Key points
- Ask for the public liability figure, not just a yes, and put the same question to every cleaner.
- Ask how the people who will be in your home are vetted, and listen for a specific answer.
- Find out what the price includes and what costs extra before you compare quotes.
- Ask what happens if something is missed, because the answer shows how a company treats a problem before you have one.
Letting a cleaner into your home while you are out is a real decision, and the lowest price should not settle it. Finding a trustworthy cleaner in London comes down to a short set of questions, and the answers are easy to compare once they are written down.
This guide is a checklist for any cleaner or company you are thinking of using. Ask each of them the same things. The ones that answer plainly are easier to trust than the ones that change the subject.
Which questions show whether a cleaner is trustworthy?
Five questions do most of the work. Send them in one message if you can: it lines the answers up, and it shows how each company handles a direct question.
| Ask about | The question | What a plain answer gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Insurance | What is your public liability figure, and who is the insurer? | A figure and a name you can write down |
| Vetting | How are the people who come to my home vetted? | A specific description, not a reassurance |
| Equipment | Who brings the equipment and the products? | A clear answer before the first visit |
| The price | What does the price include, and what costs extra? | A list, with the extras named |
| Problems | What happens if something is missed? | A step you can follow, ideally in writing |
What should you ask about a cleaner's insurance?
Any cleaner can say they are insured. A figure is something you can write down and compare. Ask for the public liability cover, which is the part that matters if something in your home is damaged during a visit.
- What is the public liability figure?
- Who is the insurer, and can you have the details in writing?
- Does the cover apply to the person who will actually come to your home?
- If two companies give different figures, what explains the gap?
A company that answers straight away has something to point to. One that goes vague at a direct question has told you something before you have booked. Ivory's public liability cover is £2m.
Who comes to your home, and what do they bring?
Ask who will be in your home, how they were vetted and what they carry in. These are fair questions, and a serious company answers them without fuss.
- Are the people who come to your home employed by the company, or found through an app?
- How are they vetted, and can the company describe it in a sentence?
- Who do you contact if you have a concern about the person who came?
- Do they bring their own equipment and products, or do you need to put some out?
- If anyone at home has allergies or a preference about products, can you say so when you book?
Listen for specifics. Ivory sends vetted cleaners, and the team arrives with its own equipment and eco products.
What should a cleaning price include?
A company that asks about your home before it names a price is behaving properly. Bedrooms, bathrooms, condition and what you want done all change the job, so a figure with no questions behind it is hard to rely on.
- What did they ask you before giving a price?
- What is on the standard list, and what is a paid extra?
- Will you see the price before you choose a day?
- Is the price written down, so you can set it beside the others?
The things that move a price are the same wherever you look. Domestic cleaning cost in London goes through them one by one.
What happens if something is missed?
Ask before you book, not after. The reply shows how a company treats a problem while you still have the choice of someone else.
- How do I tell you something was missed, and how quickly?
- Do you come back to put it right, and who decides?
- Is that written down anywhere I can read it?
If the answer is vague, ask for it in writing. At Ivory the process is short: tell us and we come back. On an end of tenancy clean the re-clean happens within 48 hours. You are not looking for a company that never misses anything. You are looking for one that says plainly what happens when it does.
How do you read reviews for a cleaning company?
Read the words, not just the star score. A review is most useful when it names something you can picture: the cleaner arrived on time, replies were quick, the job matched the quote.
- Do the reviews describe the kind of job you want?
- If something went wrong, do they say how the company handled it?
- Are they recent enough to describe the company as it is now?
- Do they read as if different people wrote them?
Detail beats volume. A review that names a room or a task lets you picture the same visit at your address.
What are Ivory's answers to the same questions?
Hold us to the same list. Here are our answers, in the order above.
| Question | Ivory's answer |
|---|---|
| Insurance | £2m public liability. |
| Vetting | Every cleaner is vetted. |
| Equipment | The team brings its own equipment and eco products. |
| The price | Your price comes back within 30 minutes and you see it before you choose a day. Inside the oven, fridge and cupboards are paid extras. |
| If something is missed | Tell us and we come back. On end of tenancy, the re-clean is within 48 hours. |
We are open 7 days, 8am to 10pm, with same-day availability, and we cover all 32 London boroughs and the City of London. The place to start is weekly home cleaning, or a deep clean if the home needs more first.
Questions people ask
Ask for the public liability figure, and put the same question to every cleaner you are considering. Ivory's cover is £2m public liability.
Ask how the company vets the people it sends, and whether they are employed by it or found through an app. A specific answer is a good sign. Ivory sends vetted cleaners.
We cover all 32 London boroughs and the City of London. Put your postcode on the form and we confirm we reach you.
Agree it before the first visit: how the cleaner gets into the building and through your door, who holds any key or code, and what happens if it does not work. Ask every cleaner you are considering the same thing.
Ask what the clean is built from and what happens if your agent queries a point at check-out. Ivory's end of tenancy clean follows the check-out list, and a queried point is re-cleaned within 48 hours. The decision on any deposit stays with your landlord or agent.
Written by M.A. Published .
Keep reading
Domestic cleaning cost in London: what decides the price
Three parts sit behind every London cleaning quote. Here is how per-hour and per-visit pricing differ, what moves the figure and what to ask before booking.
Regular clean vs deep clean in London: which does your home need?
They are two different task lists, not two speeds of one job. See what each covers, compare them in a table and run a quick test to tell which your home needs.
End of tenancy cleaning checklist for London, room by room
Read it beside your check-in inventory: the kitchen, bathroom and other rooms as a London check-out goes through them, and which items cost extra or fall outside a clean.
