Cleaning quote checklist: make the scope as clear as the price.
A quote is easier to accept—and easier to deliver—when both sides can see exactly what the price covers. Use this checklist before sending a domestic or small commercial cleaning quote.
This is a practical prompt, not legal or tax advice. Adapt it to your service, insurance, local requirements and the property you assessed.
Before you calculate the price
- Customer or business name, property address and best contact details
- Property type, approximate size and the rooms or areas to be cleaned
- One-off, regular or end-of-tenancy service; intended date and frequency
- Number of cleaners and total labour hours—not only appointment length
- Travel, parking, congestion charges and paid travel time
- Products, consumables, equipment and any specialist treatment
- An allowance for insurance, admin and other business overheads
- Property condition checked in person, by video or through customer-supplied details
What the customer quote should include
- Your trading name and contact details
- A quote number, issue date and sensible expiry date
- The customer, service address and agreed cleaning frequency
- A room-by-room or task-by-task scope written in plain language
- The total price, whether VAT applies, and whether the price is per visit or for the whole job
- Payment timing, accepted payment method and any deposit
- How the customer accepts the quote and how changes will be agreed
- Access arrangements and who supplies water, electricity, products and equipment
Exclusions worth stating explicitly
Only list exclusions relevant to the job. “General cleaning” can mean very different things to different people.
- Inside ovens, fridges, cupboards or other appliances
- Carpet or upholstery extraction and stain removal
- External windows, high-level work or areas requiring specialist access
- Mould, biohazards, pests, sharps, bodily fluids or hazardous materials
- Moving heavy furniture, waste removal or disposal of customer property
- Builders’ debris, paint, adhesive or post-construction dust
- Tasks or rooms not inspected or disclosed before the quote
- Guaranteed stain removal, restoration results or a fixed completion time where conditions vary
Included
One-off clean of the kitchen, bathroom, hall and two bedrooms at the stated address. Includes accessible worktops and surfaces, cupboard fronts, hob exterior, sinks, sanitary fittings, mirrors, vacuuming and mopping.
Not included
Oven interior, carpet extraction, external windows, mould treatment, waste removal, moving heavy furniture and any room not listed above.
Assumptions
Clear access, working water and electricity, and the property condition shown during the assessment. Extra work or a materially different condition will be discussed and priced before it begins.
Before work begins
- The customer has accepted the scope, price and payment terms in writing
- Keys, alarms, parking and arrival instructions are confirmed securely
- Fragile items, pets, restricted areas and known hazards are identified
- Cancellation, rescheduling and additional-work terms are understood
- Any change since the assessment has been recorded and agreed
After the job: improve the next quote
Record the actual labour time, travel and unusual supply costs. If the work took eight labour hours instead of six, find out whether the scope changed, the condition was different or the estimate was simply too low. That evidence is more useful than copying a competitor’s rate.