House cleaning is one of the simplest businesses in Britain to start: startup costs are tiny, no qualification is needed to begin, and every happy customer can become a weekly booking that pays for years. Around one in six private households already hires a cleaner. This guide covers the real startup costs, the kit that matters, the legal and trust rules in order, and how to turn one-off cleans into a regular round that fills your diary.
What services to offer, and what to charge
Keep your menu short at first. Most solo cleaners build their income on one core service — the regular domestic clean — and add higher-priced extras once the diary is full. Start with homes, not offices: domestic clients decide faster, pay promptly and recommend you to neighbours.
| Service | What it includes | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Regular domestic clean | Dusting, vacuuming, mopping, kitchen and bathroom clean, 2–3 hours | £15–£20 per hour outside London; £22–£27 in London |
| Deep clean | Everything in a regular clean plus oven, fridge, limescale, skirting and inside cupboards | £150–£300 per home, fixed price |
| End-of-tenancy clean | Full top-to-bottom clean to letting-agent standard, often with oven and carpet extras | £150–£400 per property, fixed price |
| One-off / spring clean | Single deep tidy-up, no ongoing commitment | £20–£25 per hour or a fixed quote |
Price regular cleans by the hour and deep or end-of-tenancy cleans by fixed quote, agreed after seeing photos or the property. Set a two-hour minimum booking so a single short job across town never loses you money. For the full pricing picture, read our guide on how to price a cleaning business in the UK.
How much does it cost to start?
Costs depend mainly on whether clients supply their own equipment and whether you need a car. A lean setup runs around £300–£900, while a professional setup with your own kit and branding runs to roughly £1,000–£2,500. These are planning estimates synthesised from competitor ranges, not quotes.
| Item | Lean setup | Professional setup |
|---|---|---|
| Vacuum cleaner (good domestic or commercial model) | £0–£150 (use your own at first) | £150–£300 |
| Mop, bucket, cloths, gloves, caddy | £50–£100 | £100–£200 |
| Cleaning chemicals and sprays | £50–£100 | £100–£200 |
| Steam cleaner (optional at first) | — | £100–£300 |
| Public liability insurance (first year) | £50–£150 | £100–£300 |
| Basic DBS check | £20 | £20 |
| Branding, website, booking page | £0–£100 | £200–£500 |
| Marketing (leaflets, directory listings) | £50–£200 | £200–£500 |
| Total, excluding vehicle | £220–£820 | £970–£2,320 |
Many cleaners start on foot, by bus or in their own car, and only buy a van when the round justifies it. Start lean and upgrade from profit, not debt.
The legal checklist, in the right order
1. No licence is required — but the rules still apply
There is no general cleaning licence in the UK, which is why barriers to entry are so low. Tax registration, insurance, chemical safety and waste rules still apply, and they are set out below in the order to tackle them.
2. Register with HMRC
Register as self-employed with HMRC as a sole trader, or register a limited company if you prefer. Sole-trader registration is free and done online; as a guide, you generally need to register for Self Assessment once gross trading income passes £1,000 in a tax year, by 5 October after the end of that tax year. Keep records from day one: bookings, takings, fuel, chemicals and equipment. VAT registration becomes compulsory once rolling 12-month turnover passes £90,000.
3. Insurance — including the vase you knock over
Arrange public liability insurance before your first job. It covers accidental damage to a client’s property and injury caused by your work — the knocked-over vase, the stained carpet, the slip on a wet floor you just mopped. Competitors put a solo cleaner’s policy at roughly £50–£300 a year. The moment you hire anyone, employers’ liability insurance becomes a legal requirement, and if you drive to jobs, tell your motor insurer the vehicle is used for business. Read our guide to insurance for the self-employed for the wider picture.
4. Chemicals, safety and waste
Cleaning chemicals fall under COSHH, the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health rules: know what each product is, what it must never be mixed with — bleach and descaler is the classic dangerous mix — and what gloves or ventilation it needs. Store products upright and labelled, never in unlabelled bottles. If you carry clients’ rubbish away, register as a waste carrier; most domestic cleaners leave bagged waste with the household.
5. The trust checklist: DBS, keys and damage
Domestic cleaning is a trust business — you are alone in someone’s home with their keys. A basic DBS check costs £20 on GOV.UK, is not a legal requirement for most cleaners, but many clients ask for one before handing over keys. Agree a written key policy covering storage, labelling without the address, and return on leaving. Report breakages immediately, in writing, and let insurance handle genuine accidents.
Finding your first clients
Work this order:
- Google Business Profile: Free, and the first thing neighbours see when they search “cleaner near me”. Add photos of your work, your service area and your hourly rate.
- Facebook and Nextdoor: Before-and-after photos in local groups outperform paid ads at this stage, and one recommendation thread can fill a week.
- Leaflets, done properly: A short leaflet through doors in streets with busy professionals and larger homes, with a clear price and booking number — only in areas you will travel to.
- Estate agents and landlords: Offer end-of-tenancy cleans at a fixed price. One agent who trusts you can send steady work.
- Referrals: Offer a free hour for any client who brings you a regular booking. One street with five weekly clients beats twenty scattered one-offs.
Price for regulars, not one-offs: a two-hour weekly clean at £18 an hour is £144 a month from one household. Ten such clients is a full-time income.
Pricing and realistic earnings
The maths of a decent week: twenty hours at £18 an hour is £360 gross, or fifteen hours at £20 plus one £200 deep clean is £500. Supplies, fuel and travel run roughly £30–£60 a week, leaving £300–£440 before tax and insurance. Competitors put a self-employed cleaner’s annual earnings at roughly £20,000–£35,000, and solo operators are capped by their own hours — so the route to more income is raising the rate, adding deep and end-of-tenancy work, or eventually hiring. Do not compete on price: clients who hand you their keys will pay £20 an hour for someone who always shows up rather than £15 for someone who sometimes does.
Common mistakes to avoid
The five classic errors are underpricing, scattered clients, skipped insurance, no written terms and no diary system. Agree cancellation, keys and inclusions before the first visit, and use a simple online calendar with reminders.
Your first 30 days, step by step
Week one: register with HMRC, arrange insurance, order your DBS check and buy the lean kit. Practise your standard clean until a two-bedroom clean takes a predictable time. Week two: set up your Google Business Profile and social pages, print leaflets, and price your services. Week three: launch — offer an opening discount to your first ten clients for honest reviews and before-and-after photos, and approach two estate agents about end-of-tenancy work. Week four: review takings per hour and which areas book best, then drop weak areas and build your regular round.
If you are weighing other hands-on ideas first, read our guide on how to start a window cleaning business: the fundamentals are similar — low overheads, local customers, and reputation doing the heavy lifting. For a trade with more tools and higher ticket sizes, see also how to start a handyman business in the UK. House cleaning will not make you rich overnight, but for flexible hours, low startup costs and income that repeats every week, it is one of the most accessible businesses in Britain today.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a licence to start a house cleaning business in the UK?
No general licence is currently required. You must still register with HMRC, carry public liability insurance, follow COSHH rules for chemicals, and register as a waste carrier if you take clients’ rubbish away.
How much money do I need to start?
Roughly £220–£820 for a lean setup or £970–£2,320 for a professional one, excluding a vehicle. Many cleaners start at the lower end and upgrade from profit.
How much can I earn?
Competitors put a self-employed cleaner’s earnings at roughly £20,000–£35,000 a year. Twenty hours a week at £18 an hour grosses around £360 a week before costs, with deep and end-of-tenancy cleans lifting some weeks higher.
What insurance do I need?
Public liability insurance first — roughly £50–£300 a year for a solo cleaner. Employers’ liability insurance becomes a legal requirement the moment you hire staff, and business-use motor cover applies if you drive to jobs.
Should I get a DBS check?
It is not a legal requirement for most cleaners, but it costs £20, clients often ask for one before handing over keys, and it is cheap credibility.
Related reading: If you are comparing hands-on business ideas, read our guide on how to price a cleaning business in the UK, our guide to insurance for the self-employed, our guide on how to start a window cleaning business, and our guide on how to start a handyman business in the UK.