Why we quote flat prices instead of hourly rates
Hourly billing puts you and your cleaner on opposite sides of the clock. Flat pricing is harder to quote and better for everyone.
The incentive problem
Under hourly billing, a slow crew earns more and a fast one earns less. The client watches the clock, the cleaner feels watched, and nobody is thinking about the skirting boards.
A flat price inverts it. Efficiency becomes our problem and quality becomes the only thing you have to judge.
How we build the number
Square footage, bathroom count, condition, pets, and frequency. Bathrooms and kitchens dominate — they are where the time goes, regardless of total floor area.
Frequency then discounts it, because a fortnightly home has less build-up than a one-off. That is a genuine cost difference, not a loyalty gimmick.
When the price changes
Only when the scope does: a room added, a tier of build-up we did not see, or a pet situation that was not mentioned. We quote the change before doing the work, in writing.
What never changes it: the crew running long, traffic, or a job being harder than we estimated. Those are our estimating errors to absorb.
With an hourly rate, thoroughness costs the client money. With a flat price, it costs us. That is the correct arrangement.
