Pricing past and present

[Potta81]

I’m trad still, I usually charge 50% more for first cleans but as this is easy I’d probably charge £15 first clean then £12 maintenance cleans.

 

[Pjj]

We are wfp and I would do 6 per hour like this without breaking into a sweat , I would expect my guys to do at least 4 per hour probably 5 , but that would be on compact work which we have a lot of.

 

[Part Timer]

I'd want £12 but if I needed it would probably have to go in at a tenner. 

 

[fast_muchly]

I make that 11 windows in total including the doors so evan at a £1 per window it should be £11 and that’s a very out dated way of pricing , we have a minimum  for anything of £10 if it’s one window and a door it’s £10 , we have hundreds of properties similar in design  to this but I accept the windows are bigger than your picture but that’s how I would price it and I get the vast majority I Price , Green pro has always stated he can price work up anywhere in the country practically the same money , I do feel that there are different prices for different areas , but that’s honestly what I would charge and i get over 80% of all the quotes I do .

Just out of interest what would that property cost where you are ? Down hear where I am it would be £250-275 for a 3 bed detached , for  a top of the range one with onsuite £300k 

Hi PJJ    Property like this on estate going for less than £200k   but only just . 

Not a chance in Nottingham area the poorer pit side of notts Mansfield / Ollerton would you do many of these at £15 . I would love you boys to come here and try those prices on .£20 you would be laughed down the road  Keep them coming .

All goes to show when you giving advice to people on prices it really is dependent on how rich/poor your area is , its all a matter of judgement .

 

[Potta81]

We are wfp and I would do 6 per hour like this without breaking into a sweat , I would expect my guys to do at least 4 per hour probably 5 , but that would be on compact work which we have a lot of.

For maintenance cleans trad I’d probably do 3 of these in an hour. Not all my work is priced appropriately tho. I’d price this £12 for maintenance cleans if I picked It up tomorrow but I have some £12 houses that take me half an hour to clean working relatively quick.i think I could just go a steady pace & do 3 of these in an hour. I now ask for what I want & is realistic to achieve for the area I work in, no point being a busy idiot. Then again you’d charge more than me & get more done in an hour so I suppose I would still be a busy idiot lol

 

[Pjj]

Hi PJJ    Property like this on estate going for less than £200k   but only just . 

Not a chance in Nottingham area the poorer pit side of notts Mansfield / Ollerton would you do many of these at £15 . I would love you boys to come here and try those prices on . Keep them coming .

It would be interesting to get @Green Pro Clean Ltd Thoughts in this he is based in Nottingham I believe ?.. I think he said that his avarage price is between £12-15 and he has several franchises , so has a lot of work , I accept what you are saying but if you don’t ask you don’t get , we have hundreds of properties like this in estates down hear and people expect to pay that kind of price , we get a lot move down from London, and the Home Counties and when I price up stuff like this they think Ime very cheap , Ime happy and so are they ?? we only move the van three or four times a day maximum when doing this type of work as we have so many close together . 

 

[fast_muchly]

It would be interesting to get @Green Pro Clean Ltd Thoughts in this he is based in Nottingham I believe ?.. I think he said that his avarage price is between £12-15 and he has several franchises , so has a lot of work , I accept what you are saying but if you don’t ask you don’t get , we have hundreds of properties like this in estates down hear and people expect to pay that kind of price , we get a lot move down from London, and the Home Counties and when I price up stuff like this they think Ime very cheap , Ime happy and so are they ?? we only move the van three or four times a day maximum when doing this type of work as we have so many close together . 

You cant do it like that as Notts has quite a few very wealthy areas like a lot of areas do . There was a guy who cleans in rainworth/blidworth area use to frequent this forum his idea would be better . Cant think of his name now might even been an admin . I try to be on around £20 an hour and I don't rush not busting my knees  and at 53 I take my time . Im not moaning or don't believe you and good for anyone who gets a ton for cleaning a house like this but I can honestly say hand on heart that not a prayer would you get £20 and I doubt you would do many at all at £15  but £12 isn't to bad .

 

[Windamon]

Question for the old hands around here, has pricing moved on in the last ten years?

If the you of ten years ago priced a house and the you of today priced that same house would the price be the same? Or would todays price be higher? (Or lower)

Here we used to price on the basis of £2 for an upstairs window and £1 for a downstairs window but I find that we have actually dropped back from that, probably due to increased competition. Doesn't really affect me much because we are so well established but it is noticable.

Example;

The other day an old school friend asked me to price his house, I figured the job was worth £50 but quoted him £45, turnes out somebody has already quoted him £40.

yeah,round here in lancs a typical 3 bed semi is around £6,not forgetting after you take out yer bits and bobs you might be left with £4 ish.customer think what you charge is all yours!! and you have to hand most of it to the wife!!!

 

[Mx19]

£18-20 for me

 

[Davy G]

My price would be £14 six weekly, possibly £15 if it wasn't close to other jobs.

 

[mike007]

My price would be £14 six weekly, possibly £15 if it wasn't close to other jobs.

Which would equate to about £12 if done monthly then ?

 

[wezza13]

Down here in Kent, I would charge £15 (my minimum price) for 4-weekly or £20 for 8-weekly and expect to be there 10-15 mins.

 

[Davy G]

Which would equate to about £12 if done monthly then ?

Probably about that. 6 weekly earns more in the year for that reason. I can charge slightly more and do other jobs in the spaces created and they're also charged at slightly more than 4 weekly. ?

 

[Dave B]

Interested in this as I think pricing depends on area . 

A little test then HOW MUCH WOULD YOU PRICE THIS HOUSE AT HONEST QUOTES PLZ  ( no fibs ) 

Will let you know what I price later as it is one I do .

Included Front and Back of property .

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€15 round here 

I make that 11 windows in total including the doors so evan at a £1 per window it should be £11 and that’s a very out dated way of pricing , we have a minimum  for anything of £10 if it’s one window and a door it’s £10 , we have hundreds of properties similar in design  to this but I accept the windows are bigger than your picture but that’s how I would price it and I get the vast majority I Price , Green pro has always stated he can price work up anywhere in the country practically the same money , I do feel that there are different prices for different areas , but that’s honestly what I would charge and i get over 80% of all the quotes I do .

Just out of interest what would that property cost where you are ? Down hear where I am it would be £250-275 for a 3 bed detached , for  a top of the range one with onsuite £300k 

I live in Hertfordshire. 

My 3 bed terrace is worth 320k at the moment.

A house like that would be more like 450k

 

[dazmond]

You cant do it like that as Notts has quite a few very wealthy areas like a lot of areas do . There was a guy who cleans in rainworth/blidworth area use to frequent this forum his idea would be better . Cant think of his name now might even been an admin . I try to be on around £20 an hour and I don't rush not busting my knees  and at 53 I take my time . Im not moaning or don't believe you and good for anyone who gets a ton for cleaning a house like this but I can honestly say hand on heart that not a prayer would you get £20 and I doubt you would do many at all at £15  but £12 isn't to bad .

i dont take on any work that doesnt earn me at least £40-£50 an hour these days.....the price i would charge for the house in the pic would be £15 on an 8 weekly frequency and id fully expect to clean 4 an hour if they were virtually all next door to each other....

i remember when £20 an hour seemed like a good rate in my trad days(nearly 10 years ago now).....i spent 17 years on the ladders,nearly 10 years WFP........IM ONLY 5 YEARS BEHIND YOU!(48 yrs old)?

 

[laddergarder]

Around £15 for me. I would walk away before I would do it for £8. That would be 73p a window not counting the door. At £15 its £1.36 a window.

It does look easy to be fair though. So I can understand £10-12 but you would really need a few in the area to make that work, and if you still have them 10 years later, they will be way underpriced.

Better to go in high and your more likely to keep them sensibly priced with price rises over time. Go low and there may be no salvaging it. Once they are used to payng 70p a window, it will be a hard job convincing them the jobs worth double that.

 

[Potta81]

Around £15 for me. I would walk away before I would do it for £8. That would be 73p a window not counting the door. At £15 its £1.36 a window.

It does look easy to be fair though. So I can understand £10-12 but you would really need a few in the area to make that work, and if you still have them 10 years later, they will be way underpriced.

Better to go in high and your more likely to keep them sensibly priced with price rises over time. Go low and there may be no salvaging it. Once they are used to payng 70p a window, it will be a hard job convincing them the jobs worth double that.

This is true, I still have work from when I started on my own 14 years ago & fell into the trap of underpricing as I needed the work which is pointless as u just regret it  6 months down the line.The very worst one I have is £10 (£7.50 when I started ?) takes me 35min!! if I was pricing it now it’d be £15 min. Tbh I don’t know why I still do it as I have too much work & could just drop it. Force of habit I suppose lol

 

[dazmond]

Around £15 for me. I would walk away before I would do it for £8. That would be 73p a window not counting the door. At £15 its £1.36 a window.

It does look easy to be fair though. So I can understand £10-12 but you would really need a few in the area to make that work, and if you still have them 10 years later, they will be way underpriced.

Better to go in high and your more likely to keep them sensibly priced with price rises over time. Go low and there may be no salvaging it. Once they are used to payng 70p a window, it will be a hard job convincing them the jobs worth double that.

if you offer 8 weekly from the start most people will easily accept £15 to clean that property

IMO £8 to clean that property is far too cheap,i have jobs priced at £8 but they are small 3 bed semis on a 4 weekly basis and lots of them next door to each other(i clean 5 or 6 an hour)including all frames and doors.

 

[Part Timer]

Tbh I don’t know why I still do it as I have too much work & could just drop it. Force of habit I suppose lol

Why not just tell them it's now £15, all work anyone gets to start off should be looked at like an apprenticeship. When you're busy enough to be able to afford to lose them then you should hike them to a realistic price. 

 

[Potta81]

Why not just tell them it's now £15, all work anyone gets to start off should be looked at like an apprenticeship. When you're busy enough to be able to afford to lose them then you should hike them to a realistic price. 

Most of my prices are going up a pound in April. I’ll try theres 2 or 3 quid. I know for a fact if I put it up 50% they’ll cancel. Which I wouldn’t be bothered about but I do 3 houses directly opposite & they all talk so I don’t want to upset the Apple cart to much.

 

[spruce]

Interested in this as I think pricing depends on area . 

A little test then HOW MUCH WOULD YOU PRICE THIS HOUSE AT HONEST QUOTES PLZ  ( no fibs ) 

Will let you know what I price later as it is one I do .

Included Front and Back of property .

View attachment 18484

View attachment 18485

You are right there. It also depends on the amount of window cleaners you have in the area as @Part Timer also mentioned on one of his posts.

On Teesside I would try to get £10 every 6 weeks, but this is more like a £9 house for us. 

I have mentioned this before, we have lost a few £10 jobs of late because a fellow windie has quoted cheaper. We have a lot of unlettered WFP vans running around that I haven't seen before with a window cleaner I don't recognise. So competition plays an important part. Customer perception and local gossip also has a bearing on prices.

I've also had experience with the local job center encouraging job seekers to become window cleaners. They have been told to buy a cheap applicator, squeegee, bucket and cloths and target bungalows. Offer to clean windows for a couple of pounds. Don't worry about their existing cleaners as they can afford to loose some customers to you. Keep a list of your customers and the money you get. Build them up until you have enough work for 16 or 24 hours a week. The government will make up your monthly shortfall to a living wage and the council will do their bit as well. Sorted.