agency cleaners

[alisarah]

Was wondering if people who have cleaners could help.. what are the benefits of using an agency. Naturally, it costs more - but what benefits do you get for that.

I initially thought that you would pay the agency and they employed the cleaners. But the agency i spoke to said I would pay the cleaner directly £6.50 an hour and also pay the agency £4 an hour, separately. I was a bit (hmm) about this, as it suggests the cleaner is still self employed.

I am meeting up with a cleaner tomorrow directly - they posted a leaflet through the door. I am wondering also if there is anything I should do/ask. I will request refs, but is there anything else?

Thanks for help.

I got an independent cleaner to quote and found the agency cheaper. We pay an agency fee then the cleaner direct. It's all worked out well for us.

Same as above. Agency is no more expensive but of I'm not happy with the cleaner I just let them know and they will send another. Sickness and hols are covered.

The cleaners are self-employed, yes. That means the agency has little control over them.

You may have to sign a contract with the agency that will be difficult to get out of if you decide to cancel service. I think you may be tied in for a few weeks, anyway.

You can get a good cleaner through an agency, or not. They tend to sell the work and then recruit people to fill the jobs. Hopefully, you will get one that you like and who will stick around for a while. At £6.50 an hour with no holiday pay, they may find something else they'd rather be doing. If they're good at cleaning, they may decide to go independent and make a lot more money.

They will have some background checks and the agency will have some insurance, but it may not cover everything. Liability cover doesn't cover things like a cleaner using the wrong chemical and ruining a surface, or spilling bleach on a rug. You'll have to sign an agreement not to hire the cleaner direct, yourself.

The quote I got from the independent was 8ph, whereas in total the agency was 10.50 per hour. It is not just the difference in cost to me, but I feel a bit bad about the fact the cleaner is getting 6.50 per hour. That isn't too bad if she is an employee, but from the impression I got from the agency I spoke to it sounded like she was self employed?

She's definitely self-employed. Is the agency called Maid2Clean? That's a big franchise and their cleaners are self-employed. But, there are others.

If she wasn't self-employed, they'd charge you a rate and pay her out of that.

Technically, a self-employed person has total autonomy, so there's a limit to how much they can control. She probably hasn't been trained. You will be providing all the materials and equipment. She's even allowed to send someone else in her place to do her work for her (although the agency may not let her. By law, she is allowed to do it.)

£8 an hour is cheap for an independent. (I make a lot more than that.) Whilst an independent won't be covered if she's ill or otherwise unable to make it, she will have more motivation to do a good job. The real downside is that you have to ask for references and sort out any problems, yourself.

A good independent will have insurance and be able to provide plenty of references. (I bring my own police disclosure, a list of references, and a print-out of my insurance policies that show that I am legitimate. I also provide all the materials needed.)

Unfortunately, a good independent will likely be booked up pretty full. Finding one may take a bit of time.

Thanks Katy, great help. You''re right, m2c. And you have confirmed what I'm beginningto suspect, good cleaners will be fully booked. You don't work near Chester do you??

I'm afraid not! I'm on the other side of the M60.

There are also non-agency companies that pay their employees. They're like an agency in that they can replace ill employees or switch out if yours isn't working out for you. Whether or not they're good will vary. The good ones won't be cheap as they'll be paying above the minimum wage and by the time they pay holiday pay and NI, the cost of labour can be close to £10 an hour.

Anyway, it doesn't hurt to call around and see who there is. You can ask lots of questions and good ones will come to your home to discuss things and give you a quote.

I wish I knew who was good over there.

I am totally willing to pay 10-11 ph for a good cleaner, just can't face paying inflated agency fees for, what seems to me for m2c, only introducing cleaner to client. Thanks again, will be a case of trial and error I suppose.

I think you'll be OK.

Let me know how you get on!

An agency will vet the cleaner, checking their ID/address, Right to work in the UK and provide public liability insurance as a minimum if not further insurance cover. By law, even when you hire a self-employed cleaner privately, you the home owner/client are required to comply with the Right to work in the UK checks and document envience and provide public liability insurance if the cleaner doesn't have their own.

This thread is from 2013 @Maid2CleanChigwellLtd

I started having a cleaner this year. To start with, I used an agency. The one I chose was a local businesswoman who employed cleaners - so they had NI and pension contributions paid, holiday pay etc. It felt better than using a franchise and it was OK to start with. Then, a cleaner left and the replacement wasn't so good.

On, Facebook, I saw someone looking for a local cleaner and one name was recommended twice. I decided to give her a try. She is a local mum and charges less than the agency. I pay her £10 an hour and happy to do so. I wouldn't feel happy paying less than the Minimum Wage.

This week, no cleaner because she's on holiday - not a problem for me because it's only a week. For me, the problem would be if she was unreliable or not doing a good job. I'd have to have an awkward conversation rather than just passing it back to an agency. Fortunately, it's not happened!