Silly prices!!

I have one area  could maybe do more than 3 an hour, but generally speaking I can do 2/3 houses an hour. Which is why I charge a minimum of £7. Now I do have some as low as £6, everyone will have a few thats under priced, especially if you have been at it for a while. But for new customers, its £7 minimum. So I can make a least £20 an hour.

I can totally understand some others on here who maybe from areas where the cost of living is greater, i.e. London having a minimum charge of £10+. Every job I do takes some time. Sure you can get some that a next door to each other, and are fairly compact. But you will still have a certain percentage of your time spent driving no mater how compact it is.

If it was a little old dear, with 5 windows, 2 up 3 down. all medium sized. I would charge £7(glass only). I would do in all likely hood 3 an hour, taking into account a little moving and dealing with customers. I could spent 40 minutes to an hour just standing at peoples doors trying to get paid (2-3min over 20). Everything takes time.

Even if you only spent 10% of your time driving (6 minutes of every hour), that is still nearly an hour of your day there.

Dave Shaw said:

So your telling me that if an old lady asks you for a price to clean the front of a one up one down terraced house next door to one that you already clean that would take two mins you would say a tenner minimum?
I think I need to come and invade your patch. I'd be retired in ten years. Haha.


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That is the bonus of living in hertfordshire

Most of my work is either big old houses or new build type houses where all the customers are commuting to london for work and living here

I do 2 bungalows next door to each other with a combined total of 10 windows and 2 lots of patio doors

Takes 5 minutes per bungalow and makes me £20

The customers are more than happy to pay that as the frames and everything are spotless

I do a lot of these.. 1 up 1 down and door at the back

How much would you charge?

I'm moving to Hertfordshire. U selling any work. Haha. Way too much good competition in my area for them prices. I do have a few domestic properties that fall into your price bracket but not many. I just get stuck in and earn my crust.


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It is a fair price for this area

@Adams0211 works the exact same area and he charges pretty much the same as me for most jobs

Dave B said:

 
That is the bonus of living in hertfordshire
Most of my work is either big old houses or new build type houses where all the customers are commuting to london for work and living here
I do 2 bungalows next door to each other with a combined total of 10 windows and 2 lots of patio doors
Takes 5 minutes per bungalow and makes me £20
The customers are more than happy to pay that as the frames and everything are spotless
I do a lot of these.. 1 up 1 down and door at the back
How much would you charge?
 
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Just for that front and if it was in the middle of my existing work e.g next door or on the same street as any of my existing costumers I would probs go in at a fiver fortnightly/monthly. If I had to travel out of my way for it I'd probably have to go in with a more expensive quote to compensate for travelling time but wouldn't get it 95% of the time due to competition.


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laddergarder said:

I have one area  could maybe do more than 3 an hour, but generally speaking I can do 2/3 houses an hour. Which is why I charge a minimum of £7. Now I do have some as low as £6, everyone will have a few thats under priced, especially if you have been at it for a while. But for new customers, its £7 minimum. So I can make a least £20 an hour.

I can totally understand some others on here who maybe from areas where the cost of living is greater, i.e. London having a minimum charge of £10+. Every job I do takes some time. Sure you can get some that a next door to each other, and are fairly compact. But you will still have a certain percentage of your time spent driving no mater how compact it is.

If it was a little old dear, with 5 windows, 2 up 3 down. all medium sized. I would charge £7(glass only). I would do in all likely hood 3 an hour, taking into account a little moving and dealing with customers. I could spent 40 minutes to an hour just standing at peoples doors trying to get paid (2-3min over 20). Everything takes time.

Even if you only spent 10% of your time driving (6 minutes of every hour), that is still nearly an hour of your day there.

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Imo 20 an hour isn't really enough to run a business when yiu take into account overheads. Well it is if you are working 40 hour weeks. I'm in the north and there's plenty of guys charging what you do or less but I still manage to average 12 quid a house. 

Now my rounds not full but on the good days I can average 30-40 an hour. I would suspect if I was dawn south. 50 an hour.

I too have a 10 quid minimum for a whole house. Fronts im about 6-8 quid.  Cheapest job is a 5 quid 1 up 1 down terraced front that takes all of 2 mins.

THL4KEL said:

A couple of things you have to remember - a cash in-hand labourer in the north works for 60 quid a day plus claims dole.

A lot of people out there can offer low rates due to working tax credits being there main source of income. 

A lot of people don't have a mortgage to pay. 

A lot of people have not gone and bought a new van or new equipment, they are running 500 quid motors with secondhand equipment which keeps there costs down.

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Although you have a point I think it's actually a lack of ambition and a lack of self belief that makes window cleaners go in cheap. Yes they might be cleaning at a fiver a go and claiming dole and have no mortgage or van but if they charged a tenner a go they could earn twice as much plus their sole or do twice as little work for the same money.

Its a mentality of "people won't pay that" I've had 3 local cleaners post on my fb telling me youll never get them prices round hers and I'm **** turpin lol.

Just laugh at these guys with their limiting beliefs. Have some self worth and believe you offer a fantastic service that is value for money.

I always put a price in for what's it's worth. Lowest house I do is £5 highest house I do is £48
Most are monthly customers
If bi-monthly then price mite be pound more.
I even do 3-monthly and 4-monthly but the price is normally double what should be. I always explained the reason why never had any issues yet.
I used to be able to do 3 houses min 10 windows plus front and back door some times conny mid size in about 1 hours and 15 mins roughly when was working for someone. All by traditional method. Price wise was from £12 to £16

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adamangler said:

 
 
Although you have a point I think it's actually a lack of ambition and a lack of self belief that makes window cleaners go in cheap. Yes they might be cleaning at a fiver a go and claiming dole and have no mortgage or van but if they charged a tenner a go they could earn twice as much plus their sole or do twice as little work for the same money.
 
Its a mentality of "people won't pay that" I've had 3 local cleaners post on my fb telling me youll never get them prices round hers and I'm **** turpin lol.
 
Just laugh at these guys with their limiting beliefs. Have some self worth and believe you offer a fantastic service that is value for money.
 

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At 40 per hour on your peak you must be brining in close to 1600 a week. That's just under the vat reg band and unless your a limited company your gonna be paying nearly half that in tax(40%). After all that your probs not gonna make much more than if u charged £6 for the same houses. Plus with the added risk that someday your gonna lose work to someone a lot cheaper.


Sent using the Window Cleaning Forums mobile appIf I was charging £12 for three bed semis on my work which is mostly walking distance from each other I'd be makin close to 60/70 per hour. That's nearly 2500 per week. I'm guessing you do quite a lot driving between jobs etc cos I can't see that happening. Either that or you only work a couple of hours a day.


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£40 seems allot to me. I would love to charge that, but honestly, I wouldn't get any work in my area. £20+ an hour makes me just over 27k a year in sales. Working 4 days a week. .I can make money at that.

Dave Shaw said:

At 40 per hour on your peak you must be brining in close to 1600 a week. That's just under the vat reg band and unless your a limited company your gonna be paying nearly half that in tax(40%). After all that your probs not gonna make much more than if u charged £6 for the same houses. Plus with the added risk that someday your gonna lose work to someone a lot cheaper.


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No where near mate not even half that at the moment.

Because firstly 40 is top end when I go balls out or have the work to do it, other days when it's a bit more spread out or slightly lower paid job it's around the 30 mark.

Secondly there's no way I could do 8 hours cleaning per day at 40 an hour as I would be absolutely knackered working at that pace all day, that's assuming I had no break as well and had the daylight all year round. In winter there might be 7 hours light only plus when you ads in delays and breakdowns and the odd messers it would be virtually impossible to do 40 hours at 40 quid.

Thirdly I don't have enough work to hit that or enough compact quality work to hit that everyday.

Fourthly I work about 5-6 hours a day, that enough for me. 

Fifthly if I was earning close to that solo I would stay under vat and go ltd and have a nice pension.

The potential is there though, that was really my point.

30-40 an hour on the glass is more than achievable that doesn't mean you have to work 40 hours a week come rain snow or what may. It means you can work less, have a bit more freedom and earn a bit more money.

If I ever wanted to earn that kind.of money a week I would employ. 

But I'm up north, I'll bet theres lads down south who can average more than that.

adamangler said:

No where near mate not even half that at the moment.

Because firstly 40 is top end when I go balls out or have the work to do it, other days when it's a bit more spread out or slightly lower paid job it's around the 30 mark.

Secondly there's no way I could do 8 hours cleaning per day at 40 an hour as I would be absolutely knackered working at that pace all day, that's assuming I had no break as well and had the daylight all year round. In winter there might be 7 hours light only plus when you ads in delays and breakdowns and the odd messers it would be virtually impossible to do 40 hours at 40 quid.

Thirdly I don't have enough work to hit that or enough compact quality work to hit that everyday.

Fourthly I work about 5-6 hours a day, that enough for me. 

Fifthly if I was earning close to that solo I would stay under vat and go ltd and have a nice pension.

The potential is there though, that was really my point.

30-40 an hour on the glass is more than achievable that doesn't mean you have to work 40 hours a week come rain snow or what may. It means you can work less, have a bit more freedom and earn a bit more money.

If I ever wanted to earn that kind.of money a week I would employ. 

But I'm up north, I'll bet theres lads down south who can average more than that.

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@Damo

@Dave b

bet one of them can lol

I aim for £30 an hour, in real terms after expenses, messers, tax, admin time etc. It works out about £12-15 an hour for me.

@laddergarder

Where do you live and why do you think that?

40 is a lot (round here) I have only done it on occasion on my better days. 30 is more a realistic average. Although working briskly I reckon im somewhere in between most days. But I generally bang work out with no breaks and I'm home before 3. I couldn't do it till 5 everyday.

Its possible anywhere if you stick to your guns and hang in there long enough.

My next door neighbours cleaner charges 4.50. There's loads of trad guys about at 5-6 quid. Even most the wfp guys are around 8 quid. I've had comments on my fb from a few windys saying I'm a rip off etc.  When I quote on fb I only get about 1 in 5 quotes accepted as I'm too expensive.  Trust me round here everyone is used to paying a fiver. I've been doing this over 2 years and my round is not full, I could have filled it twice at 6 or 7 quid a go but I refuse to do it. I started a business to work less and earn more and I'll be dammed if I don't hit my goals that inset out to achieve. 

I'm not even expensive, £10 for a 2 bed semi or terraced, £12 for a 3 bed. Few a little better few a little worse but don't think my prices are crazy.  There is one cleaner in my area who charges a good bit more than me and he is full with work. 

@adamangler

Why do I think charging £40 an hour is expensive.

Because I would be charging out 60k a year to my customers for 1 self employed window cleaner.

I think we may be comparing two different things.

I make a minimum of £20ph every hour. Sometime a little more.

For a two bed. 5 windows. I would be £7/8. Depends on the size and height. Though.

I live about town about 20 miles from Glasgow.

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Dave B said:

That isn't how the tax bracket works

If for example i earned 84k in a 12 month period i would only pay 40% on the 2k over 82k the rest would be subject to normal tax excluding your personal tax threshold

I don't earn that much however i do earn well

I price well and don't need to rush at all so have an easier life

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As far as I'm aware you pay 40% over £45,000 not over £82k....

After your personal allowance You pay 20% tax up to 45k.

after 45k you pay 40% and once your turnover is 85k you have to register for vat.

Spartan said:

As far as I'm aware you pay 40% over £45,000 not over £82k....

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You're right mate

Had just woken up lol

Not sure what i was thinking as i pay 40% on some of my earnings anyway lol

I think my point was you don't earn less by earning more and lowering all your prices to account for higher tax would be counterproductive 

Just have less customers and an easier working life

Clisty1989 said:

@Damo

@Dave b

bet one of them can lol

I aim for £30 an hour, in real terms after expenses, messers, tax, admin time etc. It works out about £12-15 an hour for me.

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I did work with a mate a while back on some very compact work

Van never moved for an hour and we had done around 112 quid

Moved van and did the next bit for roughly the same again 

That don't happen very often lol

I'm happy to be busy everyday and my target is 30-33 quid an hour 

That way i get time to eat or chat or find out where @Adams0211 is and go have a doss

Suppose it could be the old strategy of undercutting monopolising the market and then once you have the majority of market share raise the price up to a tenner..

laddergarder said:

@adamangler

Why do I think charging £40 an hour is expensive.

Because I would be charging out 60k a year to my customers for 1 self employed window cleaner.

I think we may be comparing two different things.

I make a minimum of £20ph every hour. Sometime a little more.

For a two bed. 5 windows. I would be £7/8. Depends on the size and height. Though.

I live about town about 20 miles from Glasgow.

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No not why do you think 40 an hour is expensive. But why do you think a self employed window cleaner is worth 40 an hour? After all your have gone out and done it off your own back with hard graft and determination. Not a lot of people dare start theor own business. Why shouldn't you earn as much as possible?

What I'm saying is I think it's a mindset problem rather than a real world people won't pay that problem. A lot won't I agree but you don't need a lot as a one man band...I only want 300 there's hundreds of thousand of potential customers our there.

Dont get me wrong mate I don't hit 40 an hour very often its only on my best priced work with a lot of graft. I would say overall average  it's probably 30 an hour working a bit steadier.

I think this post has turned into a bit of a slanging match on who has the highest priced work. Personally I pride myself on being cheap and I make lots of money doin so which to be honest is why we go to work in the first place. Everyone's different and has their own take on what works and what doesn't. As long as you and your custys are happy and the golden nuggets keep flowing in then who's bothered.


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This is what happens when you are open about pricing on a forum. You get window cleaners working in London. Comparing themself to window cleaners working in totally different economic enviroments. Some clean frames some don't.

The sad thing is windows cleaners just starting out wondering what to charge, are left clueless, when they read threads like this.

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Everyone can do as they please. 

What works for one won't work for another but the being a forum everyone will have an opinion.  Doesn't make anyone right or wrong. Its just a discussion.