Why Clients Switch Cleaning Companies: The Five Complaints We Hear Every Time

When someone books an initial visit with us, we ask a simple question: what didn't work with your last cleaner? Most people have used two or three different companies before they find us, and their answers overlap so consistently that we could write the script ourselves.

We're not going to name the companies. We don't need to — the pattern is the point. Here are the five complaints that come up almost every time, and what we do instead.

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1. "I had to pay the cleaner cash, every single visit"

This one comes up constantly. A cleaner turns up, does the work, and stands there while you find cash or transfer money on the spot — every week, without fail. If you're not home, or you've forgotten to get cash out, the visit gets awkward or gets skipped.

It also means there's no proper record. If a dispute ever comes up about hours or missed visits, you're relying on memory rather than paperwork.

What we do instead: we invoice for the hours actually worked, the following week, on the Wednesday. You can settle it by direct debit or by card — whichever is easier for you — so there's nothing to remember on the day of the clean and a proper invoice trail for every visit.

2. "It's a different cleaner every time"

This is probably the most common complaint of all. You explain your home once, and the next week someone new is at the door who's never seen it before. You're back to showing them where the hoover lives and which surfaces can't take bleach — every single visit, indefinitely.

Some of that comes down to how the company staffs jobs: whoever's free that day gets sent, rather than one person being responsible for your property.

What we do instead: we assign a dedicated housekeeper to your property from the first visit. And because "what happens when they're on holiday or sick" is exactly the question that trips other companies up, we train a second housekeeper on your Job Description as well, at the same time. If your regular housekeeper is unwell, the cover isn't a stranger — it's someone who already knows your home and has been through the same walkthrough.

3. "£28, £30 an hour, and I couldn't tell you why"

A few clients have shown us quotes north of £30 an hour from other companies, with no clear explanation of what that premium buys — no better vetting, no more training, no dedicated person, just a higher number.

What we do instead: our rates start from £22.50 an hour, all-inclusive. We'd rather the extra you're paying for a housekeeping service go toward things you can actually feel — consistency, training, someone who answers the phone — not toward a number that's high because it can be.

4. "The cleaner clearly hadn't been trained properly"

We hear this a lot: streaky glass, the wrong product used on a natural stone worktop, a hoover dragged across a rug the wrong way. It's not usually a lack of effort. It's a lack of training, and it shows up as damage or disappointment months down the line.

What we do instead: our housekeepers go through structured training before they're placed with a client, and it's reinforced on-site, not just in a classroom. That training is what tells them the difference between a surface that needs a soft cloth and one that can take anything.

5. "I had to explain everything to the cleaner myself"

This is the complaint that frustrates people most, because it's the company's job, not the client's. Some agencies place a cleaner and leave you to brief them directly — what to touch, what not to touch, how you like things done — every time something's unclear, because nobody wrote it down in the first place.

What we do instead: before anything is booked, we visit your property free of charge and draft a Job Description covering exactly what you want done, room by room, and anything that's off-limits. You review it and approve it before your housekeeper ever sets foot inside. Then your dedicated account manager goes through it on-site with your housekeeper in person, so they hear the details from us, not secondhand from you. That document is what your housekeeper follows on every visit after that — you're not re-explaining yourself six months in.

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The thread running through all five

Look at the list again and it's really one problem wearing five different outfits: nobody owns the relationship. No fixed person handling your account, no fixed person cleaning your home, no record of what was agreed, no record of what was paid.

That's why every client gets a dedicated account manager — one named person for scheduling changes, special requests, or anything that needs sorting, rather than a general enquiries inbox.

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What this doesn't mean

We're not the cheapest option in London, and we're not trying to be. If hourly rate is the only thing you're comparing, you'll find companies under £22.50. What you're less likely to find at that price is a dedicated housekeeper, a trained backup for sick days, a Job Description you've actually approved, and an account manager who picks up the phone.

If you've been through a couple of cleaning companies already and recognise any of the five complaints above, get in touch for a free initial visit — we'll walk your property, draft the Job Description together, and you can see the difference before you commit to anything. You can also see our full rates on the pricing page or read more about how our housekeeping service works.

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Alexandra Iftimi is Head of Housekeeping Services at St Anne's Housekeeping. She has placed and managed professional housekeepers across London homes since 2016.