This page uses the rates cleaners have actually published on their Southend Cleaners listings, alongside the national wage data that sets the floor. No estimates lifted from national franchise sites.
How much does a cleaner cost in Southend in 2026?
| Service | Typical listed rate | Charged as |
|---|---|---|
| Regular home cleaning | £17–£19 | per hour |
| Deep cleaning | £19–£28 | per hour |
| After-builders cleaning | £19–£30 | per hour |
| Commercial / office cleaning | £19–£20 | per hour |
| Ironing and laundry | £15–£19 | per hour |
| Window cleaning | around £25 | per visit |
| Oven cleaning | around £75 | per job |
| End of tenancy | from £200 | per job |
| Airbnb / holiday let turnaround | around £80 | per turn |
Rates above are drawn from active listings across SS0–SS9. Individual cleaners set their own prices, and condition, access and property size all move the number.
Why £17 an hour is the realistic floor
The National Living Wage rose to £12.71 an hour on 1 April 2026. That is what an employer must pay — it is not what a self-employed cleaner can charge and still be left with a living.
Out of every charged hour a self-employed cleaner covers:
- unpaid travel between jobs, typically 15–30 minutes each way
- materials and equipment
- public liability insurance
- quoting, invoicing, chasing payment and tax admin
- holiday and sick days, which are entirely unpaid
Once those are deducted, £17 an hour charged lands somewhere near £12–£13 an hour actually earned. Anything much below that is below the legal minimum an employee would receive.
What a minimum booking means
Most Southend cleaners set a two or three hour minimum per visit. This is not upselling. A single billable hour twenty minutes' drive away loses money once travel is counted. If you only need an hour, look for a cleaner already working on your street or in your block.
Weekly, fortnightly or one-off?
- Weekly regular: the cheapest hourly rate. The cleaner gets predictable income and knows the property, so the same work takes less time.
- Fortnightly: slightly higher per hour, and each visit takes longer because more has built up.
- One-off and deep cleans: the highest rate. Unknown condition, unfamiliar property, and no repeat business to offset the risk.
What moves an end of tenancy quote
End of tenancy is the job most likely to be quoted rather than charged hourly. From £200 upwards for a typical two-bed, with the price driven by:
- number of bedrooms and bathrooms
- whether carpets need a professional machine clean
- oven condition — a neglected oven can add two hours on its own
- whether the property is furnished and cleared
- whether the letting agent supplies a specific checklist
Always get the checklist first. A quote given without one is a guess.
How to get an accurate price
Give the cleaner the postcode, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, the frequency you want, and honest detail about condition. Photographs of the oven and bathrooms save everyone time. Then compare two or three written quotes for the same scope rather than the same hour count.
Get quotes from local cleaners or browse cleaners by postcode to see who covers your street.
A note on very low quotes
If a quote is well below the ranges above, ask three questions: are you insured, are you registered for tax, and how many hours are you allowing for the job? A reasonable cleaner answers all three without hesitation.