Going rate to pay someone to do changeovers?

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harcourtv57
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Going rate to pay someone to do changeovers?

Post by harcourtv57 »

Hi all - question please for those of you in the UK who pay someone to do cleaning and/or changovers (in UK properties).

We have always done our own but are now looking at getting someone in to help or as back up (we both work as well and the prospect of spending every weekend cleaning this year is not appealing!). Anyway I decided to test the water by placing an ad on Gumtree and have been inundated with responses. But I have no real idea of what a sensible going rate is - and is it best to pay hourly or a set rate for each changeover (which is my preferred way of doing it) - we did get ripped off two years ago by cleaners who seemed good to start with, but insisted on being paid by the hour then claiming that it took two of them three hours to clean our one bedroom apartment (!! :evil: ) ANd then we started getting complaints from guests about cleanliness, so since then have done it ourselves

Any views or advice welcomed :)
Nightowl
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Post by Nightowl »

I pay £10 per hour on the basis that my cleaner will spend 3-3.5 hours cleaning and the rest goes towards travelling time of about 20 mins each way, but the amount is fixed at £40 per changeover. She knows how I have calculated it. She's lovely and it's swings and roundabouts, sometimes it takes longer, sometiimes less and she'll sort out bed linen etc.

I take the laundry to be serviced washed but she collects it all and drops it off to me.

I pay cash and have no idea what she does about tax.
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apexblue
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Post by apexblue »

We pay £10 per hour when we can't do it ourselves.
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harcourtv57
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Post by harcourtv57 »

Ok thanks - my preference is for the fixed rate method - as you say swings and roundabouts as sometimes its spotless and sometimes needs more attention. We have asked that the person who takes it on picks up the laundry from the cleaners and then drops off the next load afterwards. Our accountant has said that whoever does it must provide a receipt, otherwise we can't claim it as a cost, so that might put some potential enquirers off.
Annew
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Post by Annew »

Harcourt, you can claim a cleaning cost on each changeover whether or not you have a receipt. My accountant tells me it is an allowable expense. I've been advised that I will only need a paper receipt if we become VAT registered.

You should claim for your own time cleaning too. I claim £35 per booking per property which covers my labour (or my housekeepers - who I pay as casual labour) and laundry costs. Having duvets, pillows, throws and cushions etc laundered is an additional allowable expense.
harcourtv57
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Post by harcourtv57 »

Dear Annew - thank you thats very interesting. We have not had much luck with accountants (now on third one in four years) :roll: . Both the previous one and the current one said we would need receipts to claim the expense for cleaning costs, the current one has said we can 'pay' ourselves but the previous one didn't even tell us that!

Having now gone over to a laundry (instead of doing it ourselves) we do claim for that.
alex_bisgrove
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Post by alex_bisgrove »

anything claimed for tax purposes needs to be evidenced. Fine if you are not investigated, but if you are and can't prove the expense, the claim will be invalidated (and you tax return wrong), your accountant will not be fined you will. As for paying yourself, from next tax year (when all letting is residential), if you do you will need to show that as income on your personal return, so you get no real gain and thus is not allowed by HMRC (welcome to the world of residential letting).

I don't want to advertise but there is a great site for residential letting all aspects, the tax will be the same for FHL from next year so might be worth a look, its called landlordzone.co.uk.
harcourtv57
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Post by harcourtv57 »

Thanks Alex - we are very concerned about the change to FHL and its implications. OUr accountant promised to let us know exactly what the cost implications for us would be - but we are still waiting :roll:
alex_bisgrove
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Post by alex_bisgrove »

I have both residential and FHL, and I'm an accountant (for my sins), so have a real strong interest in the topic. The information is just not out there. There was a transitionary information document issued in December that your accountant should know about, but it does not clear up all the confusion. With a bit of luck we will get a new government, they will think it’s too much change with everything else they have to do and drop the idea ;)
PS sorry to hijack the thread, I'm also interested in knowing how much a changeover should cost, I'm new to FHL, this year will be my first season-lots to learn.
Annew
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Post by Annew »

Perhaps if you get any information in due course alex, you could let us all know.

The information available now IS very woolly - My own situation is that my holiday cottages are not second homes, but dedicated holiday lets with severe planning restrictions on long letting and residential use, and are therefore already run as a trading business. It's difficult to judge how things will affect me.

Re the allowable expenses - I was informed by my accountant that if I am investigated I would need to prove evidence of bookings to prove the expense and to therefore retain evidence of bookings (signed booking forms), which I would imagine most of us would do anyway.
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