Pricing please help

[Cleanco]

Last statement makes you think! Pretty sure 30-40% of mine are now underpriced. When you’ve had a round for 25 years, same customers, you tend to justify not hiking the costs every year just to make sure they stay loyal. That’s probably not a good business model though, I admit.

Ye deffo although your tredding on thin ice on desolating a good compact round and Ive found that a good paying round although maybe slightly underpriced always beats a spread out good priced round. I had an argument on here years ago with someone and he said hike your prices cos even if lose 50% you’ll still be in profit. I decided to go against his advice and make strategic prices rises whist keeping the integrity of my round. Stack em high and sell em cheap??
Who’s the winner now mr green?

 

[Dazzling]

Round here I wouldn’t do this front and back for any less than £15 minimum
South is higher prices definitely

I'm in the essex area and I charge £20/25 Depending on access

 

[Dave B]

Ye deffo although your tredding on thin ice on desolating a good compact round and Ive found that a good paying round although maybe slightly underpriced always beats a spread out good priced round. I had an argument on here years ago with someone and he said hike your prices cos even if lose 50% you’ll still be in profit. I decided to go against his advice and make strategic prices rises whist keeping the integrity of my round. Stack em high and sell em cheap??
Who’s the winner now mr green?

Mr Green lol

 

[Iron Giant]

Ye deffo although your tredding on thin ice on desolating a good compact round and Ive found that a good paying round although maybe slightly underpriced always beats a spread out good priced round. I had an argument on here years ago with someone and he said hike your prices cos even if lose 50% you’ll still be in profit. I decided to go against his advice and make strategic prices rises whist keeping the integrity of my round. Stack em high and sell em cheap??
Who’s the winner now mr green?

@Cleanco aka Dave Shaw ? if so I wouldn't have bothered with the kissing emoji

 

[Cleanco]

@Cleanco aka Dave Shaw ? if so I wouldn't have bothered with the kissing emoji

Never heard of him??

 

[Windowman72]

P

Unfortunately there is a lot involved with pricing.
There was a formula put in up on the forums recently pricing per window, french door, bathroom window and front door for a 3 bed semi.
For houses on our estate, the price per clean would work out to £17 using that formula.

There is no way i would get £17 for a clean. Currently I'm between £10 and £11 which is a similar price other cleaners are charging.

One of the cleaners working the estate raised his price from £12 to £15 and his customer cancelled. His customer told me he felt £12 was the very limit of what he would pay for his windows to be cleaned.

Now £17 would probably not be enough for a clean in the South. So pricing is very much dictated by area and region. There still areas not far from where we live where cleaners are charging £5 for a 3 bed semi.

We also haven't taken into consideration that obstacles like locked gates add the cleaning times. No 2 houses on the same estate are the same even although they are identi

I'd price one of those at £12 and be lucky to get it, but that style of house up here ex council lads are doing them for £8 so I won't even entertain quoting a job like that I avoid those estates like the plague

pricing is all dependent on area,customers and frequency also a house is only worth what it’s worth and you’ll reach that max amount at some point

 

[Dean Luker]

Opinions on Pricing for Window Cleaning Services
Both pricing strategies have their advantages, depending on your business model:

1. Set Price List
   • A fixed price list for different house types (e.g., small, medium, large homes) or standard services can make it easier for customers to estimate costs and book online.
   • Streamlines the process for straightforward jobs and works well for website sign-ups, offering clarity and convenience.
2. Job-Based Pricing
   • Pricing per window or job ensures fair charges for unique properties or challenging tasks like post-construction cleaning.
   • Offers flexibility and ensures you’re compensated appropriately for more demanding jobs.

Recommendation: Consider a hybrid approach. Provide general price ranges on your website to attract interest, then offer custom quotes for specialized services.
If you need professional support or advice, check out Westlink Construction Cleaning for tailored cleaning services and expert solutions!

4o

 

[Dean Luker]

Opinions on Pricing for Window Cleaning Services
Both pricing strategies have their advantages, depending on your business model:

1. Set Price List
   • A fixed price list for different house types (e.g., small, medium, large homes) or standard services can make it easier for customers to estimate costs and book online.
   • Streamlines the process for straightforward jobs and works well for website sign-ups, offering clarity and convenience.
2. Job-Based Pricing
   • Pricing per window or job ensures fair charges for unique properties or challenging tasks like post-construction cleaning.
   • Offers flexibility and ensures you’re compensated appropriately for more demanding jobs.

Recommendation: Consider a hybrid approach. Provide general price ranges on your website to attract interest, then offer custom quotes for specialized services.
If you need professional support or advice, check out Westlink Construction Cleaning for tailored cleaning services and expert solutions!

4o

 

[smearclear]

Unfortunately there is a lot involved with pricing.
There was a formula put in up on the forums recently pricing per window, french door, bathroom window and front door for a 3 bed semi.
For houses on our estate, the price per clean would work out to £17 using that formula.

There is no way i would get £17 for a clean. Currently I'm between £10 and £11 which is a similar price other cleaners are charging.

One of the cleaners working the estate raised his price from £12 to £15 and his customer cancelled. His customer told me he felt £12 was the very limit of what he would pay for his windows to be cleaned.

Now £17 would probably not be enough for a clean in the South. So pricing is very much dictated by area and region. There still areas not far from where we live where cleaners are charging £5 for a 3 bed semi.

We also haven't taken into consideration that obstacles like locked gates add the cleaning times. No 2 houses on the same estate are the same even although they are identical.

These prices are very low London and the south of England Farnham to Southhampton. Lowest price for a house is £20 then three-bedroom houses £23 to £25 in they have a conservatory extra £5 to £7 depending size of extension or conservatory. Four-bedroom semi or detached £25 to £30 these are the prices if you want to run a window cleaning company with out slugging your guts out. What do my fellow window cleaners think.

 

[Part Timer]

These prices are very low London and the south of England Farnham to Southhampton. Lowest price for a house is £20 then three-bedroom houses £23 to £25 in they have a conservatory extra £5 to £7 depending size of extension or conservatory. Four-bedroom semi or detached £25 to £30 these are the prices if you want to run a window cleaning company with out slugging your guts out. What do my fellow window cleaners think.

We're very similar to @spruce, pricewise, unfortunately the reality up here is you can only charge what your customers are willing to pay.
Invariably we pick up work from other windies that have packed in because they weren't earning enough. These people would be charging £5-£6 so the customer might pay £10-£12 but wouldn't pay £20

 

[Iron Giant]

We're very similar to @spruce, pricewise, unfortunately the reality up here is you can only charge what your customers are willing to pay.
Invariably we pick up work from other windies that have packed in because they weren't earning enough. These people would be charging £5-£6 so the customer might pay £10-£12 but wouldn't pay £20

I'm also aware of the fact that down the country quite a number are a 6 weekly frequency so factor this in plus higher rents and mortgage costs to cover outside of business costing then without doing the maths £20 compared to our £10-12 pricing on a 4-week frequency then the pricing I'd guess is almost comparable.

 

[RyeCleanLiam]

I'm amazed at how this thread quickly turned into a North South divide of Northerners saying "you can't charge that up here lad we have people cleaning houses for £6". The OP simply asked for pricing advice and if it was possible to price up by house size or number of windows. Simply put, yes it is possible. I have tried it both ways and I find for me personally it is more accurate to price by number of windows. I have a quote form on my website, it simply asks how many standard windows, how many bay windows, any patio or bi fold, Velux or conservatory. I price up all my customers this way and they sign up to GoCardless. This can be done wherever you live in the country and you can decide how much you feel you can charge per item, and if you'll have a minimum charge. After picking up 3 or 4 customers you'll quickly realise how accurate your prices are to what you want to achieve.
I am in the North, North Yorkshire. I have a minimum charge of £17.50 now, most new jobs are £20+. I do some houses with 5 windows for £20. My work isn't compact because I can't stand doing house after house and my pricing reflects this. I earn a very good wage and spend a lot of the day driving as well as cleaning. Means I get a little break in-between jobs, which is just how I like to work.
I don't worry about cleaners who are charging £10 for jobs I am charging £18-£20 because I'm not competing with them.
But to answer the OP question, as I said I find pricing per window is the most accurate. I started off at £1 let standard window, now I am double that at least.

 

[Windowman72]

I’m wanting everybody’s opinions on pricing or how too efficiently

Would you have a set price list with types of houses etc and let them sign up through my website

Or price on the job per window etc?


I have tried using the search boxes but it’s not bringing much up

It all depends on area,size of windows easiness,access,customer and what your happy earning for the clean

 

[Windowman72]

I'm amazed at how this thread quickly turned into a North South divide of Northerners saying "you can't charge that up here lad we have people cleaning houses for £6". The OP simply asked for pricing advice and if it was possible to price up by house size or number of windows. Simply put, yes it is possible. I have tried it both ways and I find for me personally it is more accurate to price by number of windows. I have a quote form on my website, it simply asks how many standard windows, how many bay windows, any patio or bi fold, Velux or conservatory. I price up all my customers this way and they sign up to GoCardless. This can be done wherever you live in the country and you can decide how much you feel you can charge per item, and if you'll have a minimum charge. After picking up 3 or 4 customers you'll quickly realise how accurate your prices are to what you want to achieve.
I am in the North, North Yorkshire. I have a minimum charge of £17.50 now, most new jobs are £20+. I do some houses with 5 windows for £20. My work isn't compact because I can't stand doing house after house and my pricing reflects this. I earn a very good wage and spend a lot of the day driving as well as cleaning. Means I get a little break in-between jobs, which is just how I like to work.
I don't worry about cleaners who are charging £10 for jobs I am charging £18-£20 because I'm not competing with them.
But to answer the OP question, as I said I find pricing per window is the most accurate. I started off at £1 let standard window, now I am double that at least.

Couldn’t have put it better myself

 

[Part Timer]

I'm amazed at how this thread quickly turned into a North South divide of Northerners saying "you can't charge that up here lad we have people cleaning houses for £6". The OP simply asked for pricing advice and if it was possible to price up by house size or number of windows. Simply put, yes it is possible. I have tried it both ways and I find for me personally it is more accurate to price by number of windows. I have a quote form on my website, it simply asks how many standard windows, how many bay windows, any patio or bi fold, Velux or conservatory. I price up all my customers this way and they sign up to GoCardless. This can be done wherever you live in the country and you can decide how much you feel you can charge per item, and if you'll have a minimum charge. After picking up 3 or 4 customers you'll quickly realise how accurate your prices are to what you want to achieve.
I am in the North, North Yorkshire. I have a minimum charge of £17.50 now, most new jobs are £20+. I do some houses with 5 windows for £20. My work isn't compact because I can't stand doing house after house and my pricing reflects this. I earn a very good wage and spend a lot of the day driving as well as cleaning. Means I get a little break in-between jobs, which is just how I like to work.
I don't worry about cleaners who are charging £10 for jobs I am charging £18-£20 because I'm not competing with them.
But to answer the OP question, as I said I find pricing per window is the most accurate. I started off at £1 let standard window, now I am double that at least.

I'm glad this method works for you, all @spruce and I are saying is in big Northern towns and cities it doesn't work like that, in well to do small towns and villages it might. There is still a lot of traditional cleaners doing jobs at 1980's pricing. We have a big new build estate within a mile of where I live that is mainly 4 and 5 bed detached houses, Someone is quoting £10 for the 4 bed and £11 for the 5 bed.
All we can do is advise newbies on our own personal experiences, doesn't make our advice right or wrong as no 2 areas are the same

 

[Gadgetfox]

Honestly guys, I don't know how you live on some of those prices. I rreally feel for you. I can only assume you top your money up with Universal Credit - which I would understand and don't blame you. I'm too embarrased to tell you what I charge for a 3 bed semi.

 

[Part Timer]

Honestly guys, I don't know how you live on some of those prices. I rreally feel for you. I can only assume you top your money up with Universal Credit - which I would understand and don't blame you. I'm too embarrased to tell you what I charge for a 3 bed semi.

20 houses a day at a tenner a house is £1000 a week, gross. 48 weeks a year so £48k, roughly £40k after expenses and roughly £33k after tax. Doubt you'd get any benefits earning that amount

 

[ched999uk]

Honestly guys, I don't know how you live on some of those prices. I rreally feel for you. I can only assume you top your money up with Universal Credit - which I would understand and don't blame you. I'm too embarrased to tell you what I charge for a 3 bed semi.

Don't be embarrassed, it's great that you can command higher prices. By all means post your prices and the rough area you cover. It's goo to understand regional pricing, it's not bragging, you never know you might inspire someone else near you to realise their prices are way too low.

There are 3 bed semi and 3 bed semis, I have quite a few post war 3 bed semis that have bays (5 windows with stone between each window) top and bottom, a front door with glass panel each side, and a box room window upstairs, then on the side they have 4 windows, at the rear they have 1 big window upstairs, French doors with 2 extra glass panels plus a downstairs window. So a total of about 24 'windows'. Then I have a modern 3 bed semi with 4 windows and a door on front, 1 side, 3 windows and french doors with an additional 2 panels = 12 'windows'.

I do charge roughly double on the post war semi vs the modern houses but they do seem to take a little longer than double the time!

 

[spruce]

Honestly guys, I don't know how you live on some of those prices. I rreally feel for you. I can only assume you top your money up with Universal Credit - which I would understand and don't blame you. I'm too embarrased to tell you what I charge for a 3 bed semi.

On the other hand, our round is pretty local. The majority of our round is within a 3 mile radius, and we don't have the traffic you guys in the south have to contend with. We also don't have low emission zones or congestion charges to deal with, (yet.) My annual mileage this past year was 3300 miles - just did my MOT last week. I appreciate that there are others in the south who also only do local work, but I also had business dealings with a window cleaner on the south coast who sent 2 vans into London regularly.

I bumped into another windie last week. He has customers in Whitby and Hartlepool. He was cleaning in Saltburn. That's too far to travel for me.

Last time I checked, it would cost me £12 a day to drive into Newcastle Upon Tyne with my van. I'm glad I don't have to deal with that.

 

[RyeCleanLiam]

I live in York. People might think it's a posh and affluent city but the window cleaning prices are terrible. Window Cleaners are 10 a penny and they are charging £10 for a house I would be charging £20-£25 for. Add in the traffic and parking issues I decided a long time ago it was more lucrative to travel out of York. So if I did 8 hours of £10 houses in York at 4 an hour that would earn me £320. I can travel 30 minutes up the road and command £20 for the exact same house. In 8 hours, including an hour's traveling time I can then earn £560 in a day. Take off a tenner in petrol a day and obviously the extra wear and tear on the van for me it is still far more worth while to travel 20 miles away rather than stay within a few miles of home. Horses for courses isn't it and no situation is the same.

 

[Chris Ashurst]

I'm amazed at how this thread quickly turned into a North South divide of Northerners saying "you can't charge that up here lad we have people cleaning houses for £6". The OP simply asked for pricing advice and if it was possible to price up by house size or number of windows. Simply put, yes it is possible. I have tried it both ways and I find for me personally it is more accurate to price by number of windows. I have a quote form on my website, it simply asks how many standard windows, how many bay windows, any patio or bi fold, Velux or conservatory. I price up all my customers this way and they sign up to GoCardless. This can be done wherever you live in the country and you can decide how much you feel you can charge per item, and if you'll have a minimum charge. After picking up 3 or 4 customers you'll quickly realise how accurate your prices are to what you want to achieve.
I am in the North, North Yorkshire. I have a minimum charge of £17.50 now, most new jobs are £20+. I do some houses with 5 windows for £20. My work isn't compact because I can't stand doing house after house and my pricing reflects this. I earn a very good wage and spend a lot of the day driving as well as cleaning. Means I get a little break in-between jobs, which is just how I like to work.
I don't worry about cleaners who are charging £10 for jobs I am charging £18-£20 because I'm not competing with them.
But to answer the OP question, as I said I find pricing per window is the most accurate. I started off at £1 let standard window, now I am double that at least.

I was inspired to start a window round earlier this year after reading about these £17 minimum charges and £30 for 4 bed detached prices. Boy was I in for a surprise!!
In my area in Lancashire there are still loads of traditional lads charging a fiver for 3 bed semi.
Wfp only charging maximum £15 for 4 / 5 bed with conservatory. I had no idea as to how many cleaners there were in my area until I started building a round. After 9 months and 80,000 leaflets delivered and many hundreds of doors knocked I'd only got 86 customers. Out of these 86 customers only 1 agreed to direct debit payment. It soon became apparent that the majority of these 86 houses were "awkward" in some way or other. Basically properties that other established cleaners probably didn't want. Few months down the line I got rid of 26 customers due to non payments via BACS or constantly not leaving gates unlocked for access despite me texting them the evening before and despite me going exactly 4 weeks to the day from the previous clean and pretty much at exactly the same time. So now down to 60 customers after spending over £20k on van, equipment and advertising
Having hundreds of customers, all compact work, and all on GoCardless is just a pipe dream if your areas are flooded with cleaners charging low prices. To be honest I wouldn't want hundreds of customers if the prices are too low. There's no way am I standing there scrubbing the windows, frames, sills and doors including conservatory of a 5 bedroom house for £15.
It needs to be at least £25 but they won't pay it despite the 500k property being in quite an affluent area.
Last Friday I did 9 x £10 jobs that took a ridiculous 5hrs due to having to get back into the van after every job and sit in traffic. That's an unbelievably depressing £18 per hour
I have asked the more established wfp lads in the area and they all said WITH COMPACT WORK £30 - £35ph is achievable. If I'd known this I would never attempted to build a round.
After just 8 months and not many customers and despite using an Extreme 22 pole I've already got golfers elbow on both arms and just started with carpel tunnel in my wrist
I haven't once gone to work window cleaning and been happy with my takings. Even on the morning I do a full cul-de-sac the hourly rate is only around £35 per hour which isn't great.
Anyway... spent a few grand on a couple of 3 motor gutter vacs with carbon clamped poles and a generator and suddenly everything is good
Just wished I'd not wasted a full year messing around window cleaning. Don't get me wrong a compact round with good prices and all on GoCardless would be great. But not possible everywhere. It would have been cheaper to buy a round than the money I spent on advertising!

I'm amazed at how this thread quickly turned into a North South divide of Northerners saying "you can't charge that up here lad we have people cleaning houses for £6". The OP simply asked for pricing advice and if it was possible to price up by house size or number of windows. Simply put, yes it is possible. I have tried it both ways and I find for me personally it is more accurate to price by number of windows. I have a quote form on my website, it simply asks how many standard windows, how many bay windows, any patio or bi fold, Velux or conservatory. I price up all my customers this way and they sign up to GoCardless. This can be done wherever you live in the country and you can decide how much you feel you can charge per item, and if you'll have a minimum charge. After picking up 3 or 4 customers you'll quickly realise how accurate your prices are to what you want to achieve.
I am in the North, North Yorkshire. I have a minimum charge of £17.50 now, most new jobs are £20+. I do some houses with 5 windows for £20. My work isn't compact because I can't stand doing house after house and my pricing reflects this. I earn a very good wage and spend a lot of the day driving as well as cleaning. Means I get a little break in-between jobs, which is just how I like to work.
I don't worry about cleaners who are charging £10 for jobs I am charging £18-£20 because I'm not competing with them.
But to answer the OP question, as I said I find pricing per window is the most accurate. I started off at £1 let standard window, now I am double that at least.