The following is a complete list of every question we have ever been asked in the past 5 years, many may not be of interest to you, however scroll down the page and if you see something of interest, stop and read. Any other questions not listed here? All you have to do is ask!
1. What sort of service do you offer?
We are an introductory business and provide you with a dedicated regular cleaner to do your general household chores every week on the same day.The cleaner's duties will be agreed directly between you and the cleaner at the meeting which will be arranged with you prior to starting. As a general rule these will include, hoovering, polishing, dusting, interior window cleaning, the cleaning of floors and toilet areas and ironing, some cleaners perform additional duties such as changing of bed linen, laundry, hanging out washing and general washing up of crockery, however these latter items are not really "Domestic Cleaning" and therefore your cleaner may or may not want to perform these extra duties, which do not fall within the scope of "domestic cleaning". Most people, it has to be said, do not require laundry, washing up or the changing of bed linen so the latter issues are not a problem. You should allow approximately 2 to 3 hours for cleaning and an hour for ironing (if the latter is required) for an average 3 bedroom property, in any event the cleaner will meet you to discuss your EXACT requirements as detailed above, most people work to a budget, they know how much they are prepared to spend and then finalise everything with the cleaner when they meet.
Time For You also deliver a carpet cleaning service in some areas, see our 'Other Services' button. Bone-Dry carpet cleaning is the deepest, most thorough carpet cleaning system on the planet - guaranteed!
The Correct Time in Gateshead
2. How do you vet your cleaners? Very carefully!
First interview - We undertake a detailed telephone interview and only accept about one in ten who applies for work with us. Of these only half are accepted (after vetting) to join our register of approved cleaners.
Our selection process is extensive & intended to deter inappropriate applicants. We assess character, past work history, ability to clean, iron, preferred work times and areas. We determine whether they have the right approach for this kind of work and ensure that they have a telephone so that both you and the Company can contact them easily.
Second interview - We meet the cleaner in their own home to assess their own standards of cleanliness and we check that the identification provided verifies that they are who they claim to be, and that they live where they claim to live.
We require sight of two forms of proof of identity and residence, additional references are also required in connection with employment and character and we check with the originator. Some companies ask the cleaner to visit them, we, however prefer to visit ALL cleaners in their own home environment. As you can see, a great deal of work is undertaken on your behalf before you even speak to a potential cleaner.
Are you going on holiday? Travelling overseas? Want to know what your currency will buy? Here's a handy currency converter. To use it, highlight in the boxes below the two currencies you wish to use, then input the actual cash amount you wish to convert into the oblong box marked 'From:' - the conversion will take place automatically and appear in the box marked 'To:'. UnitConversion.org - the ultimate unit conversion resource.
3. How can you ensure reliability and honesty? Only by checking references. If we cannot verify references, we will not offer work.
Time For You (North East) Limited is proud to hold membership of the Guild of Master Craftsmen - this organisation is respected and professional and thoroughly vets its prospective members by, amongst other things, talking personally to past or present clients. Time For You has successfully passed their stringent procedures and is now a corporate member of The Guild. If you click on the words immediately below the Guild image - in small blue type, which reads: 'Guild Web Banner' you will be taken to their site - use your browsers 'back' button to return here if you leave this page.
4. Can I specify the cleaning day or the specific times my cleaner calls? Yes, however Thursday and Friday are the most popular days so if you are only prepared to accept one of these, it may take longer to find someone suitable. Giving your cleaner a specific time to call ie., 10am to 12 noon can cause problems with your cleaner as a number of them utilise public transport and that can, on occasions, be unreliable. If you do need to state a time, go for the more ambiguous "am" or "pm" or better still "either" on the day or days of your choice.
5. Can I have a cleaner once a fortnight or for a one off clean? Our cleaners are mainly looking for regular weekly work, however fortnightly and one off cleaning services are available at additional cost, full details are contained below at question number 18.
6. Will the cleaner come in for an hour a day? Unfortunately, it is not worth their while financially to travel to and from your property just to earn around six pounds before expenses. The more hours you want per session, the easier it'll be to find you a cleaner, and the longer they'll stay with you. The minimum work session is 2 hours.
7. Will it be the same cleaner every week? Yes!
8. Who pays the cleaner? You do. You pay the applicable rate, when the work is done. You agree the payment arrangement with the cleaner when you meet her.
9. Do I need to be in when the cleaning takes place? No! Indeed most people are not in when she calls which is why they need someone to do the cleaning in the first place, however we do have elderly, infirm or disabled people amongst our clients who of course may be in when she arrives, whether you are in or out is not a problem, rest assured the cleaner will carry out her duties regardless.
Often imitated - never beaten. Time For You will shortly be introducing a unique NEW service to all of our clients. Already the largest domestic cleaning company in the region, this latest innovation will ensure that TFY remains as the the number one provider of domestic cleaning services in the North East.
10. Do you provide transport for the cleaners? Cleaners are responsible for making their own way to your home. Some cleaners have the use of a car, those who utilise public transport will usually live within the same town or relatively close by.
11. What happens if I am unhappy with the cleaner? This is rare as we aim to match the right cleaner to each client, however if there was ever a problem, simply notify us and we will normally provide a replacement within a maximum of 7 days.
12. Who provides the equipment and cleaning materials? Generally the cleaner will use your cleaning materials in order to keep the hourly rate as low as possible. There is no such thing as a free lunch in business, the cleaner can supply her own materials but your hourly rate would be higher. Not surprisingly you would be hard pushed to find clients who are willing to pay a higher hourly rate for the cleaner to bring along cleaning materials when the client probably already has a perfectly adequate supply. You may also prefer your own products due to health or eco friendly reasons.
13. What happens if the cleaner lets us down or rings me to say she is unable to call on her specified day due to illness, holiday, or severe inclement weather etc.? If you are let down, call us (you may know before we do) and we will find out what the problem is and when the cleaner will return, if necessary we will normally offer a replacement within 7 days. A proportion of the retainer fee pays for finding replacement cleaners, if and when they are needed.
If your cleaner rings with an unforeseen problem, domestic emergency or cannot call because of some other reason she will generally make alternative arrangements with you, for example she may offer a different day if this is acceptable, or to call in twice the following week, if either of these options is unacceptable the cleaner will generally offer to add an additional hour each week to her normal working hours until the missed hours are made up. As a final compromise any missed hours can be 'saved' and used at some future date for a spring clean, or something similar. Domestic emergencies in particular, or personal issues are rare, but if they DO occur, contingency plans can easily be agreed between you and your cleaner. If you require a replacement worker for your cleaner's absences, please let us know; ideally 4 weeks notice is required for holidays.
There is no refund payable from the Standing Order payment made to Time For You if the circumstances above prevail, our fee covers the running of the company as well as provision for insurance etc., which of course does not cease should the cleaner not be available on odd occasions. As stated above, there are many compromises which can be agreed between the householder and the cleaner to 'make up' any additional hours missed on the rare occasions they may occur.
It is ALSO worth mentioning that we are the ONLY company in the ENTIRE country as far as we are aware that does NOT charge a fee for EXTRA hours (providing this is not more than 4 extra hours a quarter) over and above the contracted weekly amount - we simply ask you to pay the cleaner her current rate and we forego our current fee of £2.75 per hour. Further, the balance of the hourly rate paid to Time For You via Standing Order is guaranteed NEVER to increase for as long as you remain with us - ONLY the cleaners rate MAY increase from year to year - the former being a 'loyalty' bonus and a 'thank you' for remaining loyal to Time For You. So although we do not refund the balance of the hourly rate payable to Time For You on the rare occasions when the cleaner may not be able to work - the client is MORE than compensated in other areas as mentioned above AND has a number of compromise solutions available to them to ensure they do not lose any missed hours.
The no refund policy for the odd times of the year when a cleaner may not be working is also, in part, due to the fact that the £2.75 per hour balance contains government tax, in the form of V.A.T. so to refund that proportion of the gross hourly rate (£2.75) when we, as a company, may have already paid the V.A.T. element of the fee to Customs and Excise becomes an administrative nightmare if refunds are requested. No client will EVER lose any occasional missing hours if they follow the instructions given in this section.
We know of no other company in the United Kingdom who offer cleaners at COST PRICE for occasional extra hours AND guarantee that the fees payable to the company will NEVER increase.
14. What happens if I don't want the cleaner to call - say, because I am ill? There is NO OBLIGATION to pay your cleaner if their services are not required on a particular week, however some householders do pay the cleaner a retainer fee.
The company retainer fee however is not refundable if this occurs.
The Correct Time in Sunderland
15. Do you have insurance? Yes we do, your cleaner is covered for accidental damage to your property, we also provide fidelity insurance against financial loss. An excess does apply in all instances; full details will be supplied upon request.
16. How long will it take to find me a cleaner? It depends on where you live, which day/s you want, the number of hours and the type of duties your cleaner must perform. For example, if you live in a small outlying village we will have to recruit a cleaner specifically for you. We should normally be able to accommodate you within 7 to 14 days.
17. How much do you charge for regular weekly cleaning? The on-going cost is made up of two elements. One, the cleaner's pay (usually around £6 per hour) and two, our retainer fee (£2.75 per hour). For your information the following table shows not only the total hourly cost, but also, the actual payments made weekly and quarterly. Please note: VAT is charged on the retainer fee only and NOT on the weekly amount you pay the cleaner.
PRICE GUARANTEE: The retainer fee never increases providing you do not change your hours and you do not break your contract with us.
NB: Prices do vary in other parts of the region/country and are determined by the availability of good cleaners. In Hexham for instance we know of cleaners working for other companies who charge £12 per hour - and they do obtain this figure because of short supply. If you live north of the Tyne, i.e., Newcastle City, Jesmond, Gosforth, North Shields, Bedlington etc, then please telephone Time For You Newcastle based in Gosforth on 0800 3289107 and they will be only too pleased to help you.
The retainer fee covers our day to day expenses such as providing insurance cover for accident, breakage and fidelity bonding, holiday cover if required and of course the ongoing recruitment and vetting of suitable cleaners.
Your cleaners rate of pay depends on what she is asked to do and possibly how far she is asked to travel. She might also make a small charge if she is required to supply any materials or equipment.
The typical hourly rate for a cleaner in your area is £6.00, but it does depend on your exact requirements as well as the cleaner, this being the case you simply add on our retainer fee of £2.75 per hour to whatever the cleaner's charge is to achieve the overall cost, e.g., £6.00 per hour plus £2.75 retainer fee equals a total hourly rate of £8.75 which includes VAT.
Please Note: The rate above is based on a minimum of 2 hours cleaning on a weekly basis, if you prefer fortnightly or one off cleans there is a higher charge, full details are contained in question and answer numbers 18 and 19 below
No. of hours required
Cleaner Payment and Retainer Fee Combined
Weekly sum you pay the cleaner
Quarterly Retainer Fee
2
£8.75 per hour
£12.00
£71.50
(inc VAT)
3
£8.75 per hour
£18.00
£107.25
(inc VAT)
4
£8.75 per hour
£24.00
£143.00
(inc VAT)
5
£8.75 per hour
£30.00
£178.75
(inc VAT)
6
£8.75 per hour
£36.00
£214.50
(inc VAT)
So you can clearly understand how we reach the figures printed in the above grid, we will use two hours as the example: The £12.00 quoted as the cleaners weekly pay is the average hourly rate of £6.00 per hour multiplied in this case by two hours.
The figure of £71.50 is simply the balance left over after paying your cleaner her rate of £6.00 per hour; this leaves an hourly balance of £2.75 (which includes V.A.T) we multiply the latter figure by the two hours we are using as an example, this gives you £5.50 and then we multiply this figure by 13 (the number of weeks in a quarter) to arrive at the balance of £71.50, this last sum is shown as a quarterly figure because we collect this amount by Standing Order once every 13 weeks in advance. See question and answer number 24 for further details.
By collecting the balance via this method we save invoicing and administration time as well as money because our bank charges us less to process Standing Orders as opposed to cheques, the subsequent saving are passed onto you, this is why we are able to offer one of the most competitive hourly rates available.
18. How much do you charge for Regular Fortnightly cleaning? Because of the increased difficulty to source and retain cleaners for fortnightly or monthly cleans - together with the fact that our insurance cover is provided on a 52 week basis, we charge a higher hourly rate. FORTNIGHTLY cleaning is £9.75 p.h. (inc V.A.T). The hourly rate is collected in the following manner, we split the £9.75 into two separate payments, the bulk of this rate, in this particular case £6.00 p.h. goes directly to the cleaner, and the balance left over of £3.75 p.h. which is our business fee, is collected quarterly by Standing Order in advance. The quarterly business fee for 2 hours per FORTNIGHT is: £48.75, for 3 hours per fortnight: £73.12 and for 4 hours per fortnight: £97.50. When added together, the amount you have paid the cleaner over the 3 month term together with the remaining balance (our business fee) which is collected by Standing Order equates to £9.75 per hour.
19. How much do you charge for Spring Cleans or 'One Offs'. We charge a booking fee of £27.50 (payable in advance) and the cleaners are typically paid at the rate of £7.50 per hour, for a minimum of 4 hours and a maximum of 7 hours, this is decided between yourself and the cleaner. The cleaners fees are higher for one off, builders or Spring cleaning as these are generally more difficult than regular cleans. If you take a typical 4 hour clean the hourly rate thus equates to £14.37 per hour, calculated as follows: £27.50 (booking fee) plus 4 hours @ £7.50 per hour equals £30, total cost £57.50, divided by 4 hours, equals £14.37 per hour. 5 hours works out at £13.00 an hour and 6 hours is £12.08 per hour, in other words the hourly rate drops the more hours that you have as the £27.50 booking fee remains the same no matter how many hours you have.
20. I only want a clean once a month - how much do you charge? A. Please note once a month cleans are the most EXPENSIVE ways to utilise our services, ALL of our day to day costs remain - including insurance cover for your cleaner, which has to be provided on a 52 week basis, even if you only require her services once a month - however as long as you are aware of this - if a monthly clean suits your needs, the costs are as follows: Firstly, there's a minimum commitment of three hours, the cleaner is paid at the higher rate of £7.50 per hour, therefore for a three hour clean she would be paid £22.50 per month, the balance of the hourly rate (to include V.A.T) is collected by QUARTERLY standing order IN ADVANCE by Time For You, this is £82.50.
The hourly rate for a three hour monthly clean is therefore: £16.66 per hour, calculated as follows, £82.50 quarterly payment PLUS £22.50 per month to the cleaner x 3 months equating to £150 divided by the 9 hours over the quarter that the cleaner has worked equals - £16.66 p.h.
Our E mail address should you require to contact us via this method is:
tfycleaning@gmail.com.
21. I want to go ahead. What do I do now? You now have three choices to book your cleaner; if you want a regular weekly or fortnightly clean then please follow the choices laid out below. If you seek a "one off" clean you will need to forward the £27.50 booking fee to our Peterlee address and we will then arrange for one of our cleaners to meet you, and discuss face to face exactly what work you wish her to undertake. There is no need to fill out the on line registration form for one off cleans, simply contact us directly and provide us with your name, address and contact number to us and we will do the rest.
A: Complete the online registration (details below)
B: E mail or ring us to ask for the paperwork to be mailed off to you with an S.A.E, or
C: E mail or ring us for a personal visit to complete the paperwork
If you prefer option "A" simply do the following:
1: Click on the "Book a Cleaner Button"
2: Read and agree to the Terms and Conditions
3: Complete the on line registration form, press "submit" after completion and this sends us the form immediately via e mail.
4: Next, click on the Standing Order button, (found on the left hand side of the page) print off one copy, complete the box marked "The Sum Of" with the appropriate quarterly retainer fee which can be viewed at Frequently Asked Question's number 17, fill in the rest of the boxes, BUT LEAVE THE BOX MARKED "QUARTERLY STARTING FROM" blank as we complete this for you with the cleaners start date which she will inform us of.
When you have completed the Standing Order form, post off to the Peterlee processing centre (the address is on the Standing Order).
We will forward you a final copy of the Standing Order when we know the cleaners start date and we will also send a copy to your bank.
If you are uncertain about the number of hours required simply ring or e mail us for advice OR a personal visit if you prefer - the choice is yours.
22. What is your retainer Fee for? We presume to require an answer to this question means that you have never had a cleaner before. Our existing clients come to us, in some instances after having had bad experiences in finding cleaners themselves, others of course have never utilised the services of a cleaner before.
Those who have tried to source their own cleaners frequently tell us of the problems they have had, e.g., cleaners not turning up for interview, reliability problems, quality of work, the cleaner starts off well and then her work deteriorates, inability to contact cleaners if they do not show up for work, cleaners leaving the clients employment without informing the client, the list goes on and on.
It may not surprise you (bearing in mind the above) that for at least every 10 cleaners who apply to work with us, the vast majority are rejected outright for a multitude of reasons.
Our vetting process is rigorous (see above How Do You Vet Your Cleaners). We take the hassle out of cleaner recruitment for you, we remove the stress, the problems are ours not yours. We are constantly interviewing, recruiting, vetting and reference checking cleaners in order to provide you with the best cleaners available. Should your existing cleaner fail to meet your needs, leave, fall ill or take a holiday break, we step in to sort the issue out for you.
We endeavour to shield you from any stress and hassle allowing you to have more free time, especially in the evening and/or weekends.
Of course our fee has other uses, namely insurance cover, our cleaners are covered for damage to your property (full terms available upon request) as well as fidelity bonding against theft. This cover is provide by one of the most respected and largest insurance companies in the UK.
Our fee even including VAT is one of the lowest in the country, we may be the largest domestic cleaning company in the North East but our overall hourly rate is one of the lowest around. Our cleaners are the lifeblood of our business, we value and respect them as it takes an incredible amount of time and effort to find them.
23. What do I do about my house keys? Most of our customers hand a spare key over to the cleaner at the initial meeting that she has with you prior to commencing work. We do stress, however this is a personal choice, a key should only be handed over if you will be out when the cleaner calls to start work, if you will be available on the day then obviously there is no need to supply a key. Some clients do leave keys with neighbours, but if you find this inconvenient simply supply the cleaner with a copy when she meets you. All cleaners are vetted before commencing work with you and we have never had a problem with key security in the past. All cleaners are reminded for security reasons not to write names and addresses on keys. The security of your home is of paramount importance to us and, therefore we take every care that the individual that you entrust with your house keys is both trustworthy and reliable.
The Correct Time in Durham
24. Why am I required to pay part of the hourly rate directly to the cleaner with the balance being collected by Standing Order? The cleaners we supply are self employed, by paying them directly rather than having them employed by us, we do not have to charge you 17.5% V.A.T on top of their hourly rate, their self employed status therefore saves you money. Employee status in no way guarantees reliability, however it most certainly increases a companies costs which will have to be added into the overall hourly rate charged. We specialise in finding GOOD, RELIABLE, HONEST CLEANERS who prefer to be self employed, this saves YOU money.
Because the CLEANERS get paid on the day, they are happy. YOU do not have to pay V.A.T on the largest portion of the hourly rate, therefore, presumably YOU are happy and WE have less administration to do and therefore we are happy too. Our retainer fee with which we provide our service to you (and which includes V.A.T) is collected once a quarter by Standing Order because to collect small sums such as £5.50 per week by invoice is simply a very expensive and time consuming way to collect sums of this nature, ultimately someone will pay for the additional administration involved, and that 'someone' will always be 'you' the customer.
We know of companies who use an invoicing system but their hourly rates are at least £11.00 as opposed to our average of £8.75, indeed we know of OTHER companies who do not offer an hourly rate but instead quote 'by the job' with an average weekly minimum charge for a 3 bedroomed house of approximately £50, this is based on a team of two cleaning for approximately 1.5/2 hours making their HOURLY rate a STAGGERING minimum of £25 and in some cases £33 per hour if the work is completed in 1.5 hours, this same company normally quotes £75 if the same work is carried out fortnightly instead of weekly,(you can see why an actual hourly rate is not quoted) there are yet other companies where the hourly rate is paid week by week, with an average rate of £18.95 p.h. minimum, this being for two cleaners. We charge a fair price and ALWAYS strive to provide a superior service, it is this philosophy which we sincerely believe has lead to us becoming the largest business of its kind in the North East in under 5 years.
25. When I sign the Standing Order what date does Time For You collect their payment? If you book your cleaner using this website, you complete all of the Standing Order details EXCEPT the start date, we will fill that in for you once we have been advised the cleaner has been retained after she has been to meet you and informed us what it is.
If we call and see you or mail the documentation off to you the same rule applies, the start date is NOT the day you sign - but the day THE DAY YOU RETAIN THE CLEANERS SERVICES, this is exactly why you are asked to leave the start date box blank because on the day of signing we do not at that time know when your cleaner will commence her cleaning duties, you will meet her first and then she will notify us of the precise day she will commence.
PLEASE NOTE - VERY IMPORTANT: One months notice in WRITING, either electronically via email or the Royal Mail is required to end the agreement. Your notice period begins from the day we receive your written termination - NOT verbal notification.
26. Do your cleaners iron? If you require ironing we will ensure the lady who is selected will be prepared to include this in her duties.
Copyright is held for this entire site by Adam Cadell - plagiarism will be detected by Copyscape and perpetrators will be persued for copyright violation.
Cleaning your home - to give Time For You
"As seen on BBC 2's 'Working Lunch' Programme"
Site Visitors
Member of The Federation of Small Business
Time For You (North East) Ltd
Registered office: 34 Lambton Ct, Peterlee, DURHAM. SR8 1NG
Company No. 4423305, V.A.T No. 843 1532 46
Time For You (North East) Limited is owned & operated by Adam and Jacqueline Cadell
Supplying domestic house cleaning services in the North East
Bankers
Royal Bank of Scotland
64, Fawcett Street,
Sunderland,
SR1 1BB.
Accountants
King Hope & Co
18 Scarborough Street
Hartlepool
Cleveland
TS24 7DA
Solicitors:
Tilly Bailey and Irvine,
Newport House,
Teesdale South
Thornaby Place
Thornaby on Tees, TS17 6SE
Time For You supplying home cleaners and domestic cleaning services throughout the North East to the following towns and villages: Bishop Auckland, Blaydon, Chester Le Street, Consett, Crawcrook, Crook, Darlington, Dunston, Durham, Gateshead, Hartlepool, Houghton Le Spring, Newton Aycliffe, Peterlee, Rowlands Gill, Ryton, Seaham, Sedgefield, South Shields, Spennymoor, Stanley, Sunderland, Washington, Whickham, Wingate, Winlaton.
