House Cleaning Prices in the UK and What You Should Pay

Typical house cleaning prices in 2026 range from £13 to £25 per hour outside London and £20 to £32 per hour in London and the South East. A standard weekly visit of three hours will usually cost between £45 and £75 in most of the UK. You will pay a higher hourly rate for a one off clean than you will for a regular weekly or fortnightly booking.

What house cleaning costs at a glance

House cleaning is usually priced by the hour, and a one off visit carries a higher hourly rate than a regular booking. The table below shows typical 2026 hourly rates and total costs for domestic cleaning across the UK.

These figures are typical published prices for 2026. Local quotes will differ based on the exact location and condition of your home.

Hourly rates for a regular cleaner

Regular or domestic cleaning is a repeat visit, usually booked on a weekly or fortnightly basis. This service covers the routine clean of kitchens, bathrooms, floors and surfaces. The national average rate for a regular cleaner is about £19 per hour.

Prices vary heavily depending on where you live. Regular domestic cleaning costs roughly £13 to £25 per hour in most of the UK. In the big cities outside London, typical rates are around £23 per hour in Manchester and £22 per hour in Birmingham.

Rates in London and the South East are generally 15 to 30 per cent higher than the rest of the country to cover higher travel and living costs. You should expect to pay £20 to £32 per hour for a regular cleaner in these areas, with typical published rates in London itself reaching about £32 per hour.

What a weekly or fortnightly clean costs by home size

Because regular cleaning is charged by the hour, the total cost of your weekly or fortnightly visit depends on the size of your property. A standard weekly visit of about three hours costs £45 to £75 outside London and £60 to £100 in London. Larger homes take longer to vacuum, mop and dust, which increases the total price.

The table below shows how many hours a standard clean usually takes by property size outside London, alongside the typical cost per visit.

These figures are typical published prices for 2026 outside London, and local quotes will differ. Across the UK as a whole, a standard clean typically costs £40 to £65 per visit for a home with one bedroom and one bathroom. A home with two bedrooms and one bathroom costs £55 to £85 per visit, and one with three bedrooms and two bathrooms costs £80 to £130.

One off cleans and why they cost more

A one off clean is a single visit at a higher hourly rate. Cleaners charge more for an occasional visit because they do not know your property and have to work through accumulated dust and grime. Expect to pay £60 to £120 for a one off visit outside London, and £90 to £160 in London.

A deep clean goes much further than a standard visit. It tackles the inside of appliances, limescale, grease behind the hob, skirting boards, door frames, tops of cupboards and the spaces behind furniture. It is priced by property size or by the hour and takes much longer. Deep cleans start from around £180 for a one-bed up to £400 to £600 or more for a four-bed, or about £25 to £45 per hour. You can read more about what a deep clean includes in our dedicated guide.

An end of tenancy clean is a whole-property clean to a strict check-out checklist. It is priced by property size rather than by the hour and often comes with a re-clean guarantee. Prices range from roughly £120 to £170 for a studio up to £550 to £700 for a five-bed outside London, with London about 25 to 40 per cent higher. You can check the detailed figures in our guide to end of tenancy cleaning prices.

What makes a quote higher or lower

Cleaners and cleaning companies look at several factors when pricing a job. Understanding these will help you see why one quote might be higher than another.

• Booking frequency changes the hourly rate, with weekly and fortnightly rates being the lowest.
• Location dictates the baseline cost, with prices in London and the South East being the highest.
• Agency versus independent cleaner choices affect the price, as companies have business overheads to cover.
• Home size and condition determine exactly how many hours the cleaner needs to spend working.
• Who provides the products and equipment changes the quote, as supplying your own materials can lower the cost.
• Extra tasks such as cleaning ovens, washing inside windows and doing ironing will add time to the visit.

Choosing a provider on the lowest hourly rate alone is a common mistake. A cheap cleaner who works slowly will end up costing you more than a fast, experienced cleaner who charges a higher hourly rate but finishes the job in less time.

Self-employed cleaner, company or agency

You can hire a domestic cleaner through three different routes. A self-employed cleaner is an individual you deal with directly. They keep all the money you pay them, which often makes this the cheapest option. You will have no automatic holiday cover or backup if they fall ill.

A cleaning company sends employed staff to your home. The company usually provides the equipment and sends a replacement if your usual cleaner is away. This route costs more per hour but carries less administration and responsibility for you.

An agency or booking service acts as a matchmaker. They introduce a cleaner and take a fee, and in many cases you pay the cleaner separately. You must read the contract to see who is responsible for insurance and holiday cover.

If you hire someone directly and they are not self-employed or paid through an agency, you might become their employer. An employer must pay at least the National Minimum Wage, check the right to work, run payroll and hold employers' liability insurance. You can read the rules for employing someone to work in your home on GOV.UK. For the checks to make before you hire, see how to vet a cleaner.

Extras that are usually charged separately

Oven cleaning, carpet cleaning, upholstery and inside windows are commonly add-ons. Never assume they are included in a standard regular clean. If you want the cleaner to tackle these jobs, or do the ironing and change bed sheets, you must agree this in advance and expect the price to rise.

A common mistake is having no written task list, which means expectations never match. Write down exactly what you want the cleaner to do in each room. This ensures the cleaner knows what to focus on and prevents disagreements about what was included in the price.

Do not expect a domestic cleaner to tackle heavy mould, biohazards, hoarded properties or work at height. These situations require a specialist cleaning company with the right protective equipment.

How many hours does your home need?

The hours in the table above are the starting point: two to two and a half hours for a studio or one-bedroom home, rising to four and a half to five and a half hours for five bedrooms.

These times allow for the routine wiping of surfaces, cleaning the bathrooms and kitchen, and vacuuming and mopping the floors. If your home has a lot of ornaments, surfaces will take longer to wipe down because the cleaner has to move items out of the way first.

Homes with pets and young children gather dust and dirt much faster, so they often need extra time to reach a good standard. The best way to find out exactly how many hours your home needs is to start with a trial clean.

How to compare quotes fairly

Decide the tasks, frequency and budget first. Once you know what you want, get like-for-like quotes from a few different providers to see what the local market rate is.

Ask these questions to compare cleaners fairly:

• Do you hold public liability insurance to cover any damage or breakages?
• What background checks and vetting do you carry out?
• Will the same cleaner come to my home each time?
• What holiday cover do you provide when my cleaner is away?
• Who supplies the cleaning products and equipment?
• How are my keys handled and stored securely?
• What are your cancellation terms if I need to skip a visit?

A basic DBS check is something an individual applies for themselves, costs £20 and covers England and Wales. A cleaner can be asked to show one for peace of mind. Ask for proof of public liability insurance too. It is a sensible check rather than a legal requirement. No licence, registration or qualification is legally required to work as a domestic cleaner, so be wary of anyone who claims a mandatory licence or accreditation.

When a cheap rate should make you cautious

The National Living Wage is £12.71 an hour from April 2026 for those aged 21 and over. Rates change on 1 April each year. A company rate close to that figure leaves almost nothing for insurance, travel, products and business overheads, which should make you question how they operate.

Be wary of low phone quotes that rise on arrival because of the property's condition. Deep clean or end of tenancy quotes that do not state the expected hours, the number of cleaners or what is excluded are also a risk. Paying in full up front to an unknown trader is a mistake, as is handing over keys with no agreement on how they are stored.

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, a service must be done with reasonable care and skill, and the customer can ask for it to be put right. Services booked online or by phone normally carry a 14-day cooling-off period. If you ask for the clean to happen inside that window, you pay for what was done.

Common questions

Does professional cleaning guarantee my deposit back?

Never trust claims that a clean guarantees the deposit back. The honest version is a time-limited re-clean if the inventory clerk finds a problem. For end of tenancy cleans, book the visit after your belongings are out and before the check-out inspection. Give the cleaner the inventory, keep the receipt and take dated photos of the finished rooms.

Can my landlord force me to pay for professional cleaning?

For rented homes in England, the Tenant Fees Act 2019 bans landlords and agents from making tenants pay for professional cleaning. The tenant's duty is to return the home as clean as it was at the start, as recorded on the inventory or check-in report. Landlords cannot deduct money for fair wear and tear. Rules differ in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. For advice on your own situation, see GOV.UK, Citizens Advice or Shelter.

Are prices for domestic cleaning negotiable?

Some cleaners will not move on their hourly rate, but you can control the total cost by reducing the hours. You can ask the cleaner to focus only on the bathrooms and kitchen, or skip the spare bedrooms, to fit your budget. Agreeing to supply your own cleaning products can also lower the quote slightly.

What should I do before the cleaner arrives?

Tidy away clothes, toys and paperwork before the cleaner arrives. A cleaner cannot mop a floor covered in belongings, and paying an hourly rate for someone to tidy your clutter is not cost effective. Start the relationship with a trial clean and a written checklist so both sides know what to expect.

Next steps for hiring a house cleaner

Protect your home and your budget by getting the details agreed in writing before any cleaning starts. Follow these simple steps to hire a cleaner safely.

1. Decide the exact tasks, frequency and budget first.
2. Write down a clear task list to avoid mismatched expectations.
3. Get like-for-like quotes from a few local providers.
4. Ask for proof of public liability insurance before confirming the booking.
5. Agree who supplies the products and equipment.
6. Start with a trial clean and use your written checklist to check the work.

When you are ready to arrange a trial clean and see what local providers charge, you can find a house cleaner near you to compare rates and services.