Terms and conditions for a domestic cleaning business

A cleaning business lives on regular customers and regular staff, and its terms have to protect both: the visit that cannot happen because nobody is in, the ornament that breaks, the customer who hires your cleaner directly, and the contract that ends without notice. I draft terms that deal with all of that for a fixed fee of £995, delivered in five working days.

Who this is for

Domestic cleaning businesses in England and Wales, from a sole trader with a round to an agency placing cleaners with households, covering regular cleans, one-off deep cleans and end of tenancy cleans. Almost all customers are consumers, with landlords and agents as business customers for end of tenancy work.

What matters in domestic cleaning terms

Access, keys and the missed visit

The terms should say how the cleaner gets in, how keys and alarm codes are held and returned, and that a visit which cannot happen because the customer is not there or access has not been arranged is chargeable. Short-notice cancellation by the customer should carry a charge that reflects what you lose, because against a consumer a charge that looks like a penalty will not be enforced.

What a clean includes and what it does not

A written description of a standard clean, with the things that are excluded such as moving heavy furniture, cleaning at height, hazardous substances and exterior work, stops the visit growing every week. Deep cleans and end of tenancy cleans should be defined separately, and the terms should say that a clean is not a guarantee of a deposit being returned.

Breakages, valuables and liability

Things get broken. The terms should require the customer to put away valuables and fragile items, say that you are not responsible for items not disclosed or for pre-existing damage, and set a sensible limit on what you will pay for an accident. You cannot exclude liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, and against consumers you cannot cut down their statutory rights, but a clearly stated and reasonable approach to breakages is enforceable. Your insurance should be stated.

Cleaner status and non-solicitation

Whether your cleaners are employees, workers or self-employed turns on the facts of how they work, and HMRC's Check Employment Status for Tax tool is the reference. The terms with the customer should reflect the model you actually run. If the customer hires your cleaner directly, the terms can require a fee, but against a consumer it must be proportionate to the introduction and clearly explained, or it will be treated as unfair under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

Regular contracts, notice and the right to cancel

The terms should set out the visit frequency, payment timing, how price changes are notified and the notice period to end the arrangement, which should be the same for both sides and reasonable in length. A regular clean sold by phone, email or online is a distance contract with a 14-day cancellation right under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, and the first visit can only happen inside that period at the customer's express request.

What it costs

Customer or supplier terms and conditions, £995. One set of terms, customer-facing or supplier-facing, drafted around your business. Five working days.

Review of your existing terms, £495. You already have terms and want to know how much of a problem they are. Returned marked up with my amendments and an explanation of the changes. Three working days.

Buying online forms the engagement on payment. The scope is what the terms and conditions drafting page describes, you accept the Terms of Service at checkout, and I email you within four working hours to get started. If you would rather ask something first, email me.

What you get

• A full set of terms drafted around your business, not a template with your name inserted
• A covering note in plain English explaining every commercial choice I made and why, so you can defend the terms in a negotiation without ringing me
• Liability, payment, termination and IP provisions set at a level that will survive a procurement review
• Consumer-facing wording drafted to be enforceable where you sell to consumers
• Guidance on how to incorporate the terms properly, which is where most businesses actually fail
• One round of amendments after you have read them

What is not included

• Negotiating your terms with individual customers
• Sector-specific regulatory compliance beyond the contract terms themselves
• Website privacy notice and cookie compliance, which I quote separately
• Terms governed by the law of another country

Questions I am often asked

Can I charge if the customer cancels on the morning of the clean?

The terms can provide for a charge, and a same-day cancellation is the clearest case to justify because the cleaner's time cannot be resold. Set the charge at what you actually lose, not at the full price plus a penalty.

What if the customer complains after the cleaner has left?

The terms should give a short window for complaints and offer a return visit to put right anything missed, rather than a refund. A stated complaints process also satisfies the requirement in the Provision of Services Regulations 2009 to deal with complaints promptly.

Do I need different terms for end of tenancy cleans for letting agents?

The same document can cover them with a business customer section: a defined specification, payment on invoice with interest and compensation on late payment under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998, and a statement that the clean is not a guarantee of any inventory outcome.

Related guidance and services

• Terms and conditions drafting, £995, the service this page describes
• Contract review, £495, if a main contractor or business customer has sent you their terms to sign
• Terms and conditions for a commercial cleaning contractor, for office and site contracts

This page is general guidance for businesses in England and Wales, not advice on your own circumstances. Last reviewed: September 2026. Email geoffrey@caesar.co.uk.