I am in the process of finding someone for my parents. I have been speaking to a lot of people and doing a lot of reading online. It's really interesting, as there are a great many overlaps in some areas, and totally different schools of thought in others.
As in, reliability seems to be a big issue, for a variety of reasons.
Some people love their cleaners, and some less so. One person told me explicitly that when she pays to have the house cleaned, she expects it to be better than she does it. Interestingly, this person no longer bothers with a cleaner.
Several people have said to me they've never had a cleaner who cleaned better than they did, but as they were no longer well enough to clean or hadn't got the time to do it, it was a moot point anyway. One friend said to me "at least she (cleaner) keeps on top of everything, and I can pick up the slack when I feel like it".
Also, one person said to me she had absolutely no idea what the cleaner really did, until she decided to get rid of her thinking it wasn't worth the expense, and only then discovered just how much she was actually doing. Another said that she had a fabulous cleaner for several years, but after the first six months or so was really disappointed every time they had cleaned, because her house had been in a very grubby state, but week on week was getting cleaner & cleaner
She said eventually when everything was as clean as it was ever going to be, and that as a family they felt more motivate & incentivised to keep it cleaner & tidier, there was no "wow" factor anymore when she came home from work on cleaning day, as the house was always clean. She said in the first six months when there was a lot to catch up on, the difference was like night & day. I don't know how on earth that one can be "fixed".
But overall, what I have heard mostly was that everyone has had some good & bad experiences, and that most people adored their cleaners, and that good communication & realistic expectations on all sides was key.