Current prices residential

[Hyzer373]

Just wondering what prices other window cleaners currently quote for potential new customers. With wages increasing, diesel/petrol increasing, cost of living increasing etc.
For standard semi detached house I quote £15 monthly or £17-18 every two months. I’m in West Midlands, prices I’ve seen some other window cleanings seem to vary some do standard houses for £10 some £18-20.

 

[Pjj]

Just wondering what prices other window cleaners currently quote for potential new customers. With wages increasing, diesel/petrol increasing, cost of living increasing etc.
For standard semi detached house I quote £15 monthly or £17-18 every two months. I’m in West Midlands, prices I’ve seen some other window cleanings seem to vary some do standard houses for £10 some £18-20.

I think it varies from area to area , there is no right or wrong if you are happy with xx per hour that’s all that matters , we have just finished putting up all our domestic work price most were expecting it some put their own prices up , lost less than a handful, I do think maybe with winter and dark evenings coming isn’t the best time to put stuff up , if we hadn’t already started earlier in the year I would have left it until the spring next year , good luck with it let us know how it goes .

 

[ched999uk]

For new customers I would say try asking for a few £ more than you where charging and see how many quotes you win. If you don't win any then too expensive, win them all and maybe you could go a little higher. I would say aim to win 80% of your quotes if you need work, if you are getting towards being full then aim to win 30%. I would say your prices are a balance of what you would like to earn an hour and what your local market is willing to pay it's just finding the sweet spot.

 

[Iron Giant]

I think it varies from area to area , there is no right or wrong if you are happy with xx per hour that’s all that matters , we have just finished putting up all our domestic work price most were expecting it some put their own prices up , lost less than a handful, I do think maybe with winter and dark evenings coming isn’t the best time to put stuff up , if we hadn’t already started earlier in the year I would have left it until the spring next year , good luck with it let us know how it goes .

You've had no issue with increases most likely because it had been 3 years or so if I remember rightly, I put some of mine up this year with no problems after 2 years since the last one, some jobs I was going to increase next spring when it will have been 2 years for them but I may hold off I'll just see how we ride out this winter and what the economy and peoples confidence is like on the whole

 

[K in Kent]

I think all 3 of the above comments make good sense and we're entering the time of year when your service is least appreciated by customers. And in the current economic climate you can easily imagine people's reaction to an increase .....'even the window cleaning is going up now!'
When people are looking at saving money somewhere I wouldn't want to put myself on offer and would wait until spring with the sun shining and longer daylight hours when window cleaning is more appreciated and valued by customers.

 

[Pjj]

You've had no issue with increases most likely because it had been 3 years or so if I remember rightly, I put some of mine up this year with no problems after 2 years since the last one, some jobs I was going to increase next spring when it will have been 2 years for them but I may hold off I'll just see how we ride out this winter and what the economy and peoples confidence is like on the whole

I usually put prices up every couple of years on domestic but not all at the same time , this time all have had an increase started in February and just finished some are probably 3 years some less than 2 ,but felt that due to the large increase in our expenses if I didn’t increase all now it would need a much bigger rise when they go up next time , I have been very surprised all were expecting it and said that they understood so glad I did what I did .

 

[K in Kent]

I usually put prices up every couple of years on domestic but not all at the same time , this time all have had an increase started in February and just finished some are probably 3 years some less than 2 ,but felt that due to the large increase in our expenses if I didn’t increase all now it would need a much bigger rise when they go up next time , I have been very surprised all were expecting it and said that they understood so glad I did what I did .

That makes perfect sense and you know what increase is reasonable and affordable - and when it has become a necessity. When it's because of costs and is affecting your profitability you've got to pass it on if it's going to impact you too much.
But I do think at the moment there are also some businesses (and I don't mean on the forum) that are just jumping on the bandwagon and profiteering to some extent....and also some unions. I mean - BARRISTERS - c'mon please they're having a laugh......apologies going off topic now

 

[Chris34]

I've been putting mine up over the last few weeks and I've been very bold with it. Basically £15 jobs have gone up to £20, £20 jobs to £25, £25 jobs to £30, £30 jobs to £35. I put a £35 job to £45 but I had got this job in 2019 and hadn't increased the price since then.

So far I've had 1 cancel which was a £15 to £20 terraced, and I've had to ex council houses that are pensioners switch to every 8 weeks after going from £20 to £25 (I couldn't be bothered arguing about the fact that it's actually more for every 8 weeks, in a way it's done me a favour as I talk to them while I'm there as one of them is lonely so I always made time for her.

Indications are that the customers are very trusting of me and accept what I say. The only ones to be concerned about are actually the lowest priced ones, but even these seem to be getting accepted. Quite a few haven't said anything, some have said they'll ask the wife / mrs, the rest have accepted so far.

Now this is the first time I've upped prices since starting the business 3 years ago (other than a few earlier this year). I've not found it easy to do but my thinking is that inflation is rocketing, like if you drew a line on a graph that line will have been going almost straight up for the last few months. So whatever price you pick now, in 2 months time that price will be the same, but inflation would have moved upwards in that time. So when I put up a £20 house to £25, well that's predicting that by January that is what it's going to cost.

Now here's the other thing. I predict that the limit on inflation will be when everyone hits the 40% tax bracket. So I've priced all my work at £60 per hour and with efficiency savings I could hit £70 per hour. I feel with the current tax brackets this will be sufficient, it will be the maximum unless we get hyper inflation, if we get hyper inflation then the country has gone to pot and window cleaning will be the least of peoples worries.

So my strategy is to aim high and if I lose a few, the others that remain paying the higher price makes up for the ones I lose. So far I won't be losing any sleep over the £15 job and the £30 loss per month of the 2 ex council houses as the others that have accepted more than make up for it.

Now this sounds controversial, and I suppose it is, but you have to fight for yourself in this world. I've not been blessed with opportunities, I've had to fight for everything, I've had no handouts, no inheritance and lots of bad luck, so if I see a chance where I can get ahead of the average person then I'm going to take it. It's business, and nobody is being forced to use my service, so I'm just doing the best I can, it's not a charity and other peoples problems are not mine.

 

[Chris34]

I've been putting mine up over the last few weeks and I've been very bold with it. Basically £15 jobs have gone up to £20, £20 jobs to £25, £25 jobs to £30, £30 jobs to £35. I put a £35 job to £45 but I had got this job in 2019 and hadn't increased the price since then.

So far I've had 1 cancel which was a £15 to £20 terraced, and I've had to ex council houses that are pensioners switch to every 8 weeks after going from £20 to £25 (I couldn't be bothered arguing about the fact that it's actually more for every 8 weeks, in a way it's done me a favour as I talk to them while I'm there as one of them is lonely so I always made time for her.

Indications are that the customers are very trusting of me and accept what I say. The only ones to be concerned about are actually the lowest priced ones, but even these seem to be getting accepted. Quite a few haven't said anything, some have said they'll ask the wife / mrs, the rest have accepted so far.

Now this is the first time I've upped prices since starting the business 3 years ago (other than a few earlier this year). I've not found it easy to do but my thinking is that inflation is rocketing, like if you drew a line on a graph that line will have been going almost straight up for the last few months. So whatever price you pick now, in 2 months time that price will be the same, but inflation would have moved upwards in that time. So when I put up a £20 house to £25, well that's predicting that by January that is what it's going to cost.

Now here's the other thing. I predict that the limit on inflation will be when everyone hits the 40% tax bracket. So I've priced all my work at £60 per hour and with efficiency savings I could hit £70 per hour. I feel with the current tax brackets this will be sufficient, it will be the maximum unless we get hyper inflation, if we get hyper inflation then the country has gone to pot and window cleaning will be the least of peoples worries.

So my strategy is to aim high and if I lose a few, the others that remain paying the higher price makes up for the ones I lose. So far I won't be losing any sleep over the £15 job and the £30 loss per month of the 2 ex council houses as the others that have accepted more than make up for it.

Now this sounds controversial, and I suppose it is, but you have to fight for yourself in this world. I've not been blessed with opportunities, I've had to fight for everything, I've had no handouts, no inheritance and lots of bad luck, so if I see a chance where I can get ahead of the average person then I'm going to take it. It's business, and nobody is being forced to use my service, so I'm just doing the best I can, it's not a charity and other peoples problems are not mine.

Actually I've just thought, it's not £30 per month that I've lost on the two ex council houses, it's £15 per month. £20 x 2 = £40 x 2 (two cleans each) = £80 vrs £25 x 2 = £50 (one clean each every 8 weeks). Then there is the costs of fuel, water etc so it's actually less than £15 per month.

So in total so far I've lost less than £30 per month. Not really worked it all out until now, very happy with that.

It's funny though, when you're working in the business those that say no are the ones that stand out in your mind and it's hard not to feel anxious about it and whether you are doing the right thing, but when you write all the figures down you can see that from a business point of view it's the right thing to do.

 

[K in Kent]

I've been putting mine up over the last few weeks and I've been very bold with it. Basically £15 jobs have gone up to £20, £20 jobs to £25, £25 jobs to £30, £30 jobs to £35. I put a £35 job to £45 but I had got this job in 2019 and hadn't increased the price since then.

So far I've had 1 cancel which was a £15 to £20 terraced, and I've had to ex council houses that are pensioners switch to every 8 weeks after going from £20 to £25 (I couldn't be bothered arguing about the fact that it's actually more for every 8 weeks, in a way it's done me a favour as I talk to them while I'm there as one of them is lonely so I always made time for her.

Indications are that the customers are very trusting of me and accept what I say. The only ones to be concerned about are actually the lowest priced ones, but even these seem to be getting accepted. Quite a few haven't said anything, some have said they'll ask the wife / mrs, the rest have accepted so far.

Now this is the first time I've upped prices since starting the business 3 years ago (other than a few earlier this year). I've not found it easy to do but my thinking is that inflation is rocketing, like if you drew a line on a graph that line will have been going almost straight up for the last few months. So whatever price you pick now, in 2 months time that price will be the same, but inflation would have moved upwards in that time. So when I put up a £20 house to £25, well that's predicting that by January that is what it's going to cost.

Now here's the other thing. I predict that the limit on inflation will be when everyone hits the 40% tax bracket. So I've priced all my work at £60 per hour and with efficiency savings I could hit £70 per hour. I feel with the current tax brackets this will be sufficient, it will be the maximum unless we get hyper inflation, if we get hyper inflation then the country has gone to pot and window cleaning will be the least of peoples worries.

So my strategy is to aim high and if I lose a few, the others that remain paying the higher price makes up for the ones I lose. So far I won't be losing any sleep over the £15 job and the £30 loss per month of the 2 ex council houses as the others that have accepted more than make up for it.

Now this sounds controversial, and I suppose it is, but you have to fight for yourself in this world. I've not been blessed with opportunities, I've had to fight for everything, I've had no handouts, no inheritance and lots of bad luck, so if I see a chance where I can get ahead of the average person then I'm going to take it. It's business, and nobody is being forced to use my service, so I'm just doing the best I can, it's not a charity and other peoples problems are not mine.

Fair play to you. I'm totally favour of people doing well and maximising the value of their business. I was only cautioning against for those who are perhaps not in as strong a position with their business yet and maybe don't yet have a solid, loyal customer base. We're in uncertain times at the moment with a weak Prime Minister and shaky financial markets, and a media that leaps at every opportunity to worry people and make the Tory government look bad. Unfortunately, they're only adding to the problem.
Inevitably the fear factor increases the likelihood of some people looking to cut costs and paying for what could be considered a luxury service, or at least non-essential. My point was for some businesses it might not be the best time to rock the boat.
But in your case, as you say you've been bold and it's paid off. Good luck to you as well - and I mean that. Plenty of people will always be comfortable whatever happens with the economy and I think typically people are happy to pay more if they feel they get value for money and if you consistently provide a great service people will pay for it. I'm sure you'll thrive and best of luck

 

[Chris34]

Fair play to you. I'm totally favour of people doing well and maximising the value of their business. I was only cautioning against for those who are perhaps not in as strong a position with their business yet and maybe don't yet have a solid, loyal customer base. We're in uncertain times at the moment with a weak Prime Minister and shaky financial markets, and a media that leaps at every opportunity to worry people and make the Tory government look bad. Unfortunately, they're only adding to the problem.
Inevitably the fear factor increases the likelihood of some people looking to cut costs and paying for what could be considered a luxury service, or at least non-essential. My point was for some businesses it might not be the best time to rock the boat.
But in your case, as you say you've been bold and it's paid off. Good luck to you as well - and I mean that. Plenty of people will always be comfortable whatever happens with the economy and I think typically people are happy to pay more if they feel they get value for money and if you consistently provide a great service people will pay for it. I'm sure you'll thrive and best of luck

Cheers . I put off doing price rises due to reason after reason (Covid, lockdown, maybe more covid, lockdown 2, petrol shortage, petrol increase, energy prices etc) and eventually I just decided that there will never be a good time. Although I am happy in that I waited until the price cap on the energy prices was going to be limited to £2.5k. Around that point I don't think my customers would have been so lenient, it felt very uncertain.

The media are a lot to blame for everything, they cause all the panic and then report on the panic they themselves caused. I don't watch the news, I just tend to skim read the headlines on google and that tells you all you need to know. I do think we're in a bad place with Liz though, she's not a leader, the problem is non of them in the whole of parliament are leaders, it's embarrassing.

Personally though with business I think to an extent ignorance is bliss. If you don't know what's going on in the world then all you know is your own little business and when everyone is saying yes to your quotes and asking for the add ons as well then for me that's a sure sign that the demand is there, so regardless of what's going on in the world it's probably best to tune out of it all and just concentrate on the spreadsheets and the results of the marketing etc.

Definitely tests your business acumen all what's going on though.

 

[pablowillpro]

I've been putting mine up over the last few weeks and I've been very bold with it. Basically £15 jobs have gone up to £20, £20 jobs to £25, £25 jobs to £30, £30 jobs to £35. I put a £35 job to £45 but I had got this job in 2019 and hadn't increased the price since then.

So far I've had 1 cancel which was a £15 to £20 terraced, and I've had to ex council houses that are pensioners switch to every 8 weeks after going from £20 to £25 (I couldn't be bothered arguing about the fact that it's actually more for every 8 weeks, in a way it's done me a favour as I talk to them while I'm there as one of them is lonely so I always made time for her.

Indications are that the customers are very trusting of me and accept what I say. The only ones to be concerned about are actually the lowest priced ones, but even these seem to be getting accepted. Quite a few haven't said anything, some have said they'll ask the wife / mrs, the rest have accepted so far.

Now this is the first time I've upped prices since starting the business 3 years ago (other than a few earlier this year). I've not found it easy to do but my thinking is that inflation is rocketing, like if you drew a line on a graph that line will have been going almost straight up for the last few months. So whatever price you pick now, in 2 months time that price will be the same, but inflation would have moved upwards in that time. So when I put up a £20 house to £25, well that's predicting that by January that is what it's going to cost.

Now here's the other thing. I predict that the limit on inflation will be when everyone hits the 40% tax bracket. So I've priced all my work at £60 per hour and with efficiency savings I could hit £70 per hour. I feel with the current tax brackets this will be sufficient, it will be the maximum unless we get hyper inflation, if we get hyper inflation then the country has gone to pot and window cleaning will be the least of peoples worries.

So my strategy is to aim high and if I lose a few, the others that remain paying the higher price makes up for the ones I lose. So far I won't be losing any sleep over the £15 job and the £30 loss per month of the 2 ex council houses as the others that have accepted more than make up for it.

Now this sounds controversial, and I suppose it is, but you have to fight for yourself in this world. I've not been blessed with opportunities, I've had to fight for everything, I've had no handouts, no inheritance and lots of bad luck, so if I see a chance where I can get ahead of the average person then I'm going to take it. It's business, and nobody is being forced to use my service, so I'm just doing the best I can, it's not a charity and other peoples problems are not mine.

Well said mate.
I'm holding out until spring to put my prices up. I've always tied it in with weather getting warmer and the days getting longer. I feel this will be fully justified as I haven't touched most of my prices for 3 years by that point. I usually stick my £15 jobs to £18 but I think going straight to £20 is completely understandable given the recent economic climate. I will lose a few for sure but it'll be the ones that aren't great anyway, holding you up for "free therapy" sessions etc. I've had a few cancel already and I've been glad to see the back of them in all honesty. Times like these really do separate the wheat from the chaff.