A domestic cleaner in the UK typically costs £17 to £25 per hour through a company, or £12 to £20 per hour hiring an independent cleaner directly. London runs higher, commonly £22 to £26 through an agency and £15 to £20 independently.
The gap between those two columns is not a markup for nothing. It covers employer national insurance, holiday pay, insurance, vetting, equipment, cover when your cleaner is ill, and someone to call when something goes wrong. Whether that is worth five pounds an hour to you is a genuine question, and the answer depends on your circumstances rather than on which option is objectively better.
Rates at a glance
| Independent | Through a company | |
|---|---|---|
| UK average | £12 to £20/hr | £17 to £25/hr |
| London | £15 to £20/hr | £22 to £26/hr |
| South East | £14 to £20/hr | £19 to £25/hr |
| Midlands and North | £12 to £17/hr | £16 to £21/hr |
| Scotland and Wales | £12 to £17/hr | £16 to £22/hr |
| Included | Labour | Labour, insurance, vetting, cover, management |
| If they are ill | No clean that week | Replacement sent |
| If something breaks | Their own arrangement | Public liability insurance |
By property and frequency
Regular maintenance cleaning, assuming a company rate of £20 per hour:
| Property | Weekly hours | Fortnightly hours | Cost per visit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 bed flat | 2 | 2.5 | £40 to £50 |
| 2 bed | 2.5 to 3 | 3 to 3.5 | £50 to £70 |
| 3 bed | 3 to 3.5 | 4 | £60 to £80 |
| 4 bed | 4 | 5 | £80 to £100 |
| 5 bed | 5 | 6 | £100 to £120 |
Add roughly half an hour per additional bathroom. Bathrooms consume more time per square metre than any other room, so a two bedroom flat with two bathrooms prices closer to a three bedroom.
Annual cost for a fortnightly clean of a two bedroom home lands around £1,560 to £1,820. Weekly is roughly double.
By service type
| Service | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Regular domestic, per hour | £17 to £25 |
| One-off deep clean, 2 to 3 bed | £165 to £350 |
| End of tenancy, 2 bed | £200 to £300 |
| Oven deep clean | £45 to £80 |
| Carpet cleaning, per room | £35 to £60 |
| Upholstery, 3 seat sofa | £45 to £90 |
| Mattress clean | £30 to £60 |
| Window cleaning, exterior, semi | £15 to £28 |
| Office cleaning, per hour | £15 to £28 |
| Airbnb changeover, 2 bed | £65 to £110 |
| After builders, single room | £180 to £350 |
| Ironing, per hour | £14 to £20 |
What drives the price
Region. The largest single factor. London and the South East carry higher wage costs, congestion and ULEZ charges, and parking that can add £20 to £40 to a single job.
Frequency. Weekly visits cost less per visit than fortnightly ones, because less has accumulated. Fortnightly costs less per year.
Condition. A home cleaned regularly for years takes less time than an identical one that has not been. This is why a first visit often costs more, and why a deep clean is usually recommended before regular visits start.
Bathrooms, more than bedrooms.
Pets. Hair adds time everywhere, and most companies apply a modest supplement.
Products. Whether they bring them or you supply them, which is worth agreeing up front.
Access. Stairs without a lift, difficult parking, or a long walk from the road all cost time.
VAT. Smaller operators below the VAT registration threshold do not charge it. Larger companies do, and that is a 20% difference on the same work. Always ask whether the quoted figure is what you pay.
What a very low rate means
If someone quotes well below the local market, the money has to come from somewhere. Usually one of these:
Below-cost wages. Work backwards from the rate. After the National Living Wage, employer national insurance, holiday pay, insurance, equipment and travel, a company charging close to minimum wage as its hourly rate is not covering its costs. Check the current National Living Wage rate on GOV.UK and do the arithmetic.
No insurance. The saving is real until something is damaged.
No vetting. No references, no identity checks, no verification of right to work.
Cash in hand with no records, which creates problems for both parties and leaves you with no evidence of what you paid for.
Fewer hours than you think. Two cleaners for one hour is not two hours of cleaning by the time they have set up and packed down.
An introductory rate that rises after two or three visits.
None of this means the cheapest quote is always wrong. It means a quote significantly below the others deserves a direct question about what is included and how many hours you are actually buying.
Ways to reduce the cost sensibly
1. Go fortnightly rather than weekly. Roughly halves the annual cost for most households.
2. Tidy before the visit. Ten minutes of clearing surfaces converts into more actual cleaning within the same paid hours. Free, and the highest-return thing you can do.
3. Deep clean first, then maintain. Regular visits are cheaper to deliver on a house that starts from a good baseline.
4. Reduce the scope rather than the hours. Skipping a spare room you never use is better than squeezing the whole house into too little time.
5. Supply your own products, if the company allows it. A modest saving, and useful if you have preferences.
6. Bundle services. Carpets done at the same time as a deep clean avoids a second minimum charge of £60 to £90.
7. Be consistent about access. Lockouts are charged and are pure waste.
8. Keep the same slot. Cleaners build routes, and a customer who moves their slot constantly is more expensive to serve.
What not to economise on
Insurance. Ask for the certificate and check the excess.
Vetting, if someone will be alone in your home.
Enough hours to do the job. An underspecified clean disappoints everyone and usually ends within three months, at which point you start again.
Payment, tipping and increases
Payment is usually monthly by bank transfer or standing order for regular cleaning, and on completion for one-off jobs.
Tipping is not expected in UK domestic cleaning, though many households give something at Christmas, commonly the value of one clean.
Rates rise, usually annually, typically tracking wage costs. A company that has not raised its prices in three years is either absorbing the increase or paying its staff less in real terms. An annual increase in line with the National Living Wage is normal and reasonable, and a good company gives notice.
Frequently asked questions
Is it cheaper to hire directly? Per hour, yes, by roughly £5. You take on the vetting, the insurance risk and the absence of cover.
Should I pay cash? Some independent cleaners prefer it. For a company, expect invoices and records, which you will want if there is ever a dispute.
Do I pay if I cancel? Most companies charge for cancellations inside 24 or 48 hours, since the slot cannot be refilled. Check the policy before booking.
Do I pay for bank holidays? Only for visits that happen. Good companies offer an alternative slot rather than simply skipping.
How many hours do I actually need? Use the table above as a starting point, then adjust after the first month. Too few hours is the most common setup error.
Is a minimum booking normal? Yes, commonly two hours for domestic work, because travel and setup cost the same regardless.
