Why it matters more than you think
If you do 25 hours a week and two clients cancel late, that can be a tenth of your week's income gone. Do that most weeks and it adds up to a lot over a year. Cleaners are usually the ones who absorb it, because they don't want to seem awkward.
What's normal in the UK
There's no legal standard, but a few approaches come up again and again:
- 24 to 48 hours' notice to cancel for free
- 50% of the clean if they cancel inside that window
- Full price for same-day cancellations or lockouts (you turn up and can't get in)
- First one waived, then the policy applies
Clients on Mumsnet are split. Plenty say they always pay if they cancel, because they know their cleaner can't fill the slot. Others push back hard, especially if they feel the cleaner cancels on them too. Which leads to the important bit.
It has to be fair both ways
If you charge clients for late cancellations, you need to be reliable yourself. If you cancel on them, they pay nothing, obviously. Offer to swap the day or add the time to the next visit where you can. A policy that only works one way will lose you good clients.
Holidays
Decide how you'll handle clients going away before it comes up. Common options:
- Clients give two weeks' notice of holidays and don't pay
- They pay anyway, and you use the visit for jobs you never get time for, like skirting boards, inside cupboards or the oven
- A set number of free "skip weeks" a year, then normal charges
Illness
A child with a vomiting bug is a fair reason to cancel, and you probably don't want to walk into that anyway. Many cleaners waive the fee here and offer the next available slot instead. Use your judgement, but be consistent. If one client gets it waived and another doesn't, word gets around.
How to bring it in with existing clients
Send it to everyone at once, not just the client who keeps cancelling. That way nobody feels singled out. Something like:
"Hi, just a quick update. From 1 November I'm bringing in a cancellation policy: please give me 48 hours' notice if you need to cancel. Anything shorter will be charged at 50%, and same-day cancellations at the full rate. It helps me keep my slots fair for everyone. Thanks for understanding, and any questions, just ask."
Give at least a few weeks' notice before it starts, and put it in writing, a message or email is fine, so there's no argument later.
Put it in your terms from day one
For new clients, include your cancellation policy with your price when you first confirm the booking. It's much easier to start with a policy than to add one later.
If you haven't looked at your rates in a while, it's worth reading how to price cleaning jobs at the same time.