How Much Does a House Cleaner Cost in London in 2026?

A realistic starting point for regular house cleaning in London is about £20–£30 per cleaner-hour, while agency services that supply products and equipment can sit around £25–£35 per cleaner-hour. A one-off or deep clean normally costs more because the work is slower, more detailed and often completed by a team. Treat those figures as a comparison range, not a promised price: the final quote depends on the property, the brief and what the company supplies.

The quickest way to get a useful quote is to give the cleaner the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, the approximate floor area, the current condition, your postcode and a short list of priorities. “Two-bedroom flat” is not enough information on its own. A lightly used modern flat and a furnished period conversion with limescale, pets and limited parking can require very different amounts of work.

Typical ways London cleaners charge

Most quotes use one of three models. None is automatically better; the right one depends on whether you need an ongoing routine or a defined result on a particular day.

An hourly rate for regular cleaning

Weekly and fortnightly cleaning is commonly sold by the cleaner-hour. If one cleaner works for three hours, that is three cleaner-hours. If two cleaners work for ninety minutes, it is also three cleaner-hours. Confirm this point when comparing quotes, because “three hours” can otherwise mean two different things.

An hourly arrangement suits a home where the priorities can flex. The cleaner may cover the kitchen, bathrooms, dusting and floors every visit, then rotate less frequent jobs such as skirting boards or internal windows. It does not guarantee that an unlimited task list will be finished within the booked time.

A fixed price for a one-off clean

A fixed quote is useful when the outcome matters more than the time spent. The company prices the agreed scope after considering the size and condition of the property. A proper quote should say what is included, which tasks are optional and what could change the figure.

For a reset after a busy period, before guests arrive or at the start of a new cleaning routine, compare the fixed scope with Alesta’s one-off cleaning service. It is a different brief from asking a regular cleaner to squeeze several months of built-up work into an ordinary visit.

Property-size packages

Some companies advertise a price for a studio, one-bedroom flat or larger home. Packages make initial comparison easy, but check what the size label actually covers. Extra bathrooms, separate receptions, conservatories, furnished rooms and utility areas may be charged separately. A low headline figure is not useful if the tasks you need are all add-ons.

What changes the cost more than the postcode

London location affects travel, parking and congestion, but the condition and brief usually have a greater effect on labour. These are the details that materially change a quote:

• Bathrooms and kitchens: grease, soap residue and limescale take longer than dusting an equivalent floor area.
• Cleaning frequency: a maintained weekly home normally needs less corrective work than a first visit after several months.
• Pets: hair on upholstery, stairs and edges adds vacuuming time, particularly during shedding seasons.
• Clutter and access: cleaners cannot work efficiently where every surface must first be cleared or fragile belongings moved.
• Finish and material: natural stone, high-gloss cabinetry, brass, specialist timber and delicate fabrics need suitable products and more cautious handling.
• Equipment: a lower labour rate may exclude products, cloths, vacuum cleaners or travel.
• Parking: restricted access can add direct cost or reduce the practical time available for the work.

What should be included in a regular house clean?

A standard visit usually concentrates on accessible surfaces and routine hygiene: wiping kitchen worktops and cupboard fronts, cleaning sinks and hobs, cleaning bathroom fittings, dusting reachable surfaces, vacuuming and mopping suitable floors. Bed changing, ironing, internal windows and inside appliances vary by provider.

Oven cleaning, carpet extraction and high external windows are normally separate specialist jobs. They require different equipment and cannot sensibly be assumed to fit inside an ordinary two- or three-hour visit. Ask for the written scope of the domestic cleaning appointment before comparing the price with another quote.

A worked budgeting example

Imagine a two-bedroom, one-bathroom London flat that is already reasonably maintained. The occupier wants the kitchen and bathroom cleaned, accessible surfaces dusted and all floors completed every fortnight. A provider estimates three cleaner-hours.

At £22 per cleaner-hour, the labour element is £66. At £30, it is £90. That gap may reflect VAT, insurance, agency administration, supplied equipment or simply a different business model. It does not prove that the lower quote is poor or the higher quote is better.

Now change the brief: the oven has heavy grease, internal windows have not been cleaned for a year, pet hair is embedded in the sofa and the bathroom has substantial limescale. The original three-hour budget is no longer credible. The fair comparison is a revised scope, not pressure on the cleaner to rush through specialist or built-up work.

Hourly price versus value

The cheapest hourly rate can produce the highest final bill if the work is slow, the brief is unclear or return visits are needed. Compare what you receive for the full visit:

• Is the quoted rate for one cleaner or the whole team?
• Is VAT included?
• Are cleaning products and equipment supplied?
• Is there a minimum booking?
• Are travel, parking or congestion charges separate?
• Does the company carry suitable insurance?
• How are keys, alarms and access handled?
• What happens if an agreed task is missed?

A reliable provider should be able to explain these points without hiding behind a single “from” price.

Regular cleaning, deep cleaning and end of tenancy work are not interchangeable

Regular cleaning maintains a home. Deep cleaning deals with detail and build-up that routine visits do not normally reach. An end of tenancy clean is based on an empty or nearly empty property and the standard expected at check-out. After renovation, fine dust requires its own method; the relevant comparison is specialist after-builders cleaning, not an ordinary domestic hourly rate.

Before requesting quotes, decide which result you need. If you are unsure, describe the situation rather than choosing the cheapest service label. A good company can recommend the appropriate scope.

How to reduce the bill without cutting the important work

Clear floors and worktops before the visit, put away personal items and make access instructions precise. Choose three priorities if the booking is time-limited. Tell the company about parking, pets, delicate finishes and access stairs before the day. These steps remove avoidable delays; they do not mean cleaning the property before the cleaner arrives.

For regular service, consistency usually helps more than repeatedly booking rescue cleans. Once the kitchen, bathrooms and floors are under control, the available time can be used for rotating detail rather than fighting the same build-up every visit.

Questions to ask before accepting a quote

Ask the company to confirm the estimated cleaner-hours, team size and written task list. Check whether the first visit is priced differently and whether you can change priorities for future visits. If you need the inside of cupboards, appliances or windows, name them specifically. “Deep clean” is not a universal specification.

Finally, ask what the cleaner needs from you: access to hot water and electricity, space to park, a vacuum cleaner or particular products. The best quote is the one you can understand before the appointment, not the one that leaves the most questions until the cleaner is at the door.

What to budget before requesting quotes

Budget roughly £20–£30 per cleaner-hour for many regular London arrangements and around £25–£35 where an agency supplies a managed, equipped service, then obtain a property-specific quote. One-off and specialist work should be priced against a defined scope. Compare cleaner-hours, inclusions and likely result together. That gives a far more honest picture than comparing headline hourly rates alone.