Cleaning is one of the most accessible businesses to start in the UK. You need relatively little equipment, demand is steady, and many people build a client base through word of mouth. Doing it properly, though, means getting the legal basics right from the start. Here is how we would approach it.
Check your visa first
If you are in the UK on a visa, confirm that it allows self-employment before you take a single booking. Student visa holders cannot be self-employed. Skilled Worker visa holders can only do limited extra work, including their own business, if it meets the occupation conditions on the GOV.UK additional work page, and general cleaning is unlikely to meet them. Other routes have their own rules. Only advisers regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority (formerly OISC) or solicitors can give immigration advice, and you can find a regulated adviser on GOV.UK.
Domestic or commercial?
Domestic cleaning means working in people’s homes: regular weekly cleans, one-off deep cleans, end-of-tenancy cleans and holiday lets. Jobs are smaller, clients are individuals, and trust is everything.
Commercial cleaning covers offices, shops, gyms, schools and communal areas. Contracts tend to be larger and more regular, often early mornings or evenings, but clients usually expect written procedures, insurance certificates and risk assessments before they sign.
Many people start in one area and add the other later. Choose based on the hours you can work, whether you will drive, and the type of client you can reach first.
Choose a business structure
Most solo cleaners start as a sole trader because it is simple. You register for Self Assessment with HMRC once your self-employed income goes over £1,000 in a tax year, and the registration deadline is 5 October after the tax year you started. If you plan to take on staff or larger commercial contracts, a limited company may make sense for the liability protection, though it brings more admin. See GOV.UK’s sole trader guide as a starting point.
Insurance
Public liability insurance covers you if you damage a client’s property or someone is injured because of your work. It is not legally required, but most clients, and almost all commercial ones, will expect you to have it.
Employers’ liability insurance is a legal requirement as soon as you employ anyone, with only narrow exceptions. Under the GOV.UK rules, the policy must give at least £5 million of cover and come from an authorised insurer, and you must make the certificate available to staff. Penalties for not having it can be heavy.
You might also consider cover for your equipment and for keys you hold for clients.
DBS checks
Many domestic clients, and some commercial ones such as schools, will ask whether you have been checked. As an individual you can apply for a basic DBS check yourself online. Higher-level checks are only available for certain roles and must be requested through an organisation, so if a client says you need one, ask them how they will arrange it.
COSHH: using chemicals safely
Cleaning products can be hazardous. The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH) require employers to assess and control the risks from them, and the HSE COSHH basics explain how this applies, including to self-employed people. In practice:
- Keep the safety data sheet for every product you use
- Write a simple risk assessment for each product and how you use it
- Never mix products, especially bleach with acids or ammonia-based cleaners
- Provide gloves and other protection, and train anyone you employ
- Store and transport chemicals in their original labelled containers
Pricing: research, don’t guess
We are not going to give you a figure, because rates vary a lot by town, type of clean and client. Instead, build your price from your own costs and local evidence:
- Work out your costs per hour: products, equipment, insurance, travel, phone and an allowance for tax.
- Look at what local cleaners and agencies advertise on their websites and community noticeboards.
- Note whether competitors charge by the hour or by the job, and what is included, such as supplies.
- Set a price that covers your costs, leaves a fair profit and fits within the local range.
For end-of-tenancy and commercial work, quoting per job after a site visit is usually safer than hourly rates.
Finding clients
Start close to home. Local community groups, places of worship, letting agents, estate agents and small offices are all good first contacts. A simple website, a business listing and a few honest reviews from early clients go a long way. Reliability is your best marketing: turning up on time and doing what you promised brings referrals.
Hiring staff legally
When you grow, you take on new legal duties. You must:
- Carry out a right to work check before anyone starts, and keep a record of it
- Pay at least the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage; from 1 April 2026 the rate for workers aged 21 and over is £12.71 an hour, and in many cases travel time between jobs counts as working time
- Register as an employer with HMRC and run payroll
- Take out employers’ liability insurance
Waste and data protection
If you take rubbish away from clients’ premises, check whether you need to register as a waste carrier. In England, registration is done through GOV.UK, and it is usually free only if you carry waste your own business produces. You will also hold client names, addresses and sometimes key codes, so keep them secure and check with the ICO whether you need to pay the data protection fee.
Before you start
- Confirm your visa allows self-employment
- Register with HMRC and get public liability insurance
- Apply for a basic DBS check and prepare COSHH assessments
- Research local prices and work out your own costs per hour
- Before hiring, set up right to work checks, payroll and employers’ liability cover
Official sources we checked
- GOV.UK – Employers' liability insurance
- HSE – COSHH basics
- GOV.UK – DBS basic checks
- GOV.UK – National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates
- GOV.UK – Register or renew as a waste carrier (England)
- GOV.UK – Student visa: what you can and cannot do
Checked on 1 October 2026. Rules and fees change — always confirm on the official page.
