Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: tim handley on July 14, 2015, 05:32:05 pm
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I advertise e.o.t. cleans on my website, meaning carpets for end of tenancy jobs, but ive noticed ive been getting quite a lot of enquiries for full blown e.o.t.s, ie, carpet and everything..... i was doing a job for an estate agent yesterday and they were well impressed and asked do do general e.o.t.s as well, so question is, do many cc ers do all round cleaning as well?? I hate saying no to any work if i can help it! So, who does this sort of work? Is anbody able to advise re pricing??? Any info much apreciated...
i have several live enquiries pending for this work and need to get it sorted........... The estate agent is looking particularly promising as the guy i was asked by is in charge of several different offices, so it could pan out well............
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Ive started doing a few.
Dont entertain doing the cleaning cleaning yourself. Pay £8 per hour and you will find a gem of a cleaner.
Work out how long the clean will take and work out the cleaners pay and add this into your quote mate.
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I tried it, hated it and packed it in after only 2 jobs.
They expect the world and think everything is going to come up like new.
2nd one I did I met the guy who owned the rental and walked through the house after the clean.
Fine he said and paid in cash then 2 days later the complaints came.
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if you like to work for 15 per hour why not :)
just find good cleaner self employed who is willing to work for 10 and make profit on it, same with other jobs like ovens, windows etc
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Tim they like to roll all the services up into one company, they usually like to pay stuff all and take 10% into the bargain. They will expect the earth and pay peanuts you are better advertising eot carpet cleaning to the tenants and charging them a realistic price. It can be good work while all the rooms are clear of furniture etc so you can do a good deal and come out on top.
I would advise staying away unless you want to develop this as a business but then you are swimming in a pool which is already brimming.
You could sub it out and I have done when it has been a job through my site, but you have little control and who does the call backs and what if they are no longer operating.
Just my opinion for what its worth........ if anything lol
I do have one Landlord who will only let me clean her carpets after they were trashed by a company using using a vax....
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I pass any enquires on to a company who specialise in e.o.t. /office cleaning, in return they pass on to me any enquiries re. c/c
works well, I wont bite one of the hands that feed me, and is it really worth all the hassle? when you specialise in c/c
Geoff
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hmm, some good advice there, need to do some thinking...........
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Hi Tim,
I used to be an estate agent (don't shoot..!!) and decided to set up the cleaning business solely for EOT's based on the previous knowledge I had working in agency.
There are a lot of sceptics out there about the downfalls of working with agents but there are plenty more positives in my eyes. I think a lot of this could be down to location - I'm based in South west London covering all areas around here which has a huge lettings turnover and so each let is treated as a quick turnaround business transaction as opposed to somewhere outside London where the turnover is less the deals are treated with a lot more attachment from the agent doing it which leads to the more stereotypical agency complaints cleaners get.
These points below are all very vague and general so happy to talk through any specifics of you wanted.
The negatives are that, again depends on the agent, there will be a check out appointment after each of your cleans - some clerks are good, others are there to find problems - this will lead to call backs for you and ultimately how you deal with these will determine how the relationship with the agent progresses.
You are dealing with salespeople so the info they give you quite often is lacking in real detail and may lead you to misquote or under / over judge a job.
Your normal payment terms may not he adhered to as you will be paid from incoming rental or an outgoing deposit, the funds may not be there immediately.
Positives: you work alone in the house, no one following you around checking work as you do it / this gives great flexibility to leave staff and go and check on other jobs / quote other jobs etc and then come back to finish
You don't need to advertise - by dealing with sales people you are effectively employing a sales team - they are target driven by their own business and therefore the busier they get - the busier you get.
Building a good relationship over time and knowing your pricing is fair and work is reliable will mean eventually a simple call saying, "Tim can you go and clean this one please, you know where the keys are" - no need to double visit with quotes etc.
re staffing - use self employed cleaners at whatever the going rate is for your area. I have the guys start the carpeted rooms first so I can then follow them with the carpet clean - while I do the carpets they get on with rest of the house. I then check off all their work and get them to re do anything that has been missed. This cuts down on the nitty gritty cleaning for you personally but you are still on site to supervise.
I've only been doing this for 15 months but we just completed our 500th job today so I think there is definitely a good business opportunity if you wanted it.
Hope this helps!
Dan
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Sh!t that post rambled on a bit - sorry...!!
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Dan thanks, superb post.... i may need to pick your brains a bit more shortly, im trying to get my head round this as a viable add on to my carpet business.............
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Over the years we have found that with many of the agents that unless you offer both the services then you will not get a look in with the carpet cleaning. If not you are always at the mercy of them finding a cleaning company that is going to offer them carpet cleaning. Not always the case we have a lot of letting agents that we do business with but we are always being told, their cleaners offer more competitive carpet cleaning prices etc.
The cleaning is a pain in the backside but sometimes it is an advantage in having general cleaners available as as you progress you will come into contact with all sorts of work.
With offices for instance the contract cleaner is normally the first point of contact if a firm wants their carpets cleaned.
We have had office cleaning contracts that have just run themselves and not been a problem and others that have not been worth the hassle. Everyone has the same problem finding reliable, honest hardworking people. When the letting agents do not have them they will ask you if you do.
eot s we charge £14 er hour for and pay the minimum wage to cleaners. But you need to be realistic on your pricing as your staff will expect to be paid for the hours they work.
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many thanks peter.........
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Hi Tim,
Also be aware that the ingoing tenants (after the clean), can be so jarred off with the sky high fees/deposit/rents they have just handed over to the agency, that once they move in they send a list of grumbles to the agent, which inevitably involves the cleanliness of the place.
It's not always the case, but if you've had someone work really hard in a place then get complaints it's a bit of a pain.
Regards
Jen
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Pick the agents you work for carefully. Some of them are a nightmare and just not worth doing anything for.
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Hi Tim,
Also be aware that the ingoing tenants (after the clean), can be so jarred off with the sky high fees/deposit/rents they have just handed over to the agency, that once they move in they send a list of grumbles to the agent, which inevitably involves the cleanliness of the place.
It's not always the case, but if you've had someone work really hard in a place then get complaints it's a bit of a pain.
Regards
Jen
This you have a inventory clerk who passes the clean then the owner may gone in and complain
then the tenants it can be a nightmare We have just had two that were cleaned over a month ago
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Used to do these. For letting agents and private landlords. The letting agents are a nuisance to work for. As mentioned, a grumbled temant will moan about absolutely anything when moving in. The private landlords, students and tenants moving out etc. were better to work for. They would be there at the end to inspect and sign off the work.
Don't do these anymore though, horrible work.
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starting to think ill stick with carpets........ ;D
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Hi Tim,
Also be aware that the ingoing tenants (after the clean), can be so jarred off with the sky high fees/deposit/rents they have just handed over to the agency, that once they move in they send a list of grumbles to the agent, which inevitably involves the cleanliness of the place.
It's not always the case, but if you've had someone work really hard in a place then get complaints it's a bit of a pain.
Regards
Jen
Generally, the complaints about a place being not clean turn out to be decoration or wear and tear. Lost count of the amount of times we've been sent back to places that are "filthy, not clean" by an agent, turn up, tenants like "yeah all the walls need painted and the floors are scuffed and worn".
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Hi Tim,
In a nutshell I'd price everything sky high to make up for the hassle, and include a quick note on the quotation of what to expect. I also believe you'll be paying at least £12 an hour to get someone to do it who actually cares, otherwise you'll struggle for motivation from them. Domestic products are next to useless on some of these places, so an acid cleaner for toilets etc is necessary, which obviously comes with the risks to employee and relevant paperwork. I'd suggest to need to aim at £100 min net profit on each clean to make it bothering with..And price ovens seperately starting at £60.
But having said that along with all the problems come the clean flats for 3 hrs labour you can put in at £200.
Good luck
Jen
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Have been doing it for quite a few years now, its a hassle more often than not, with most letting agents theres no loyalty, if someone comes along a bit cheaper they are off !
With carpet cleaning you are percieved as a specialist, with general cleaning you are just the cleaner and thats how you are often treated.
There's lots of pitfulls, the only reason we do it is that lots of carpet cleaning & other work comes along with it.
Its mostly hard work and not that enjoyable really.....
You have to get the pricing right, if you dont you can end up being out of pocket if they complain about things...
Steve
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Apart from all the pit falls listed on previous posts , I always feel bad working for so much less than my normal cc rate .
So I avoid it at all costs apart when a whole house comes as a package with carpets .
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Never work for agents as they think they own you and your business .
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Apart from all the pit falls listed on previous posts , I always feel bad working for so much less than my normal cc rate .
So I avoid it at all costs apart when a whole house comes as a package with carpets .
We do the exact same as above. We sell our deep cleaning EOT as a full package. I state we are not like molly maid who will sub different jobs out like the oven, external windows or carpet cleaning, as we do it all in house. We charge between £350 and £850 depending on size of the property. We do at least 2 a week direct to the tenants and at least 3 a month direct to landlords or property management companies.
We never get called back, as we don't offer light cleans as this can open up a tin of worms... saying deep cleans only, and it takes a full day to complete, you get the price you ask for.
I know which agents/landlords to work on behalf and who not to.
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thanks all.................. still seriously mulling this over..........
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thanks all.................. still seriously mulling this over..........
Why not just give 1 or 2 a try?... see what u think about them
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Also, ....one more thing...
I think it's advisable to put at the very most a 5-6 hour limit any individual does this for., in one session.
It's back breaking workif done properly, after this amount of time enthusiasm/productivity/ and ultimately results will deteriorate .
Remember, price high, or let someone else do it!!
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Then of course there are agents that think you can do a nine bedroom in a 3 -4 hour time scale
pushing all the time
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Then of course there are agents that think you can do a nine bedroom in a 3 -4 hour time scale
pushing all the time
thats possible :) did stairs, landing, Living, 2 doubles, 2 sigles in 2.5 hr yesterday, incl. furniture moving and vacuuming on most of carpets, but carpets were not too bad., just a few make up stains. That was 4th job, 2nd was two houses next to each other, 2 x stairs and landing, 2 x living room, hall, 2 x rooms and 3 hrs job.
edit:// upsss, its about general eots cleans, not only carpets, sorry
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Then of course there are agents that think you can do a nine bedroom in a 3 -4 hour time scale
pushing all the time
We always tell the agent/landlord or private tenant it takes one full day to complete. We start at 7:30am and finish for 4. Long day but that's how we do it. If we need to empty the property first, then we charge for an extra day plus the hire of a skip, unless they want to do that themselves to save on money (depending on how much bond they hold back) .
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Then of course there are agents that think you can do a nine bedroom in a 3 -4 hour time scale
pushing all the time
thats possible :) did stairs, landing, Living, 2 doubles, 2 sigles in 2.5 hr yesterday, incl. furniture moving and vacuuming on most of carpets, but carpets were not too bad., just a few make up stains. That was 4th job, 2nd was two houses next to each other, 2 x stairs and landing, 2 x living room, hall, 2 x rooms and 3 hrs job.
edit:// upsss, its about general eots cleans, not only carpets, sorry
we have done it in that time scale but these particular agents want that as the norm in that time they want mattresses cleaned curtain mould removed although I don't do that stil lhave ot work around other cleaners nightmare have just given up on it this week they then moan about a bit of carbon that was left on top of the washing machine by the oven cleaner again nothing to do with me but I got the call back no good to anyone these kind of agents
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I started doing the cleans too a few weeks ago which has resulted in 3 new agencies using me. I take someone to help me with cleaning....worth every penny!!
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The trick is NOT TO DO IT YOURSELF!!
I started doing them March 2014. Took a while to get a system in place but it really took off. I already knew two cleaners. I now have four all self employed. I started out with just one letting agent now have three on the books. I could easily get more but would require expanding.
I pay the cleaners £8 - £10 an hour depending on the job. I charge the letting agents £15+. I also sell items that are needed in these rentals i.e. lightbulbs, shower curtains, toilet seats, paper shades, mattress protectors, etc I make a good profit on these small items and the cleaner fits as part of their hourly rate.
All I have to do now if occasionally check the jobs (if i'm passing), send out invoices and pay the cleaners. They do all the cleaning and pick up drop off keys.