Cleaning quote template: what to include
A complete cleaning quote structure you can copy straight into a document, plus what each section is protecting you from.
Quick answer
A cleaning quote needs eight things: your business and insurance details, the client's details and property, exactly what's included room by room, what's explicitly excluded, frequency and duration, the price with VAT position stated, payment terms, and a cancellation policy. The exclusions and the cancellation policy are what prevent nearly every dispute in this trade.
Step-by-step
- 1
Your details, including insurance
Business name, contact details, and your public liability insurance provider and policy number. Clients letting a stranger into their home look for this, and stating it upfront removes an objection before it's raised. If you're VAT registered, your VAT number belongs here too.
- 2
Scope — room by room, not 'general clean'
This is the section that prevents arguments. List each room and what you'll do in it: surfaces, floors, bathroom fittings, kitchen appliances inside or outside. 'General clean of a three-bed house' means something different to every person who reads it, and you'll be the one on the wrong side of that gap.
- 3
Exclusions — be explicit
State plainly what isn't included: inside ovens, inside windows, ironing, laundry, decluttering, moving heavy furniture, biohazard cleaning. Every experienced cleaner has a story about the job that expanded silently. A written exclusions list is how you decline politely later without it becoming a confrontation.
- 4
Frequency, duration and access
Weekly, fortnightly or one-off; hours per visit; day and approximate time; and how you get in — key, keysafe, or client present. Access arrangements cause more wasted journeys than anything else, and a wasted journey is an unpaid one unless your terms say otherwise.
- 5
Price, payment terms and cancellation
Total price, whether it's per visit or per hour, VAT position, when payment is due and by what method. Then your cancellation policy: how much notice you need, and what happens if you arrive and can't get in. Twenty-four hours' notice, with the full fee payable otherwise, is standard and reasonable.
Tips & best practices
- ▸Exclusions protect you more than any other section — write them before the inclusions.
- ▸Put the quote in writing even for a small job; verbal scope always drifts.
- ▸State your cancellation terms at quote stage, not after the first missed visit.
- ▸A quote page on your website with these sections pre-filled saves you rewriting it every time.
Common questions
What should a cleaning quote include?
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Your business and insurance details, the client and property details, a room-by-room scope, explicit exclusions, frequency and duration, the price with VAT position, payment terms, and a cancellation policy. The exclusions and cancellation terms prevent most disputes.
Should I quote per hour or per job?
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Per job once you've seen the property — it rewards you for working efficiently rather than penalising it, and the client knows the number in advance. Quote hourly only for first visits or open-ended work where the scope genuinely can't be pinned down.
What should I exclude from a cleaning quote?
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Inside ovens, inside windows, ironing, laundry, decluttering, moving heavy furniture and any biohazard work, unless you're specifically pricing them in. Listing exclusions is how you decline extra work later without an awkward conversation.
What cancellation terms are reasonable for cleaning?
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Twenty-four hours' notice, with the full fee payable for later cancellations or no-access visits. That's standard across the trade and clients accept it readily when it's in the original quote rather than raised after the first missed visit.