[Steven White]

My question is about securing contracts to clean apartment blocks from Property Management Companies.

I just got a kick in the balls as I had done my first clean on a contract to clean three large apartment blocks, only to get a email yesterday to say the property management company had a mix up and had double booked me and another company to clean them. I do a few other smaller apartment blocks in north Beds but feel I am banging my head against a brick wall when it comes to the modern larger more lucrative complexes.

Surely my pricing at £1 per window must be more than competitive. Or should I be looking at the price per unit(flat) than per window? I'm starting to get suspicious as if I am missing a trick. I have heard of this in the past and my question is it common practice to offer incentives to management companies to secure the best contracts, rather than the ones other window cleaners wouldn't touch with a barge pole? Such as putting an extra 10% on the bill?

It's probably illegal (or is it?) so you can email me privately with the answer: swhite@scheat.wanadoo.co.uk

Steve

[p1w1]

i'll think you will find that company's will be charging less then £1 per window your probably a bit more expensive then they are to be honest imo

[Positivity]

Hi Steven
£1 per  window may be a little high don't forget you are in one place knocking them out at about a minute each, no van moves - well maybe one or two, for instance we did 400 windows the other day but I don't think we would have had a chance at £400 for the job.

[colin purewater]

Unless I've red this wrong put your bill in for
The work you've done and pursue it to the ends
Of the earth
As for pricing with block management I use and
Hourly rate
Say in hours

4x  £30 ph for awkward jobs

  4x £25 for easy jobs

If it on my door step ill go in even lower  as
Most of these jobs can be done any time any
Weather pop your invoice on a email an paid
On same day every month

As for bribing people I'm told that's illegal  

[Steven White]

What did you get for 400 windows? (Guessing £200) Just to give an idea. The difficulty for a residential cleaner is when you go to estimate large apartment blocks as opposed to houses it's hard to imagine how long it will take you. On the ones I do/have done I think it's about 40 windows an hour, as opposed to 20 windows an hour on houses (as you say because it's one after the other and in one place). So maybe I should be charging 50p a window / £2-£3 a unit???

[Steven White]

Colin what do you mean by 4x £25 or £30 per hour. £25-£30 per hour seems about right, but if I multiply that by 4 I get £100-£120 per hour which can't be right, so I don't see where the x4 comes in.

[p1w1]

Colin what do you mean by 4x £25 or £30 per hour. £25-£30 per hour seems about right, but if I multiply that by 4 I get £100-£120 per hour which can't be right, so I don't see where the x4 comes in.

think he means if the job takes him 4 hours then its just 4 hours @ £35 per hour

[Paul Coleman]

Definitely need to think of this as £ per hour rather than £ per window.  By all means add a few £ per hour if not used to this sort of work in case you get it a bit wrong

[Steven White]

Thanks guys, you've been really helpful

I'm going to put in some revised quotes for the apartment blocks I've quoted for using my new formular....
£25 per hour for easy jobs
£30 per hour for tricky awkward jobs
at 40 windows per hour
....see if that makes a difference

[Scrimble]

these hourly rates seem very low to me, £25 for an hour of non stop wfp'ing? lol good luck with that

the management companys price them up without seeing them so they dont take into account a lot of things, i do a couple for a company, i enjoy doing them and they are well priced but i wouldnt go looking for work like this it aint bread and butter type,

[colin purewater]

£25 hr to low    I must be doing some thing wrong..

My apartment blocks pay my rent and council tax
 every month and only takes me 2 good days to do
So I class that as my bread and butter.

That is £25 ph for one man by the way

[Scrimble]

£25 hr to low    I must be doing some thing wrong..

My apartment blocks pay my rent and council tax
 every month and only takes me 2 good days to do
So I class that as my bread and butter.

That is £25 ph for one man by the way

for turnover yes £25 per hour is low, either that or your very slow!

[dave0123]

if you want commercial round here thats wa u gotta do!!! people doing commercial round here so low u make more on houses.. well i do lol

[dazmond]

some of my commercial im hitting £60 an hour.i also think £25 an hour is too low for work like this.id go in at £40 an hour.