If your renovation or new build is nearly finished, the last job standing between you and moving in is the builders clean. Prices vary more than most people expect, and quotes can look wildly different for the same property. Here is what you can realistically expect to pay in London and why.
Most professional cleaning companies price a builders clean either per square metre or as a fixed quote after seeing the property. In London, per square metre rates for a full after-builders clean typically sit between 4 and 8 pounds, depending on how heavy the dust and debris is. For hourly pricing, expect roughly 20 to 30 pounds per cleaner per hour, with a minimum booking of three to four hours.
As a rough guide, a two bedroom flat that has had a kitchen and bathroom refit usually lands somewhere between 250 and 450 pounds. A full house renovation on a three or four bedroom property is more often in the 450 to 900 pound range. Larger new builds or properties with extensive plaster dust throughout can go beyond that. Treat these as starting points rather than promises, because the state of the site matters more than the floor area.
The single biggest factor is dust. Plastering and sanding leave a fine dust that settles into every gap, and it often needs two or three passes over several days as it resettles. A property that has only had a bathroom replaced is a much quicker job than one where every ceiling was skimmed.
Other things that move the quote: whether the builders have removed their own rubble and rubbish (cleaners charge extra for waste removal, and heavy debris may need a licensed carrier), paint and plaster splatter on glass and floors, protective film and label removal from new windows and appliances, and access issues such as no parking or no working lift. In central London, parking and congestion charges sometimes get added to quotes, so ask whether they are included.
A genuine after-builders clean is not a deep domestic clean with a different name. It should cover the removal of construction dust from all surfaces including inside cupboards, on top of door frames, skirting boards, sockets and light fittings, plus scraping paint and plaster spots off glass, tiles and floors without scratching them. Windows should be cleaned inside, and new kitchens and bathrooms should be cleaned and polished ready for use.
Many companies work in stages: a rough clean while trades are still finishing, then a final sparkle clean once everyone is off site. If your builder's quote includes a clean, ask exactly what standard that means. Builders often only commit to leaving the site broom clean, which is a long way from move-in ready.
The most common way people overspend is booking the clean too early. If decorators or snagging trades come back after the clean, they bring dust with them and you end up paying for a second visit. Book the final clean only once all trades are genuinely finished, and allow a few days after plastering for airborne dust to settle.
When getting quotes, send photos or a short video of the property in its current state rather than just the number of bedrooms. Ask whether the price includes equipment and materials, whether waste removal is extra, and whether they will return if dust resettles within a few days. A written quote that lists what is covered protects you far better than a vague price over the phone.
Yes, usually by 30 to 50 percent or more. Construction dust requires industrial vacuums with fine filters, multiple passes, and careful removal of paint and plaster residue, so it takes considerably longer than a standard deep clean of the same property.
A flat after a partial refurb typically takes a team of two around 4 to 6 hours, while a fully renovated house can take a full day or more. Heavily dusty properties are often cleaned in two visits a few days apart so resettled dust can be caught.
It depends on your contract. Some building contracts include a professional clean, but many only commit to leaving the site broom clean, meaning debris is removed but fine dust remains. Check what is written in your quote before assuming it is covered.
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