How much do I charge for cleaning a rental?
Judy from Charleston, SC
What is the deposit? I've always had to put up a full month's rent for a cleaning deposit. To me, having to clean someone else's filth, supply the labor, the equipment, the supplies should earn you whatever is equal to one month's rent. If it wasn't horrible and you only had to deal with the carpet and a good once over, maybe a little less. The hassle of doing it so you could move into THEIR rental and get cash in THEIR pockets has to be worth something.
BTW, I would document this bill with details of what you encountered, amount of hours you put into this, cleaning products, hauling around vac's, ladders etc.
If you have before/after pics include that too. Don't be taken for a ride. Your work is worth every cent and you did this landlord a favor by doing it.
Since deep cleaning is a one time deal, I give my clients a free consultation walk through of their home to see what their needs are. I write down a list room by room of what is needing done, as all clients are different.
I ask them what is the most important area in their home that they want done first, then that's where I usually start at. If not then I usually start at the back of the house and work my way forward. I usually charge $25.00 per hour for just myself if I have a girl help me & has experience I pay her $20.00 an hour and let her do the bathrooms, & bedrooms, I usually clean everything I see on the selves, all nick-nacks, & make them sparkle like a diamond in the sky.
I furnish all my own cleaning supplies, which I do charge extra for them. If have to get upon a ladder to clean ceiling fans, I charge an extra $7.00, and the same deal with windows, and taking down any light fixture on the ceiling. I wash walls windows inside mini blinds & vaccum down the ceilings, and walls. wash down the base boards, they have to have all of the furniture pulled out away from the walls or otherwise I charge extra for moving them out and putting them back.
Usually with only myself cleaning I can do a whole house that has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 2 living areas in about 6 hours which will be about $270.00. I have never had one complaint as a matter of fact I have many referrals for my service, they love it that I use all toxic free cleaning supplies and the results are magnificent, which equals about $45.00 per hour.
Once I get all of their whole house deep cleaned they have me come back at least 1 time a month to clean for 3 hours for $65.00. I usually get to their home 15 mins before I start to clean and start at 9 am done before or by noon.
If I have a girl help me I charge $65.00 usually we can get it done in 1.5 hours.
If you would like to know what cleaning supplies I use email me at hensleys29 AT yahoo.com I can show you how you can buy them at wholesale verses retail and make money when you sign up others to buy at wholesale also, usually my clients buy them retail from me, since I order new bottles of what every I am using to clean their home, they get what is left in the bottles to keep so they have it to use.
Once they have experienced the products them self, they learn that the products are much safer than store bought brands and work more effectively. They set up their own wholesale account to buy factory direct & I get paid a monthly commission on of their orders. It's a win win for both parties, and they give me more referrals, and I have helped them to live a longer more productive life in creating a healthier home environment for them and their children.
My wife and I have been in the rental property cleaning services for over six years we have one client that owns 50 homes and manages about another 100 homes and every time we are called to clean one you can bet it will need to be deep cleaned.
We have another client that manages over 900 properties and many of them will be deep clean-outs as well. Along with a few other clients. We have built a good business, but not without mistakes!
Our first cleaning job was a nightmare. I never thought that a home could ever get so dirty and nasty as this one. The stove had never been cleaned, and the refrigerator had rotten food in it. The bathroom fixtures and tile walls were black. The house was full of trash and furniture. Our mistake was we under priced it and only made $50.00 profit for all the hard work we had to do.
We learned never to give an estimate on a deep clean-out. We set an hourly rate, a materials cost, a fuel cost and a miscellaneous cost that covers everything without any loss. We have also invested in good equipment.
The steam cleaning equipment we bought has saved a lot of hard work and allows us to use less harsh cleaners. It's a must have if you do deep clean-outs. It kills germs quick! It can also help save your client money as well (cleaners cost). We charge a small fee for our steam unit to cover the cost we had to pay for it.
At times, we have to hire extra help to move furniture from the property and our clients are billed for this extra help at the hourly rate we set. Also, we have a man that will haul off furniture, junk etc. We charge $50.00 per load he hauls. It's cheaper then dumpster rental at $400.00. We have a scrapper that comes to pick up scrap metal. I call him when we have scrap metal available and he comes and gets it for free.
I hope that I have in some way helped anyone wanting to know what to charge for deep clean-outs. I can't tell you what to charge. That's up to you, but the most important thing is a good relationship with your client. Hard work, quality work and always being honest. If you do this for your clients they will always be willing to pay your price. you'll be the best!
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I just rented and moved into a house. The owner told me he would have a company deepclean the house before we moved it, however, he did not.
