Welcome to the UK Window Cleaning Forums

Starting or own a window cleaning business? We're a network of window cleaners sharing advice, tips & experience. Rounds for sale & more. Join us today!

How much to clean this for a cousin

WCF

Help Support WCF:

Well if it’s for a cousin then it’s completely up to you how much you charge. I cleared out, then cleaned the gutters, then did all windows in & out on a 3 bed detached for £70 for my auntie 2 years ago. Took all afternoon working slowly. 

So so it’s up to you. We can only give you a price for the going rate. I’d charge £60ish if it was a first time customers, all frames sills doors glass & roof. But depends what access is like to the right side of the roof. 

Could be more.

 
Best to keep business and family separate or you will lose a lot of time and money. If its direct family e.g. parents or grandparents i do it for nothing [emoji4] but it can quite easily get out of hand when it comes to extended family. If you feel odd about it just be honest and say how it is [emoji4] if they are family worth having they wont judge you or take it the wrong way. I have 4 sets of aunties uncles and cousins so i have to draw the line at parents and grandparents otherwise id be losing too much money!

They may also take liberties with you because you are family, e.g. pay late or whatever. You’d be surprised how people suddenly come across in a different light as soon as any kind of money is involved, Friend or family alike. Money & love dont always mix!

Sent using the Window Cleaning Forums mobile app

 
We clean 2 houses for family, but I wouldn't clean the 3rd family members house.

We clean my late brother in laws house as his widow is still living there. Over the past 50 years we have known the family he was always very good to me/us. We were good friends. I believe I always owed him more than he owed us. So I was prepared to clean his place to cover my costs. He set a figure higher than that and insisted on paying that. And we will continue that arrangement.

We also do mother in laws 1 bed old age bungalow. The current trad cleaner charges other bungalows £4 but I charge her £5. I don't sit on my customer front steps smoking a roll up or drinking tins of beer I'm carrying around in my trad bucket of dirty water. We used to get given a cup of coffee and a biscuit but she and the wife have 'fallen out' so atm she sends me a cheque in the post. (TBH I couldn't be bothered with the drama.)

The 3rd member of the wife's family (wife's younger sister) living locally are financial misfits so we have very little do do with them.

The 4th member of the wifes family, her other brother lives about 10 miles away. He asked us to quote for doing a conservatory roof clean, gutters and fascias. I wasn't going to charge him tbh. He is a plumber and gas fitter so was hoping to get some 'credit' in the bank should I need his servcies at some future time. But he paid us. I asked him for advise as my son's boiler was giving trouble (leaking water) and was looking to replace it.

He told me the best boiler was a Bosch Worcester Greenstar i and it would be easy for me to fit. If I was really that bothered he would come out and check it had been connected correctly and sign it off, but he wouldn't bother (a typical council employee response.) So that kind of backfired a bit. ?

I would ask £15 for a customer for that in our area, windows and outside conservatory gutters. It looks straight forward enough. I might get it but I might not get it. I would ask £12 mates rates for family and advise that I would ask a lot more for the neighbours so don't go talking price to them.

If you do a good job then ask them to recommend you to their neighbours. Doing a job at mate's rates will 'obligate' them to look for some additional customers for you.

.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I did the 6 months gas course and the regulations could make a book. If anyone opens a gas line then its against the law if no license and gas safe registered. As for plumbers, everyone I meet like to make a job easy even if it looks odd. Must be the nature of the job, a good reliable plumber is worth their weight in gold. Funny, last night my wee plumber mate who I did the gas course with got in touch with me. He changes his number every 6 months and disappears from sight and pops up when you least expect him. I'm starting to think they are all the same.

Ps, I have a Viessmann boiler, German boilers seem to be the best like Greenstar and Valiant but I hear Ideal have brought out a good one with 10yr warranty.

 
I did the 6 months gas course and the regulations could make a book. If anyone opens a gas line then its against the law if no license and gas safe registered. As for plumbers, everyone I meet like to make a job easy even if it looks odd. Must be the nature of the job, a good reliable plumber is worth their weight in gold. Funny, last night my wee plumber mate who I did the gas course with got in touch with me. He changes his number every 6 months and disappears from sight and pops up when you least expect him. I'm starting to think they are all the same.

Ps, I have a Viessmann boiler, German boilers seem to be the best like Greenstar and Valiant but I hear Ideal have brought out a good one with 10yr warranty.


We understand why the electrical and gas regulations are in place.If its wrong the consequences could be a loss of life.

TBH I was gutted when he said that to me.

I'm also shocked at the 6 week training course to qualify as a plumber. I met one who couldn't solder copper pipe as they just use plastic with push on connectors. I asked him how he would join plastic pipe to lead pipes. He told me there was no lead pipes any longer so didn't need to know that. The same reason why does he need to know how a steam engine works.

 
I do my Sister in laws, house that is, charge her £10 which is the correct price. I don't do anybody else's. I would only do family / mates rates to people that could repay the favour. 


Only family member I clean for is my mother. Every time I ask for payment she starts going on about bed and board...... 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
My son or me do a couple of bungalows for family don’t charge,  also I do them trad which is a rarity as they live 30 old miles ago they only take a few minutes tbh, plus the mother in law makes a brilliant bacon pudding and steak pie and If feel really lucky apple and blackberry pie ?

 
Same as everybody Else .. at the end of the day ,you still pay the same for your rent , food , gas, clothes etc. As windowcleaners we sell our time , and for me its a slippery slope going down giving discounts to people ( who ever) other than parents. Its for free . 

 
Back
Top