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!

Amount to charge customers please.

Azz1

Member
Messages
57
Location
Manchester
Hello everyone ? . Can anyone and everyone please advise me on an approximate amount that they are charging there customers ( only if you wish to state ) and the approximate area that they are in ( so I can get a rough idea ). I'm starting up soon with a reach and wash system. I don't want to undercharge but also importantly overcharge.

Thanks

Arron ? 

 
Hello everyone ? . Can anyone and everyone please advise me on an approximate amount that they are charging there customers ( only if you wish to state ) and the approximate area that they are in ( so I can get a rough idea ). I'm starting up soon with a reach and wash system. I don't want to undercharge but also importantly overcharge.

Thanks

Arron ? 
Sorry but this is how  long is a piece of string , depends on so many things , number of windows, type of windows , size of windows ,access, does it have  a conservatory , location ( Costal  with salt or in the country and doesn’t get to dirty ) type of dirt on them , frequency of clean , how close can you park , prices will differ from location to location sometimes evan a couple of miles will make a huge difference as to what people will be prepared to pay , sorry not to be more helpful , we have domestic houses from £10-250 depending on the above points .

 
Sorry but this is how  long is a piece of string , depends on so many things , number of windows, type of windows , size of windows ,access, does it have  a conservatory , location ( Costal  with salt or in the country and doesn’t get to dirty ) type of dirt on them , frequency of clean , how close can you park , prices will differ from location to location sometimes evan a couple of miles will make a huge difference as to what people will be prepared to pay , sorry not to be more helpful , we have domestic houses from £10-250 depending on the above points .
What is the minimum that you charge please for a rough size 2 up 2 down front and back please ?

Thanks

 
Set a minimum that you want to charge and work from that. Figure out what you want to earn hourly and how long it takes to clean the house and that’s a good starting point.

 
Clean your own house work it out how long it will take you... and now how many of them can u earn in an hour? now work out how many of them u will need to do and work your price from there ? There will be window cleaners charging from  £2.00 to £30.00 for the same property, u get all types of window cleaners in every towns...

*U get the pub rats - the people who claim universal credit and sit in the pub all day and decide to become a seasonal window cleaner and earn a few kwid to get the pints in ? These guys will cahrge £2.00 per house , they got no outgoings lol
*U then get traditional window cleaner whos been doing it for years and his prices will be the same from 20 years ago around £5.00 per house
* then get the traditional window cleaner who has just added a reach and wash to his business and is trying to put his prices up from £5.00 to £7.00
* U then get a 1 man band who has 200 houses priced at £50.00 each - this kid is smart and earns a lot of money for short money - he works for 1 week and then lives abroad for the other 3 weeks.
*U then get the other 1 man band who has low prices and works hard week in week out his prices will be average and not low or high
* u then get the 2 man bands who may have a higher price as he has a wage to pay out ?
* U then get the big franchises and companies who will have 10 plus vans , u will find 1 company being cheap and another may be expensive, prices all vary.

I clean a house for £9.00 and i know a window cleaner with a reach and wash system who would do it for £6.00 ! and i also know another window cleaner who would charge £15.00 ! !

Try to work out the prices in your area and try and be average priced and be fair with the customer , as long as your happy and there happy then that is the main thing.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
What is the minimum that you charge please for a rough size 2 up 2 down front and back please ?

Thanks
We have a minimum price of £10 for anything , so a front door and one window would be £10 most modern estate type houses are £10-15 in my area 

 
Clean your own house work it out how long it will take you... and now how many of them can u earn in an hour? now work out how many of them u will need to do and work your price from there ? There will be window cleaners charging from  £2.00 to £30.00 for the same property, u get all types of window cleaners in every towns...

*U get the pub rats - the people who claim universal credit and sit in the pub all day and decide to become a seasonal window cleaner and earn a few kwid to get the pints in ? These guys will cahrge £2.00 per house , they got no outgoings lol
*U then get traditional window cleaner whos been doing it for years and his prices will be the same from 20 years ago around £5.00 per house
* then get the traditional window cleaner who has just added a reach and wash to his business and is trying to put his prices up from £5.00 to £7.00
* U then get a 1 man band who has 200 houses priced at £50.00 each - this kid is smart and earns a lot of money for short money - he works for 1 week and then lives abroad for the other 3 weeks.
*U then get the other 1 man band who has low prices and works hard week in week out his prices will be average and not low or high
* u then get the 2 man bands who may have a higher price as he has a wage to pay out ?
* U then get the big franchises and companies who will have 10 plus vans , u will find 1 company being cheap and another may be expensive, prices all vary.

I clean a house for £9.00 and i know a window cleaner with a reach and wash system who would do it for £6.00 ! and i also know another window cleaner who would charge £15.00 ! !

Try to work out the prices in your area and try and be average priced and be fair with the customer , as long as your happy and there happy then that is the main thing.
I think you've pretty much summed up the whole industry there H.

 
I just started by charging a pound a window or door. Then you begin to realise some are easy and some are hard and have to adjust. I'm usually £8 minimum bar one apartments which I charge a fiver, only 3 windows.

 
Its a big industry and its only going to get bigger and bigger ? Good for us window lickers and good for all the suppliers lol
I don't think so. People need a job to buy a house and banks will not hand out money like sweeties no more. There will be folk handing back their keys to the banks because they don't have a job. Repossessions will be back in vogue and the nearly new lease car will be handed back to the dealers. I heard in China that the shopping malls are still empty because public have lost confidence. Its hard for any Government to install confidence because its a time thing. I hope I'm wrong, I was in 2009 but can't see it this time.

 
This will give you a rough ish guide and starting off it's what I went with. Have an absolute minimum from the get go, my minimum for a front only 6 weekly is £12 My minimum for front and back is £16. Some will squak at your prices as they are used to some of the lads @dmw mentioned but you don't want them on your round. You'll make mistakes it's all part of it but try not to screw your self with an under priced round as it's more of a ball ache trying to fix it then it would be to say no and then pick up a well priced job! 




 
Last edited by a moderator:
I don't think so. People need a job to buy a house and banks will not hand out money like sweeties no more. There will be folk handing back their keys to the banks because they don't have a job. Repossessions will be back in vogue and the nearly new lease car will be handed back to the dealers. I heard in China that the shopping malls are still empty because public have lost confidence. Its hard for any Government to install confidence because its a time thing. I hope I'm wrong, I was in 2009 but can't see it this time.
I dont think so ? lol its mad how we all have different opinions haha, our industry is in growth, but obviously not with this pandemic, but once the pandemic has finished i think it will boost our business, all cleaning businesses will benefit from this pandemic not just the window cleaning sector, A lot more people will be seeking cleanign services, from carpet cleaning to conservatory roof cleaning. Now for other businesses such as Pubs they will be struggling for the next few years, cleaning businesses are recession proof ?

Before the pandemic a lot of people did not know what being clean and keeping things clean was,  but now all of a sudden everyone has become clean etc , once the pandemic finishes the world will be a different world and cleaning services will be more in demand then ever ?

 

 
I dont think so ? lol its mad how we all have different opinions haha, our industry is in growth, but obviously not with this pandemic, but once the pandemic has finished i think it will boost our business, all cleaning businesses will benefit from this pandemic not just the window cleaning sector, A lot more people will be seeking cleanign services, from carpet cleaning to conservatory roof cleaning. Now for other businesses such as Pubs they will be struggling for the next few years, cleaning businesses are recession proof ?

Before the pandemic a lot of people did not know what being clean and keeping things clean was,  but now all of a sudden everyone has become clean etc , once the pandemic finishes the world will be a different world and cleaning services will be more in demand then ever ?

 
I hope you are right but commercial cleaning will take a hit. With Spotless opening up down South means anyone can buy pure and set-up a cheap wfp business with a backpack. They won't open up in Scotland because we get our tap water free and are too mean to buy pure at 4p a litre. ?

 
Its a big industry and its only going to get bigger and bigger ? Good for us window lickers and good for all the suppliers lol
Be nice if you're right, but I dont reckon it will get bigger and bigger. Reason being most who want a cleaner know where/how to get one and have got them. I guess there may be some areas with big gaps in the market, but not round my way. Ive flyered huge estates before, and really I could tell i wouldnt get much response. not because they were flyers, but because most of the windows were already spotless.  Also, at least for a while, maybe ongoing i dont think people will have so much to spare for the work. Unemployment/global recession etc. I dont know, could be wrong. Would be interesting to hear from a lead generation or someone who could say where the most enquiries for cleaners come from, and where the least come from. ( in proportion to population of course, otherwise it would be 1) london 2) birmingham etc

 
When you first start you are inclined to undercharge @Azz1. This will make it easier to gain work so its not totally a bad thing. Most new start business take years before they start to turn a profit. Window cleaning does need time before it becomes an income earner. As your business grows you can afford to be more selective customer wise. But time isn't on your side when you first start off.

In time you will be able to judge your own pricing structure. They say that you should aim to get around 60% of the quotes you give. If you are pricing a little higher then you should get around 40% of the prices you quote. If you aren't getting any your prices are too high. If you are getting them all then your prices are too low.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Clean your own house work it out how long it will take you... and now how many of them can u earn in an hour? now work out how many of them u will need to do and work your price from there ? There will be window cleaners charging from  £2.00 to £30.00 for the same property, u get all types of window cleaners in every towns...

*U get the pub rats - the people who claim universal credit and sit in the pub all day and decide to become a seasonal window cleaner and earn a few kwid to get the pints in ? These guys will cahrge £2.00 per house , they got no outgoings lol
*U then get traditional window cleaner whos been doing it for years and his prices will be the same from 20 years ago around £5.00 per house
* then get the traditional window cleaner who has just added a reach and wash to his business and is trying to put his prices up from £5.00 to £7.00
* U then get a 1 man band who has 200 houses priced at £50.00 each - this kid is smart and earns a lot of money for short money - he works for 1 week and then lives abroad for the other 3 weeks.
*U then get the other 1 man band who has low prices and works hard week in week out his prices will be average and not low or high
* u then get the 2 man bands who may have a higher price as he has a wage to pay out ?
* U then get the big franchises and companies who will have 10 plus vans , u will find 1 company being cheap and another may be expensive, prices all vary.

I clean a house for £9.00 and i know a window cleaner with a reach and wash system who would do it for £6.00 ! and i also know another window cleaner who would charge £15.00 ! !

Try to work out the prices in your area and try and be average priced and be fair with the customer , as long as your happy and there happy then that is the main thing.
This is so very true, but house prices near me can vary 100k terrace to a £300k terrace. £7-12 Semi £12-30 Detached £15+

 
I think the important thing is to realise that just as perry said earlier you will make mistakes with pricing. But don't worry about it there is still times now when I realise I've probably under or over priced something. Either way your still earning money so be happy and they are obviously happy with the price. 

But I do remember what it's like, I used to get daunted by pricing jobs thinking I had to get each one exactly right. After a while you find you can look at a job think how long it will take as well as how difficult it is and know what price you want. 

 

Latest Posts

Back
Top