Why are some cleaning services so cheap?

Cheap house cleaning services: what a low hourly rate can leave out

A low hourly rate tells you the price of one hour. It does not tell you how many hours you must book, how often, or how much work fits into each hour.

In the directory, one company prints S$23.98 per hour with the note "incl. GST, min 2 hours". Another prints S$24 per hour with a 3-hour minimum per session over 4 sessions. A third prints "From S$21 per hour" for weekly or fortnightly cleaning, with a minimum of 3 bookings. Others print S$20 per hour for a 2-hour evening slot and S$26 per hour for a one-time service. Many rates are "From" prices, so ask which rate applies to your home.

So a low rate can come with a minimum, a recurring commitment or a fixed time slot. If you only need help once, check what each company prints for a one-time visit, or look at ad hoc cleaning instead.

Fewer tasks is the other gap. Ask which tasks fit into the minimum hours for a home of your size, and which jobs, such as windows or the inside of the fridge, would need extra time. When you weigh cheap home cleaning services in Singapore, this answer can tell you more than the rate alone.

Published part-time cleaning rates

15 companies in the directory publish a part-time cleaning rate, all per hour. Their lowest published rates run from S$16 to S$26 per hour, with S$22 per hour in the middle.

FROM THE HOMEZYPRO DIRECTORY

Published part-time cleaning rates

For the most common unit (per hour), the lowest published rates from 15 companies run from S$16 to S$26. Each figure is one company's own advertised rate with its conditions, not a market average or a quote.

See 15 published part-time cleaning rates and sources

Lowest matching advertised rate per company, in SGD as published. "From" marks a starting price and ranges are shown in full. Check the source for minimums, GST and inclusions.

Company	Service as listed	Rate	Source
Elara Home Pte Ltd	Part-time cleaning	S$16 per hour	elarahome.com.sg
Go Cleaners Pte Ltd	Part-time cleaning	From S$18 per hour	gocleaners.sg
One Heart Cleaning Pte Ltd	Residential Cleaning	From S$18 per hour	oneheartcleaning.com.sg
6 Days Cleaning	Weekly/ Fortnightly Part Time Cleaning	From S$20 per hour	6days.sg
Cleatra Pte Ltd	Evening Cleaning: (2 hours)	S$20 per hour	getcleatra.com
Avalon Services	Part-time helper, weekly / fortnightly (min. 3 bookings)	From S$21 per hour	avalon-services.com.sg
Easyclean SG	Hourly cleaning service	From S$22 per hour	easycleansg.com
GJourney Services	Support for HDBs, Condos and Landed Homes	S$22 per hour	g-journey.com
Natural Clean	Part-time cleaning	From S$22 per hour	naturalclean.com.sg
Part Time Home Maid Service Singapore	Part-time cleaning	From S$22 per hour	parttimehomemaid.com
KleanSG	Part-time maid, per cleaner (incl. GST, min 2 hours)	S$23.98 per hour	kleansg.com
Beck And Call	Part-time cleaning	S$24 per hour	beckandcall.com.sg
Clean Off	Weekly home cleaning, day slot (min 3 hrs/session, 4 sessions)	S$24 per hour	cleanoff.com.sg
Helperoo Pte Ltd	Recurring Cleans */Hour	From S$24 per hour	helperoo.com.sg
CSS Integrated Pte Ltd	Part-time cleaning helper, one-time service	S$26 per hour	cssintegrated.com

A rate at the low end is not a red flag on its own. What matters is the conditions printed with it. Read each line for "From", minimum hours and booking terms, and open the source for the full wording. For regular help, see our guide to part-time cleaners.

Hours or tasks

A cleaning quote can be based on time or on tasks. An hourly quote charges for the time the cleaner spends in your home, working through your priorities until the hours run out. A task-based quote names the work, such as a full clean of a 4-room HDB flat, and gives a fixed price for it.

To compare the two, start from the work you need done. Ask the hourly company how many hours it would book for your list, and check its minimum. Ask the task-based company what is included and what counts as extra. Then compare written totals, not headline rates. Our post on choosing an hourly rate or fixed price goes into more detail.

Supplies, travel and GST

Ask whether the rate includes cleaning products and equipment, or whether you provide your own vacuum, mop and detergents. If the company brings them, ask whether there is a separate charge. Ask too whether there is a transport charge.

Only one published line says its rate includes GST, so ask how GST is treated in each quote. IRAS says not all businesses are registered for GST, and only GST-registered businesses may charge it. GST-registered businesses should display final, GST-inclusive prices and may not display, quote, advertise or publish prices without GST. If a quote adds GST separately, ask whether the company is GST-registered and check using the IRAS e-Service.

Insurance and worker arrangements

Ask whether the company has insurance that covers damage in your home, what it covers and how a claim works. Ask what happens if something is damaged and who you should contact.

Ask who employs the cleaner and whether the same cleaner will come each time.

MOM describes the Household Services Scheme (HSS), which allows companies to hire more migrant workers to provide part-time domestic services such as home cleaning, grocery shopping, car-washing and pet-sitting. For part-time or temporary help with household chores, MOM says you can contact any of the HSS companies it lists. MOM does not say a cleaning company must be on the list.

On licences, NEA says cleaning businesses that provide domestic cleaning at premises occupied as a private residence, not including condo common property, do not need to be licensed. Businesses offering non-domestic general cleaning, such as office cleaning or condo common areas, need the licence, whether ad hoc or on contract. So this licence is not something to look for when you book a home cleaner.

What to ask before you book

Whether you choose a higher-priced service or one of the cheap cleaning services in Singapore, ask each company the same questions and keep the answers in writing. See also how to compare quotes.

• Rate and minimum. What is the hourly rate, and is there a minimum number of hours, sessions or bookings?
• Tasks. Which tasks fit into the minimum hours, and what would need extra time?
• Supplies. Are cleaning products and equipment included, or do I provide them?
• GST. Is the price GST-inclusive, and is the company GST-registered?
• Cancellation. What happens if I cancel or reschedule a session?
• Same cleaner. Will the same cleaner come each time?
• Damage. What happens if something is damaged, and does insurance cover it?
• Complaints. How do I raise a complaint, and who handles it?

Questions