today 16:08
"Someone on £25ph after tax and NI is on £18.50-£19.50 ph, take away the ‘minimum’ wage they’re left with £6-7… that has to add up to be enough for travel, insurances and products and you think that’s not good value for money?"

Everyone has to pay for travel to and from work. Also, cleaners generally don't bring their own products - you provide all that.

You may think I’m ignoring the on-costs, but I think you’re ignoring that university is more than just fees and debt. Do you see no value in higher education? Do you not think education deserves financial recognition? Do you think everyone should earn the same, regardless of experience, skills and education?

No. I’ll just cut back on another commitment and clean myself.

I think it’s high time that cleaning stopped being seen as worthless work, because it’s women’s work and therefore should somehow be free?

I have a cleaner because I don’t have time to do my cleaning. However it’s 3 hours a week so not like I’m spending my whole wage on it as I’m not paying for the whole week!

About 40 years ago I struggled with the housework and FT work. I asked the price my friend was paying in the Midlands and it was a reasonable price ph. I contacted a few independent cleaners plus some agencies. All the quotes I received were 3x the price ph as we were living in a more affluent area. Obviously it was the same with wages

Everyone has to pay for travel yes but some people can set their own prices which account for that and fair play to them.
My cleaner brings their own products so it depends what you choose

I think hard work deserves financial recognition not just the educational kind.

Where in the country are people that cleaners are £25 p/h? Is this price through an agency, in which case the cleaner would be receiving considerably less? I don't know anyone who would pay £25 per hour directly to a cleaner and this is one of the more expensive areas of London. I can only think £25 p/h might fly somewhere like more rural Surrey where public transport is poor so cleaners may have to travel a fair distance by car? Or maybe there are simply less cleaners in more rural areas so those that do exist can whack their rates up? OP, just use an agency.

Another one who doesn't understand the argument here.

I personally think hairdressers are absurdly overpriced and charge vastly too much for cut&colour. I can afford it, but to me it definitely isn't worth it. So I don't go, deal with my hair myself and go to a salon when I fly back home, where the service/skill are better and the prices reasonable.

BUT there are plenty of people in the UK who think the price is fair enough, it's worth it to them and they go. So hairdressers keep on charging what they charge. And good for them, I'd do the same in their shoes.

Same with cleaners. It's not a necessity, it's a luxury. So if people pay them 30 quid/hour, they're perfectly welcome to charge that. You don't have to pay it if it's too much, clean your own home.

That said, tardiness is unacceptable, bar special circs. They should arrive when agreed.

Ah 25 quid will be fine then. If they want more money they should get a better paid job eh!

So why do we pay people different amounts at all? If 25/hour is good for a cleaner, why not for a brain surgeon?

I think as much as the work is valuable - you have to understand that I can do the job of a cleaner (I don't have one, although I have done in the past) - but the cleaner's I've had (barring one) couldn't do the job I do. My skills are rarer, and therefor command a higher price.

Have you heard yourself. They literally scrub loos for a living. Well, yes, quite and that kind of work deserves to be paid well. Or do you think that every job in a similar vein is beneath you and deserving only of minimum wage? What about bin men? They just empty bins or hospital cleaners, who just mop up or waste recycling operators? Or is it just domestic cleaners who are less worthy?

Where are you @SpringDreams26? Cleaning rates in the SE vary. I pay mine £15/ hr but there are others charging £18-20p/h