[domestic bliss]

Sorry for reapeatedly asking the same old question.  Today i was asked to quote for a 1 bed flat ,kitchen and bathroom basically an end of tenency clean but not carpet cleaning and also cleaning of the oven.  What would you charge???
I do worry that i am getting my prices right.

[domestic bliss]

So why is nobody answering me? :

[CMS]

Because nobody has all the information.

How dirty is the flat?
Were they smokers?
How big is it?
How far away is it?
What's on the floor?
Stains on walls?
Window cleaning?
Any rubbish to take away?

You see, there is no clear answer to these questions about prices. Only you know what you can charge because only you have seen it.

[mxg]

There is no magic formula for coming up with prices. I was pretty apprehensive about it too when I started out but as you do it more and more your confidence increases.

In simple terms its about being very clear about exactly what the customer wants ie are carpets / curtains etc included or excluded. Then you have got to estimate how long each individual room or area is going to take. You might then want to build in a bit of contingency in case are of your estimates are off the mark. Then you use your "rate for one offs" to calculate the cost. What that rate should be will be based on your geographic location, competitors prices etc

You also have to decide whether you really want the job or not - this might depend on other commitments, availability of staff, location, etc. Then I give a high ended price to give me something to play with if they say yes

If you are constantly quoting for work and not converting this into work it might be because your prices are too high. If people are snapping your hand off your prices might be too low. If you win some and lose some your prices are probably in the correct ballpark.

Hope this helps

Mick

[Tim Downer]

Or maybe you could tell us how much you are going to charge.....then you will get comments like "wow!! Go for it!!"  OR  "flippin eck.....wouldn't get out of bed for that"........

Regards

Tim

[Art]

Something i'd like to add is, it's not always about who's the cheapest.
One off my clients has told me i'm expensive, but i still get all his work, as the last thing letting agents want is poor quality cleans. We sell on quality, as alot of end of tenancy work is clean it one day new tenants move in the next, so as the agent goes over the check in the last thing he wants is when he opens the oven it's not been cleaned properly especially with the new tenants in tow.
Hope my example has been of help, some may disagree but that's my view

Arthur

[Prestige1]

It all depends on how dirty it is, what I somtimes say to clients is, "I estimate it will take 2 girls 3 hrs to clean, but may be longer, as with all things once you start moving things to clean may reveal more cleaning problems. our labour rate is £14 per hour = £84 + Vat, the Oven would be a least £30-£40 depending on dirt. this will then leave it open to add more if you run into problems.hope this helps.

[domestic bliss]

Thanks prestige1 i quoted £80 as there was no carpet cleaning involved.  Today i quoted £125 for a 2 bed house which inc oven and a couple of spot cleaning stains on the carpet and a few marks on the wall.  i don't think i quoted too much but as always it's  "ill get back to you" and i hear nothing.  both were end of tenency and no rubbish removal

[CMS]

I always ask the letting agent what their budget is i.e. how much deposit are they holding.

Remember, it is not their money they are spending. The cleaning costs are deducted from the outgoing tenants deposit.

The time that you wont get the job is when your quote exceeds what they are holding!

We did an end of tenancy clean today. 3 bedroom house in Shrewsbury, not too dirty, carpets and windows to be cleaned, a bit of rubbish in the garden, oven to be cleaned etc......................£300

[Tim Downer]

Karl (CMS)......thanks for the giggle on your web site!! - Very funny electrician video!! My brother-in-law is an electrician and has done similar to all of us at one time or other.   

Tim

[Tim Downer]

Its on the "Maintainance" section of the web site........

Tim