Cleaning Priced Per Hour or Per Job? The Straight Answer
For an end of tenancy clean, a written fixed price for a stated list of tasks is the usual way to charge, and it is usually the safer choice for the customer. For regular home cleaning, charging by the hour or per visit is normal. Neither method is cheaper by default. What protects you is a total price, or a clear way of working one out, agreed before the work starts.
This guide is for tenants, landlords and agents, and homeowners. The tenancy and deposit points apply to England. Prices and figures were checked on 21 September 2026, and every source is linked at the end. It is general information, not legal advice.
How the two methods work
With a fixed price, you pay one total for a stated job. If the same job takes longer than the cleaner expected, the cleaner absorbs the extra time. If it goes faster, the cleaner keeps the difference. With hourly pricing, you pay a rate for the time taken, so a bigger or slower job costs you more.
What changes the bill most is who the hourly rate covers. Take a rate of £22 an hour and a four hour job, using made up numbers. If the rate is for the whole team, the bill is £88. If two cleaners each charge that rate, it is £176, and £264 if the job runs to six hours. The hourly ranges in Checkatrade's end of tenancy guide do not say whether they are per cleaner or per team, so it is worth asking.
Published guides disagree about what hourly work costs. Checkatrade's end of tenancy guide (August 2026) says most cleaning companies charge a fixed price per job because it makes budgeting and comparing quotes easier, and that some smaller or independent cleaners quote by the hour. It gives hourly rates of £20 to £25 outside London and £22 to £27 in London. Its deep cleaning guide prices by the hour instead, at an average of £31, and gives about six hours, or £186, as a rough total for a typical house. Its house cleaning guide says regular cleaning starts from about £25 an hour, which is the top of the £13 to £25 range in Housekeep's May 2026 guide. Checkatrade calls its own figures ballpark averages, so use any of them as a rough check on a quote and not as a benchmark.
What the law says
Cleaning firms often give a firm price only after they have assessed the job. The Competition and Markets Authority's price guidance names cleaning among the services where that is common, and it allows indicative prices before then. Where a price depends on time, the guidance allows pricing by the hour as long as the rate is shown as prominently as the rest of the price, and it expects a full total once the business knows what you need.
Citizens Advice separates a quote from an estimate. Once you accept a quote it is a binding agreement, written down or not. The trader cannot charge more unless you ask for extra work, they tell you extra work is needed and you agree to pay more, or they made a genuine mistake in writing or working out the price. An estimate is a rough guess and can rise. That guidance is written for home improvements, but the Consumer Rights Act 2015 covers any service a business sells to a consumer.
Under that Act, if no price or method of working one out is agreed, you pay a reasonable price and no more (section 51). A service must be done with reasonable care and skill (section 49), and what a trader says or writes about the service can become part of the contract (section 50). If the work falls short of either, you can require the trader to do it again at their cost (section 55).
For tenants
Ask for a fixed price for a written list of what is included. It is the norm for end of tenancy cleaning, and it lets you compare quotes and check the job against a list afterwards.
You do not have to hire a professional. Under the Tenant Fees Act 2019, a landlord or agent can only require the payments on a short government list, and professional cleaning is not on it. Government guidance also says a landlord cannot make you start a contract for a service as part of the tenancy. Our guide to what UK law requires of tenants explains what you do have to do.
If you book a cleaner, get these in writing before you accept:
The total price, or the hourly rate with a maximum total.
For hourly work, whether the rate is per cleaner or for the team, and any minimum hours.
What is included. Checkatrade says carpet cleaning is often quoted separately, that some companies charge extra for ovens, and that heavy stains may need separate treatment.
What happens if your letting agent says something was missed. Checkatrade lists a re-clean fee among the costs to watch for, so ask whether there is one.
If the work was not done with reasonable care and skill, the Consumer Rights Act rights described above apply whatever a company's own policy says.
Keep the invoice and take dated photos of each room. mydeposits, a government authorised deposit scheme, says a contractor's invoice should break down the areas cleaned or say the clean followed the check-out report. If your landlord deducts a cleaning cost you dispute, ask for the evidence behind it. In the tribunal decision described in the next section, a suggested price for a professional clean failed because no comparable quote supported it.
Our end of tenancy price guide has size by size figures, and our end of tenancy guide and checklist cover what to expect on the day.
For landlords and agents
For a turnover clean, a fixed price per property with a written scope makes the cost predictable and the invoice easier to defend. Hourly pricing can suit a partial clean where the scope is unclear, but Checkatrade notes that an hourly bill can be unpredictable if the property takes longer than expected.
If you deduct cleaning from a deposit, the amount has to be reasonable and backed by evidence. mydeposits says costs must be proportionate and not for a full clean where only some areas needed one. It says the inventory should record cleanliness and condition separately, and it lists generic invoices as a common reason landlords lose cases. It also says around 30% of its cases involve an aspect of cleaning.
In a March 2023 First-tier Tribunal decision (reference LON/00BG/HTC/2022/0021), a landlord deducted £280 for cleaning a London flat with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The landlord had an invoice from a cleaning company and a check-out inventory. The tribunal found the cost reasonable. It did not accept the suggestion that £120 was a fair price, because no comparable quote supported it. One decision is not a rule, and the property was in London, but it shows what a tribunal looked at.
You cannot require a tenant to pay for a professional clean or to start a contract with a cleaning company. You can still claim a reasonable, evidenced cost from the deposit if the property is not returned in the condition the tenancy agreement sets out. Our article on tenancy deposit case studies looks at how adjudicators treat evidence in cleaning and damage disputes.
For homeowners
For regular cleaning, hourly or per visit pricing is normal. For a one-off deep clean, ask for a total once the cleaner has seen the property or photos of it, or agree an hourly rate with a cap.
Checkatrade says most domestic cleaning is priced either by the hour or as a fixed job price, and that many people hire an independent cleaner or an agency by the hour for regular cleaning. It puts a weekly three hour clean at about £75. Its list of what a house cleaning quote should state includes whether the price is hourly or fixed, the minimum booking time, any call-out or travel fee, the estimated time and what is excluded. Add one question: is the rate per cleaner or for the team?
A price close to the legal minimum wage is worth a question. The National Living Wage is £12.71 an hour for workers aged 21 and over from 1 April 2026, and a company with employees also pays employer costs such as National Insurance and pension contributions. An hourly price near that figure leaves little room for insurance, supplies and travel. Genuinely self-employed cleaners set their own rates, so treat a low price as a reason to ask what it includes.
For a deep clean, Checkatrade prices by the hour, but companies quote in different ways. Some give a fixed total after seeing the property, which the CMA describes as common in cleaning. Either works if the total or the cap is in writing before the job starts. Our posts on what a professional deep clean covers and how often to deep clean your home help you decide what belongs in the scope.
Carpets are usually priced separately, by room or area. Checkatrade gives £50 to £75 for a small room. Our carpet cleaning guide explains what a professional clean involves. Our earlier post, Cleaning Services Prices in 2025, has more on deep cleaning costs.
How we quote at Anna MK Clean
We quote a fixed price per job, based on the size and condition of the property. Quotes are free and without obligation, and a booking is confirmed once you accept the quote. You can request a quote for end of tenancy cleaning, deep cleaning or carpet cleaning in Milton Keynes. Our posts on office cleaning and patio cleaning cover our other services.
Frequently asked questions
Is it cheaper to pay a cleaner by the hour or a fixed price?
Neither is cheaper by default. An hourly bill is the rate multiplied by the hours and the number of cleaners, so a low rate with a slow job can cost more than a fixed price. A fixed price can cost more than an hourly bill if the job turns out quick. Compare the total for the same written scope.
Why do end of tenancy cleaners usually charge per job?
Checkatrade says a fixed price per job makes it easier to budget and compare quotes, and that an hourly rate can be unpredictable if the property takes longer to clean than expected.
Does an hourly rate mean per cleaner or per team?
It depends on the company, and quotes do not always say. Ask how many cleaners will attend and whether the rate applies to each of them or to the team. The CMA's price guidance expects the way the total is worked out to be clear.
Can a cleaner charge more than the quote?
Not without a reason. Citizens Advice says a trader cannot charge more than the quote unless you ask for extra work, they tell you extra work is needed and you agree, or they made a genuine mistake in writing or working out the price. An estimate is a rough guess and can rise. If no price or method was agreed, you pay a reasonable price and no more (Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 51).
What should a cleaning invoice show if I might need it in a deposit dispute?
mydeposits says a contractor's invoice should break down the areas cleaned, or say the clean followed the check-out report. It also helps if the invoice shows the date and the property address.
Do I have to hire a professional cleaner when I move out?
No. In England a landlord cannot require you to pay for a professional clean or make you start a contract for a service as part of the tenancy. You do need to return the property in the condition your tenancy agreement sets out, allowing for fair wear and tear. Our guide to what UK law requires of tenants explains the details.
Sources
Figures and guidance checked on 21 September 2026.
Competition and Markets Authority, Unfair commercial practices: price transparency (CMA209), paragraphs 4.11 to 4.19.
Consumer Rights Act 2015, Part 1, Chapter 4 (services), sections 49, 50, 51 and 55.
Citizens Advice, Before you get building work done.
GOV.UK, Tenant Fees Act 2019: guidance for tenants and Fees you can charge as part of a tenancy, both updated July 2026.
mydeposits, Rules of claiming for deposit deductions.
First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber), decision LON/00BG/HTC/2022/0021, 7 March 2023.
Checkatrade, End of tenancy cleaning prices (August 2026), House deep cleaning prices and House cleaning costs (both 2026).
Housekeep, How much does a cleaner cost? (May 2026).