TL;DR: In 2026 most London households pay roughly £20 to £28 per hour for a house cleaner, with a standard weekly visit landing around £60 to £100. You can post a cleaning job for free on CQD New Gen and let local cleaners come to you, with no commission taken from either side.
Hiring a cleaner in London feels expensive until you see what drives the number. Rates swing with your postcode, how often you book, and whether you go through an agency or an independent cleaner. This guide breaks down the real 2026 prices, explains what moves them, and shows how to hire a trustworthy cleaner without paying a finder fee. If you clean for a living, the same page shows you how to find paid work.
Key facts
- Most London households pay about £20 to £28 per hour for regular domestic cleaning in 2026, a premium of roughly 25 to 40 percent over the wider UK average of £16 to £18, according to St Anne's Housekeeping and Checkatrade.
- A standard three to four hour weekly visit typically costs £60 to £100 in London.
- Independent cleaners usually charge £14 to £20 per hour, while agencies sit at £20 to £30 per hour because that rate covers insurance, vetting, and replacement cover, per Checkatrade.
- A three bedroom home with two bathrooms takes around three hours to clean, so about £60 per visit at £20 an hour.
- The UK cleaning, hygiene, and waste sector is now worth a record £66.9bn and employs around 1.49 million people, so demand for cleaners is strong across the country, reports Southend Cleaners.
What actually sets the price
Four things decide what you pay. First is frequency. A weekly or fortnightly booking almost always has a lower hourly rate than a one off deep clean, because the cleaner keeps on top of the work and the home never gets heavy. Second is the job itself. A regular tidy and surface clean is cheaper than an end of tenancy clean, an after build clean, or an oven and carpet deep clean, which are specialist and priced higher.
Third is location inside London. Central and inner postcodes carry a premium over outer boroughs, partly because of travel time and parking. Fourth is the route you choose. An independent cleaner keeps their rate lower because there is no agency margin. An agency charges more but handles vetting, insurance, and cover if your cleaner is off sick or on holiday.
Independent cleaner or agency
Independent cleaners are the budget friendly option and many are excellent, long serving professionals. The trade off is that you handle the vetting yourself and there is no automatic cover if they cannot make a visit. Agencies cost more per hour but take that admin off your plate.
There is a third path that sits in the middle. A marketplace lets you post what you need and receive responses from local cleaners directly, so you compare people and prices yourself without paying an agency margin. On CQD New Gen that is free, and we take no commission, so the cleaner keeps 100 percent of what you agree.
How to hire a reliable cleaner in London
Treat the first few visits as a trial and keep it simple. Ask for a reference from a current London client and actually contact them. Confirm the cleaner has public liability insurance, because an uninsured cleaner who damages your home could leave you liable for the cost, as Pro Cleaners London and others stress. Agree the exact tasks and the cancellation policy in writing before the first clean, and settle how you will pay.
To hire on CQD New Gen, post your cleaning job with your area, how often you need it, and the rough size of your home. Local cleaners respond, you pick the one you like, and you deal directly. Posting is free and there is no commission on either side.
Looking for cleaning work instead
If you are the cleaner, the same platform is how you get found. London demand is high and steady, and households are actively posting jobs. Create a free profile, set your area and your rate, and respond to jobs near you. There is no fee to join and no commission on the work you win, so your full rate stays yours.
FAQ
How much does a house cleaner cost per hour in London in 2026?
Most London households pay around £20 to £28 per hour for regular domestic cleaning in 2026. Independent cleaners often sit nearer £14 to £20, while agencies run £20 to £30 because their rate includes insurance and cover.
How much is a weekly cleaner in London?
A typical three to four hour weekly visit costs roughly £60 to £100 in London, depending on the size of your home and your postcode.
Is it cheaper to hire an independent cleaner or an agency?
Independent cleaners are usually cheaper per hour because there is no agency margin. Agencies cost more but handle vetting, insurance, and cover if your cleaner is unavailable. A free marketplace like CQD New Gen lets you hire direct with no commission.
How do I know a cleaner is trustworthy?
Ask for a reference from a current client, confirm they hold public liability insurance, agree the tasks and cancellation terms in writing, and treat the first couple of visits as a trial.
Is it free to post a cleaning job or find cleaning work?
Yes. On CQD New Gen it is free to post a cleaning job and free for cleaners to join, and there is no commission taken from either side right now.