How to price a cleaning business in the UK: a guide for cleaners setting their own rates, not homeowners comparing quotes.
Quick answer: Most UK cleaning businesses price using an hourly rate of £15 to £25, a flat per-visit rate for regular clients, or a per-property quote for one-off and end-of-tenancy jobs. Your true price must cover materials, travel, insurance, and your own time, not just match what competitors charge.
Why most pricing guides do not actually help cleaning business owners
Search for cleaning prices in the UK and you will mostly find guides written for homeowners deciding what to pay someone else. They tell you what the market charges, but not how to build a price that actually covers your costs and leaves you a fair profit.
This guide is written the other way round, for the person doing the cleaning and running the business.
Choose a pricing model that fits your work
Hourly pricing suits regular domestic clients with predictable jobs. It is simple to explain and easy to adjust if a job runs long, though clients sometimes worry about being charged for slow work.
Flat per-visit pricing suits regular clients once you know exactly how long their property takes. You quote a fixed price per visit, which clients like for its certainty, and you keep the benefit if you work efficiently.
Per-property quotes suit one-off jobs such as end-of-tenancy or deep cleans, where the scope is clear from a walkthrough or a few questions about the property.
Work out your real hourly cost first
Before setting a client-facing price, calculate what an hour of work actually costs you to deliver. Add together your target take-home pay per hour, a share of your travel time and fuel between jobs, the cost of cleaning products and equipment wear, insurance, and any admin time spent on quoting, invoicing, and scheduling.
Many new cleaners set a price based only on what competitors charge, then discover months later that travel time and product costs have quietly eaten their profit. Build your true cost first, then compare it with the market, not the other way round.
What UK cleaning businesses typically charge
Independent cleaners commonly charge between £15 and £25 per hour for standard domestic cleaning, with London and the South East usually towards the higher end. Cleaning agencies tend to charge more per hour than independents, since their rate also covers insurance, vetting, and cover for staff absence.
Deep cleans and end-of-tenancy jobs are usually priced higher than routine cleaning, often £18 to £30 per hour or as a fixed price based on property size, since they take longer and require more thorough work per room.
Commercial cleaning contracts are usually quoted differently again, often per square foot or as a monthly contract price, since office and retail spaces need consistent scheduling and sometimes early morning or evening work.
Pricing regular clients versus one-off jobs
Regular weekly or fortnightly clients are worth pricing slightly lower per hour than one-off jobs, since predictable, recurring income is valuable to your business and reduces the time you spend finding new clients.
One-off jobs, especially end-of-tenancy or post-renovation cleans, justify a higher rate. These jobs are more physically demanding, harder to schedule around your regular clients, and often come with a tighter deadline.
How to raise your prices without losing clients
Review your prices at least once a year, since the cost of products, fuel, and your own time all shift, and a rate that worked two years ago rarely still reflects your real costs today.
Give existing clients advance notice, ideally a full billing cycle, and explain the reason briefly rather than apologising for it. Clients who value reliable, quality cleaning rarely leave over a modest, well-communicated increase.
Apply new rates to new clients immediately, and phase existing clients in gradually if you are worried about losing several at once.
Common pricing mistakes to avoid
Copying a competitor’s advertised rate without checking whether it actually covers your own costs is the most common mistake new cleaners make, particularly since some competitors are also underpricing.
Forgetting to price in travel time between jobs quietly erodes your income across a full week, especially if your round covers a wide area.
Offering a permanently discounted rate to your first clients, then struggling to raise it later once they are used to the lower price, is a common trap. A modest introductory offer with a clear end date works far better than an open-ended discount.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I charge as a new cleaning business in the UK?
Most independent cleaners start around £15 to £20 per hour, adjusted for your area and the type of cleaning, then increase as they gain experience and a reliable client base.
Should I charge more for end-of-tenancy cleaning?
Yes. End-of-tenancy and deep cleans take longer and require more thorough work, so they typically justify a higher hourly rate or a fixed price reflecting the extra time involved.
How often should I review my prices?
At least once a year, or sooner if your costs for products, fuel, or insurance rise significantly.
Is hourly or fixed pricing better for a cleaning business?
Fixed per-visit pricing works well once you know a property well, since clients like the certainty and you keep the benefit of working efficiently. Hourly pricing is simpler for new or unpredictable jobs.