Hiring a cleaner is one of the better decisions you can make for your time and your home. But hiring the wrong one — uninsured, unvetted, unreliable, or simply not up to standard — is a frustrating and sometimes costly experience. In Fulham, there is no shortage of options: agencies, independent cleaners, platforms, apps, and everything in between.
This guide gives you nine specific questions to ask before you book anyone. Ask all of them. The answers will tell you everything you need to know about whether a cleaning company or individual is worth trusting in your home.
Why This Matters More Than Most People Realise
A cleaner enters your home when you may not be there, handles your belongings, uses your space, and has access to every room. The decision deserves more than a quick Google search and the cheapest quote. At the same time, it does not need to be complicated — a handful of direct questions before booking is all it takes to separate the reliable, professional services from the ones that will let you down.
| 💡 | Key Insight
The Fulham cleaning market has a wide quality range. At the top end are fully insured, vetted, and trained professionals. At the bottom are uninsured sole traders found via social media with no accountability. The price difference is often £8–12 per hour. The risk difference is enormous. |
Question 1: Are You Fully Insured?
This is the single most important question and the one most people forget to ask. Professional cleaning companies carry public liability insurance — typically £1 million to £5 million — that covers damage to your property or belongings during a clean. Without this, if a cleaner breaks something valuable, floods your bathroom, or causes any other damage, you have no financial protection.
What to look for:
- Public liability insurance of at least £1 million
- Employers’ liability insurance if the company employs staff
- Ask to see the certificate or confirmation — reputable companies provide this without hesitation
| ⚠️ | Red Flag
Any cleaner or company that cannot confirm their insurance or becomes defensive when you ask for it should not be given access to your home. This is non-negotiable. |
Question 2: How Are Your Cleaners Vetted and Background Checked?
Vetting means different things to different companies. At a minimum, a responsible cleaning company in Fulham should verify right to work in the UK, check references from previous clients, and conduct an in-person or video interview. Better companies run DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks, which flag criminal records relevant to working in people’s homes.
What to ask specifically:
- Do you conduct right-to-work checks on all staff?
- Are cleaners DBS or background checked?
- Do you verify references from previous employers or clients?
- Do you conduct in-person or video interviews before placing cleaners?
If you are hiring an independent cleaner directly — through a neighbour recommendation, social media, or a local notice board — ask for two references and follow up on them. A good independent cleaner will be happy to provide them. Hesitation is a warning sign.
Question 3: Will I Have the Same Cleaner Every Time?
Consistency is one of the most undervalued factors in a cleaning service. A cleaner who visits your home regularly learns where everything is, which areas need extra attention, which products work on your surfaces, and how you like things done. That familiarity translates directly into better results over time.
Many larger cleaning agencies rotate staff — sending whoever is available each week. This means a different person each visit, reintroducing themselves to your home each time. For some clients this is fine. For most, it is frustrating.
| ✅ | What to Ask
‘Will I have the same cleaner assigned to my property? What happens if my regular cleaner is unavailable?’ A good answer: yes to the same cleaner, and a clear cover policy for sickness or holidays. |
Question 4: What Exactly Is Included in Each Clean?
‘Cleaning’ is not a defined scope of work. What one company includes in a standard clean, another treats as an add-on. Before you book, get a specific answer to what is included — and what is not.
| Task | Usually Included | Often an Add-On |
| Vacuuming and mopping | ✓ | |
| Dusting surfaces | ✓ | |
| Bathroom clean | ✓ | |
| Kitchen worktops | ✓ | |
| Inside oven | ✗ | Extra charge |
| Inside fridge | ✗ | Extra charge |
| Inside cupboards | ✗ | Extra charge |
| Laundry / ironing | ✗ | Some companies |
| Window cleaning (inside) | ✗ | Extra charge |
Question 5: Do You Bring Your Own Products and Equipment?
Some cleaning companies bring everything. Others expect you to provide a vacuum cleaner, mop, and bucket — and some require you to supply all products too. This matters practically and financially: professional-grade cleaning products perform better than standard supermarket products, and a company that arrives with the right equipment saves you the cost and storage of supplying it yourself.
What to confirm:
- Does the cleaner bring a vacuum cleaner?
- Do they bring all cleaning products?
- If you have preferences (eco-friendly, fragrance-free, specific brands for delicate surfaces) — can they accommodate this?
- Is there an additional charge for products and equipment?
Question 6: What Is Your Satisfaction Guarantee?
Even excellent cleaners have off days. What separates a professional service from an amateur one is how they respond when something is not right. Before booking, ask specifically what happens if you are not satisfied with a clean.
- Do they offer a free re-clean within 24–48 hours if you identify missed areas?
- Is there a formal complaints process?
- Will they send the same cleaner or a different one to fix the issue?
| ⚠️ | Red Flag
A cleaning company that cannot clearly explain their satisfaction or re-clean guarantee before you book will be just as vague when you actually have a complaint. Certainty now means reliability later. |
Question 7: What Are Your Prices and Are There Any Hidden Charges?
Pricing in the Fulham cleaning market ranges from £15/hr for uninsured cash-in-hand cleaners to £40+/hr for premium agency services. The right question is not ‘what is your hourly rate?’ but ‘what is the total cost for my property and what does that include?’
Hidden charges to ask about specifically:
- Minimum booking hours (some require a 3-hour minimum regardless of job size)
- Equipment and product surcharges
- Travel or parking charges
- Cancellation fees and notice periods
- Rate increases over time — some companies lock in a rate at the start of contract
| Price Range | What It Typically Means |
| Under £20/hr | Uninsured independent or cash-in-hand. No accountability if something goes wrong. |
| £20–£27/hr | Self-employed independent. Varies widely in quality. Always check insurance and references. |
| £27–£35/hr | Agency-managed or small local company. Insurance and vetting typically included. |
| £35+/hr | Premium services. High-end products, dedicated account management, guaranteed consistency. |
Question 8: How Do You Handle Access to My Property?
Most regular cleaning happens while the client is at work. That means a cleaner who has a key to your home or access via a key safe. Before agreeing to this, confirm how the company manages key security.
- Are keys stored securely when not in use?
- Are keys labelled with anything that identifies the property address? (They should not be)
- What is the procedure if a key is lost?
- Does the company carry key loss insurance?
- Is there a coded key safe option?
Question 9: Can I See Recent Reviews From Fulham Clients Specifically?
Generic five-star reviews tell you little. Reviews from clients in Fulham or SW6 — ideally with specific comments about the quality of work, reliability, and how issues were handled — are genuinely useful. National review averages from Trustpilot or Google can be padded. Local, specific, recent reviews from people in your area are harder to fake.
Where to look:
- Google Business Profile reviews — filter by most recent
- Checkatrade (vetted, harder to fake)
- Trustpilot — look for specific comments, not just star ratings
- Ask the company directly for references from current Fulham clients
| 💡 | Local Test
Search ‘Maid in Fulham reviews’ on Google. If a cleaning company has genuine clients leaving detailed, named reviews in Fulham specifically — that is the clearest possible signal of a real, operating, accountable service. |
The Maid in Fulham Answers
To make it easy — here is how Maid in Fulham answers all nine questions:
| Question | Maid in Fulham Answer |
| Insured? | Yes — fully insured, certificate available on request |
| Vetted? | Yes — all cleaners are background checked and interviewed |
| Same cleaner? | Yes — we assign a dedicated cleaner to your property |
| What’s included? | Full written scope provided at booking, no surprises |
| Products and equipment? | We bring everything — products, vacuum, all equipment |
| Satisfaction guarantee? | Free re-clean within 24 hours if anything is missed |
| Hidden charges? | No — flat quoted price, confirmed before booking |
| Key security? | Keys stored securely, never labelled with address, key insurance held |
| Local reviews? | Google reviews from named Fulham clients available — search us |
Book a Clean with Confidence
Maid in Fulham provides regular cleaning, one-off cleaning, and deep cleaning across all SW6 postcodes and surrounding areas. Every clean is fully insured, every cleaner is vetted, and we assign a dedicated cleaner to your property.
