House Cleaning in Watford

Ask: Are you insured, and for how much? Who exactly will clean my home — same person each visit? What's on your standard task list, and what's excluded? Do you bring supplies? What's your policy on damage, rescheduling and cancellation? How do you handle keys? Providers who answer these crisply are almost always the better operators.

No — most recurring customers aren't. Be present for the first visit to walk through the task list and access arrangements, then switch to key, lockbox or concierge access. If you work from home, agree a room order so the cleaner works around you.

Hourly suits open-ended or first-time jobs where scope is unknown, but you carry the risk of a slow cleaner. Flat-rate (per visit or per home size) makes budgeting predictable and puts the efficiency risk on the provider — but confirm exactly what the flat rate includes. For recurring cleans, flat per-visit pricing with a written task list is usually the cleanest arrangement.

Cross-check reviews on at least two platforms, ask for two recent references you can actually call, and confirm insurance in writing. For companies, check the business is registered. A short paid trial clean is the best test: judge punctuality, whether they follow your task list, and how they handle feedback before committing to a recurring slot.

Most households pay £15-£28 per hour, with a typical weekly 3-hour visit costing around £45-£95. Independent cleaners sit at the lower end; agencies charge £25-£30/hour but include insurance and cover. London and the South East run several pounds an hour above the national range.

It's not a legal requirement for domestic cleaning, but a basic DBS check (which shows unspent convictions) is a reasonable ask for someone with unsupervised access to your home. Many agencies DBS-check their staff as standard — ask to see the policy rather than assuming.