It’s very difficult when you start out because you want to fill the gaps in your service as quickly as possible in order to bring your accommodation to market. We were fortunate, in that our first cleaner was with us for more than 6 years, and our current one is in her 2nd year.
Our rough process is that we have defined a very detailed list of requirements for general turnaround, mid-stay clean and spring clean. We look for cleaners on local notice boards, official advertising and word-of-mouth recommendations. They could be either from organised FHL cleaning/turnaround businesses or local people who are just looking for continuous part-time cleaning work.
We send them the cleaning specifications and interview a short-list at the property before making a decision. It is important to us not only that we believe they can do the job well, and that they are able to offer references, but also that the work fits with their existing lifestyle/workload/family commitments.
The two we have chosen so far have really worked out because we feed them continuous work, they have proven that they do a thorough job, we get good feedback from the guests(we ask specifically about the cleanliness of the property when they arrived), and very important, that the communication channels are open and the cleaners communicate well with us.
Over time, there is a tendency for the quality of cleaning to drop slightly, and short-cuts are taken. If we notice anything untoward, we raise it as an issue, and get it sorted asap. I cannot stress enough the importance of the communications channels, for diaries, booking updates, cleaner’s holidays, etc, and for them to raise any issues with us. As a result of good communications and a good relationship, our cleaners care for our property and would make us aware of anything happening in or near the property which might be of concern.
On the points you have made, I’m assuming your 4 bedroom property could sleep 7/8 people. £60 per turnaround + laundry does not seem much for that, particularly if the house is fully occupied. Though, of course this is dependent upon where your property is located.
I found someone to do the changeover
– did you meet them at the property and walk them through a cleaning specification? Did you define ‘spring clean’? Did you take up references, or were they somehow recommended? Did you ask them how long they expect it will take them to do the job?
£60 – I thought this was too good to be true
For a 4 bedroom house, I think it probably is. Did you test the local market for turnaround price indications? Cheapest is not always best.
Guests complain about the décor and not the cleaning
– I disagree. Your advertising photos will show the décor,(so guests kinda know what to expect), but not the cleaning. Guests are very sensitive about cleanliness, particularly the kitchen sink, the fridge, the beds and the bathroom, followed by the hob, the oven, carpets/flooring and the cutlery/crockery.
It would be unfortunate if you have to call in your parents to help out, however it is a useful back-stop. Perhaps you should go back to your existing cleaner and provide them with a detailed room-by-room cleaning specification for full turnaround, mid-stay refresh and spring clean, and agree how you will communicate with each other. You will be able to tell from their reaction if they are committed to your standards or think you are being unnecessarily over-prescriptive. If the latter, I don’t think they are the right person for the job in the long-term. You should start looking again.
The good news is that there
are good people out there who will do a good job. You just have to find them.
If all appears well, I'm going to show her round when I'm back down at the end of May - until then I've informed my poor parents they're working overtime still!