Cost of House Cleaning in Australia: Are Cleaning Companies Robbing You?

The main thing we learnt in 2020 is that there are many things outside our control. Many cleaning companies failed to adapt to the new reality and suffered the consequences. That year has proved that it’s crucial to be flexible, go with the flow, take risks, and most of all – know your clients.

As a business that has thrived for more than ten years now, we’ve learned how our customers think, the things they love, and that excite them, and most importantly – their individual needs. And all of this has helped us not only to stay afloat but to continue providing the best possible service to our clientele and the best possible working conditions to our franchise partners.

We’ve gathered all the essential data* concerning cleaning services in Australia including, but not limited to – the future of cleaning, the average prices for the services, factors that affect all this, and much much more. This information can help you better understand and make the best out of your professional cleaning services.

*The data is based on Fantastic Service’s customers’ booking activity in Australia for 3 years.

The most common cleaning services in Australia

To provide the best possible service to our clients in Australia, we carefully study and pay attention to what our customers need the most, including detailed statistics of the most common cleaning services booked throughout the years and demand growth.

In all three major cities – Melbourne, Sydney and Perth, the most requested services are the regular domestic and one-off deep cleaning with more people booking them in the last three years.

Next place goes to carpet and upholstery cleaning, which clients often combine with all sorts of other services, such as their one-off cleaning and oven cleaning appointments. This is perfect for families and busy working people who want to complete as many tasks as possible. The cleaning teams are often trained in more than one cleaning service, so they can do everything in one day and without the need for multiple appointments.

Another highly demanded service is the end of lease cleaning. This is a deep, top to bottom cleaning that is most suitable for tenants moving out of their rented properties, landlords who want to prepare a house or a flat for the next tenants, as well as for letting agencies.

And last but not least are oven and window cleaning. They are also mostly combined either with the end of lease cleaning service or the one-off and regular cleaning, as it’s a lot less expensive and time-consuming to have everything done in one go.

To sum things up, people prefer to have their property regularly cleaned and maintained, rather than opting for a single deep cleaning performed every couple of months. Services are mostly combined to save time and money.

Cost of house cleaning services in Australia

The hourly rate of professional house cleaning in Australia is $32 – $55 per hour, and the cost per job can be anywhere between $137 and $454. Of course, the prices vary based on the size of your property, your location, the extent of the cleaning service, and of course – the type of service.

Below, you can see the average price rate for popular cleaning services. The data is from real quotes from Fantastic Services and other cleaning companies in Australia.

Regular & one-off cleaning

The average cost of regular domestic cleaning and deep house cleaning in Australia varies between $137 and $194. It usually includes mopping, dusting and polishing surfaces, cleaning the kitchen sink and appliances (outside), cleaning the shower and toilet, and per request – doing the laundry.

End of lease cleaning

The average cost of end of lease cleaning is $454. One of the most extensive services, as it includes a thorough cleaning of the property. The cleaning team can follow a checklist provided by the landlord. Since many people depend on this service to get their bond back, we offer a re-cleaning if we receive a notice within 72-hours from the original cleaning. With this, we make sure to meet fully your landlord’s or agent’s expectations.

Carpet & upholstery cleaning

The average cost of carpet & upholstery cleaning is $182. It includes examining the fabric to determine the best way to clean it, pH-testing of stains, steam or dry cleaning, stain treatment, deodorising.

Oven cleaning

The average cost of oven cleaning is $267. Not many people know that oven cleaning doesn’t mean just surface cleaning of the appliance, but taking it apart and cleaning each element separately – door, racks, trays, and more.

Window cleaning

The average cost of window cleaning is between $200 and $446, depending on the number of windows that need cleaning, and whether they are tinted. It includes external and internal cleaning, as well as cleaning of the window tracks, frames and sills. The professional equipment, the cleaners use for external window washing, does not require any detergents, which means there are no residue and streaks on your windows after they dry.

But why does it cost so much? Factors that affect the final cost of cleaning your house

If you want to know what the cleaning service would cost you beforehand, it’s good to look at all the most critical factors that will affect the pricing. While in many cases, the quote is entirely personalised depending on the customer, some determinants are almost always there when it comes to giving a quote.

1. Time

The time it would take for the cleaners to complete the cleaning is usually the most significant factor. The bigger the property and the more items they have to clean, the more time it takes. You can shorten the time by hiring, for example, two cleaners, but the rates will be double, so in the end, you pay the same amount of money.

2. Operational costs

After that, you have labour costs and taxes. Things that usually don’t concern the client but do play a considerable role in forming a quote. Some commissions and taxes are added by default.

3. Cleaning necessities

You have extra consumables and supplies to take into account, like professional detergents and equipment. If the cleaning professionals are using the ones already on site, the price will be lower since they don’t have to waste any of theirs and don’t have to carry cleaning equipment around.

4. Size of the property

For example, some services, like end of lease cleaning, are determined by the size of the property. They’re not charged by the hour, since the service itself needs to be extremely detailed. Even with an hourly-based cleaning, the property’s size is quite important – the bigger the house, the more rooms the cleaner has to clean. Thus, more hours have to be booked. That’s why, with hourly services, the client should provide a list of priorities. This way, the team will clean the most important things first and not waste time with low-priority tasks.

5. Condition of the property

The condition of the property is often overlooked when giving a quote. A property in less-than-perfect condition takes more time to be cleaned up to the highest standard. More detergents will be used, as well. A property that only needs a spruce up cleaning, regardless of its size, can cost a lot less than a one-bedroom property that hasn’t been deeply cleaned for a long time.

6. Parking fees

Yes, that’s right. Parking fees and distance charges are usually not something you consider when booking a cleaning. But what people often don’t think about is the equipment the cleaners have to bring. It’s not only detergents. Sometimes the cleaning job requires heavy machinery that the cleaning team just cannot carry around long distances. That’s why if you can’t provide a parking space, the final price can be higher.

Do people really pay for this? How much are people willing to pay for cleaning services?

The cost of cleaning services is only reasonable if you see how the service benefits you. When we’re talking about regular house cleaning, 98% of people agree with the cleaning rates. This can be because house cleaning saves you precious time, which you can invest in more important things.

Surprisingly, the percentage drops when we’re talking about end of lease cleaning – 87% proceed with their booking. It’s surprising because whether or not they get their bond back depends on the quality of cleaning. And the bonds are usually many times over the cost of the service. So, why are people not that keen on paying for a professional move-out clean? It can be because moving out already costs much, and some people are willing to take the risk and DIY this seemingly simple task. What’s interesting to know is that we’ve had many clients, who tried doing that, but failed the inspection and subsequently resorted to hiring a professional team to do the job.

Hidden charges nobody talks about

As you have probably already noticed, many elements make up a cleaning service price. Some of them are obvious, while other costs are quite relative and can sneak up on you from nowhere. These unexpected expenses are often a cause for disputes with your provider. Make sure to ask your chosen company about these fees before you hire them:

Weekend fees

Sometimes companies charge a little extra when they have to work on weekends. It’s not an uncommon practice, but sometimes they hide that fact. As long as it’s not a huge fee and you’re notified upfront, there’s nothing wrong with rewarding a hard worker that has to work on a Sunday.

Discrepancies based on size

Most cleaning companies form the prices of some of their services (e.g. carpet cleaning) based on the local market’s standard rates, in terms of room/item sizes. So, when a carpeted room has a bigger size than most standard rooms, this can result in additional charges for the client. In most cases, this is noticeable on the spot, and at the last minute, this can lead to an uncomfortable conversation. Make sure to measure your spaces for services like carpet cleaning, tile cleaning, pressure cleaning and others of the kind.

Extended hours of work

When you’re booking a cleaning service, you usually get an estimate of the time it takes to perform it. This is a common practice in the industry, especially if the service is hourly-based. These estimates are based on tests conducted by experienced professionals on surfaces with a standard level of soiling. Even though they are relatively accurate, some elements are unpredictable, resulting in the cleaners needing more time or special equipment to finish the job.

Cancellation fees

No matter how well you plan your week, sometimes unexpected things happen, and you may not be able to go ahead with your cleaning appointment. However, you may not know that most companies have cancellation fees, just like every hotel or other businesses working with bookings. While you’re booking your service, make sure to inquire about the costs they have in case you have to reschedule. Most legitimate companies have no cancellation fees if you notify them at least 24 hours before the service.

Details missed & other misunderstandings

Cleaning is not an exact science. Every company or contractor understands what the service involves and what is included in the basic package, as well as what is considered an extra. And if the client misses mentioning an important detail over the phone, it’s natural for discrepancies to occur. Fortunately, most companies perform an inspection before the actual service, and any potential extras are discussed beforehand.

Takeaways