If you are about to hire a regular cleaner for a London flat or house, there is no single answer, and anyone who gives you one is guessing. Cleaners set their own prices. Two cleaners covering the same street can quote differently and both be reasonable, because their costs, travel and way of working differ.
What you can do is understand how the price is built. Once you know that, a quote stops being a number and becomes something you can check, compare and negotiate.
One note on the figures in this guide. They are indicative ranges, the sort of rates cleaners commonly quote in London. They are not averages and not survey results. The live source is the rate each cleaner publishes on their KleanTouch profile and on the area pages for the pilot neighbourhoods. Always confirm the price with the cleaner before the first visit.
How domestic cleaners charge
An hourly rate with a minimum visit
Most independent domestic cleaners in London charge by the hour and set a minimum number of hours per visit. The minimum exists because the cleaner has to travel to you, and a one-hour job is not worth a forty-minute journey each way. Two hours is the most common floor for a flat. Three hours is common for houses, for fortnightly visits and for the first visit to a new customer.
This matters more than the headline rate. "£18 an hour" tells you very little until you know whether the minimum is two hours or three, because that is the difference between £36 and £54 per visit.
Weekly, fortnightly or one-off
Regular work is what most cleaners want, and the frequency changes the price per visit.
- Weekly visits are usually the shortest, because there is less build-up between cleans. Some cleaners offer a slightly lower hourly rate for a weekly commitment.
- Fortnightly visits need more time per session to cover the same home to the same standard, so the hours per visit tend to go up even if the hourly rate does not.
- Monthly and one-off visits sit closer to a deep clean. Many cleaners price these at a higher hourly rate, or as a fixed quote, because the work is heavier.
A fixed price per visit
Some cleaners and small firms quote a flat price per visit for a defined property, for example a two-bedroom, one-bathroom flat cleaned weekly. This is normally an hourly estimate rolled into one figure. Ask how many hours the price assumes, so you know what happens if the flat takes longer one week.
Indicative rates: what London cleaners typically quote
The table below shows the ranges you are likely to hear when you ask around. Treat them as a sense check, not a price list.
| Arrangement | How it is usually priced | Typically quoted (indicative) |
|---|---|---|
| Independent cleaner, weekly or fortnightly | Hourly, 2 to 3 hour minimum | Roughly £15 to £25 per hour |
| Independent cleaner, one-off or first visit | Hourly at a higher rate, or a fixed quote | Often at or above the top of that range |
| Agency or booking platform | Hourly, with the agency's commission or fee built in | Typically more than an independent for the same hours |
| Small cleaning company sending two cleaners | Fixed price per visit, or hourly per cleaner | Varies; ask for the total per visit, not the per-person rate |
To make the arithmetic concrete, and this is an illustration rather than a quoted rate: a cleaner charging £18 an hour with a three-hour minimum costs £54 a visit, which is £234 a month if weekly and £117 a month if fortnightly. The same cleaner at £22 an hour would be £66 a visit. The per-visit total is the number to compare, and the monthly total is the number to budget with.
Rates move. The figure on a KleanTouch profile is the rate the cleaner gave us when they listed. It is a guide or a from-price, not a contract, and the cleaner will confirm their current price when you contact them.
What changes the price
Where you live
Inner London and central postcodes tend to cost more than outer boroughs, partly because cleaners working there face longer or more expensive journeys and partly because demand is higher. A cleaner who drives has to think about parking, about the Congestion Charge if they enter the central zone during charging hours, and about ULEZ if their vehicle is not compliant. A cleaner on public transport factors in the time instead. Either way, a cleaner who already works on your street or the next one is often cheaper and more reliable than one crossing three boroughs to reach you, which is a good reason to search by area rather than by name.
Self-employed cleaner or agency
This is the biggest structural difference in price.
- A self-employed cleaner keeps the whole rate. Out of it they cover their own travel, products if they bring them, insurance if they hold it, tax and the unpaid time between jobs.
- An agency introduces a cleaner and takes either an upfront fee or an ongoing cut of each hour. The cleaner receives less than you pay.
- A managed cleaning company employs its cleaners, and its price covers employer costs, insurance, supervision and cover when your usual cleaner is off.
None of these is automatically better value. You are paying for different things, so do not compare an agency's hourly rate with an independent's as if they were the same product. If you want the same person every week, an independent is usually the simplest route. If you want someone else sent when they are ill, you are paying a company for that.
Who supplies the products and equipment
Ask this before the first visit, because it is the most common misunderstanding. Many independent cleaners expect you to supply the vacuum, mop and cleaning products. Some bring their own kit for the same rate, others for a small addition to it, which is reasonable given they have to carry it across London. If you want specific products used, for example fragrance-free or a particular brand, expect to supply them yourself.
Size and condition of the home
Bedrooms and bathrooms drive the hours. So do pets, small children, clutter, and how long it has been since the place was properly cleaned. Most cleaners ask for a longer first visit to bring the home up to the standard they can then maintain in the regular slot. If the home needs a real reset first, that is a deep clean and is priced as a separate job. See what separates a deep clean from a regular clean if you are not sure which you need.
Extras
Ironing, changing bed linen, laundry, inside the oven, inside the fridge and inside windows are the usual add-ons. Ironing is often charged at the same hourly rate but takes time away from cleaning, so either add hours or accept that less gets cleaned. Oven cleaning is regularly quoted as a separate job, because done properly it takes an hour or more on its own.
Keys and wasted trips
If you give a key, agree how it is stored and labelled. If you do not, and the cleaner arrives to a locked door, most will charge for the wasted journey, and it is fair that they do.
The legal floor
Any cleaner employed by a company must be paid at least the UK National Living Wage, or the National Minimum Wage rate for their age. The current figures are published on gov.uk and change each April, so check there rather than relying on a number in an article.
Self-employed cleaners are not covered by minimum wage rules, but the same logic applies. Their hourly rate has to cover unpaid travel, gaps between jobs, products, insurance, tax and holidays. A quote far below the ranges above should prompt a question about what is being left out, and whether the person quoting it is entitled to work in the UK.
London compared with the rest of the UK
Cleaners in London generally quote above the rest of the country, because of longer journeys, higher living costs and higher demand. Beyond that broad point, be wary of national "average" figures. They mix London with towns where a cleaner can park outside the door, and they are usually published by companies that sell cleaning.
How to compare quotes fairly
Put every quote through the same checklist before you decide.
| What to check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Hourly rate and minimum hours, as a total per visit | The per-visit figure is the only one that compares directly |
| What those hours are expected to cover | Two hours in a two-bed flat means kitchen, bathroom, floors and surfaces, not the oven and the skirting boards |
| Products and equipment | Supplied by you, or by the cleaner, and at what rate |
| Travel or parking | Included, or added on |
| First-visit price | Longer first visit, a one-off rate, or a separate deep clean |
| Cancellation terms | Notice required and what is charged for a late cancellation |
| Holiday cover | Independent cleaners usually cannot provide it; companies usually can |
| Payment | Cash, bank transfer or invoice, and when |
| Insurance | Ask whether they hold public liability insurance; KleanTouch does not check this |
That last row is worth repeating. KleanTouch is a directory. "Contact verified" on a profile means we confirmed the contact details reach the business before the listing went live. It is not a check of insurance, qualifications or the quality of the work, and cleaners set their own prices. For a fuller set of checks, read how to find a reliable cleaner in London before you make the first call.
See what cleaners in your area charge
Cleaners on KleanTouch cover named London neighbourhoods and publish their rates where they choose to; those rates appear on their profiles and on the area pages for the pilot neighbourhoods, with more areas being added. Browse cleaners across London, open a profile, check the rate and the services listed, and contact the cleaner directly by phone, WhatsApp or email. There is no booking fee and no commission. You agree the price with the cleaner and pay them.