Paying Cleaner - Slightly different scenario

[babysnowman]

Looking for people's opinions on my situation.

I have a cleaner who has normally come weekly for the past 2.5 years. Having said that though, nearly every second week she doesn't come, either because we have to cancel or more often because she does. On these occasions, we don't pay her and nothing has ever been said about it. So, I suppose it's a fairly casual arrangement.

I'm now feeling really bad seeing the other threads about cleaners and thinking maybe I should be paying her while all this is going on, even if she isn't coming.

I do have a dog walker who I'm keeping on and paying in full even though we don't need her right now. I've told her as well that I would pay her as normal if she needed to self isolate. The difference is that, in normal circumstance, she comes 5 days a week and is really dependable and has helped us out with other things a lot in the past.

Am I being unfair to carry on paying one and not the other?

I'd pay the cleaner a retainer of 50% of what she is paid when she comes every week. (That is being generous and is technically nearly 100% of her pay if she cancels nearly every other week).

In the future, when this is hopefully all behind us, I would look to hiring someone who is more reliable.