Building a cleaning business from scratch means covering a lot of ground – startup costs, pricing, insurance, marketing, recruitment, systems and tax – before you take on your first client. This guide looks at the alternative: whether to do all of that alone, or with a proven model behind you.
Is running a Love My Cleaner area right for you?
A handful of short questions, then an honest answer and the numbers for your patch. Some people are not a fit for this and we will tell you so rather than waste your time on a call.
No email needed. We record the answers themselves so we can improve the questions, never who you are.
The traditional cleaning franchise
A traditional cleaning franchise gives you the right to operate under an established brand in a defined territory. In exchange, you pay an upfront franchise fee and ongoing royalties on your revenue. The franchisor provides training, systems, marketing materials, and support.
Cleaning franchises in the UK range from around £10,000 for smaller operations to £140,000 or more for national brands. Royalties typically run at 8 to 15 percent of revenue, ongoing for as long as you operate. You own the business but you pay to run it.
For the right person, a franchise offers a faster start with a recognised brand and a tried-and-tested model. For many people, the upfront cost is a barrier and the ongoing royalty is a permanent drag on profitability.
The licence model: a different approach
A licence model gives you access to the platform, brand, systems, and support without the franchise fee structure. You pay a one-off setup cost and an ongoing licence fee. There are no royalties on your revenue. What you earn is yours.
The distinction matters at scale. A cleaning business turning over £150,000 a year paying 10 percent in royalties loses £15,000 annually to the franchisor. That same business on a flat licence fee retains every penny above the fee. The economics diverge significantly as the business grows.
Franchise vs licence: the key differences
| Traditional franchise | Love My Cleaner licence |
|---|---|
| Upfront cost of £10,000 to £140,000 | A one-off setup fee |
| Ongoing royalties of 8 to 15 percent of revenue | A flat monthly fee, with no royalties |
| Brand and support | A live local microsite with SEO, a booking system integrated with Xero, automated cleaner payment splitting, an active UK peer network of non-competing area managers, and a marketplace VAT structure |
| Territory rights | Full control of your pricing, operations and growth |
Who the Love My Cleaner model is right for
Love My Cleaner is not for everyone, and we would rather be honest about that than oversell it. The model works best for people who:
- Want to build and manage a team rather than clean themselves
- Are motivated by ownership and autonomy rather than the security of a large brand
- Have some business instinct, even if they have never run a cleaning business before
- Are prepared to put in the work to recruit cleaners and build a local client base
- Want the systems and structure in place from day one, without building everything from scratch
It is probably not the right fit for people who:
- Want to do the cleaning themselves and build a one-person operation
- Are looking for a passive income with minimal personal involvement from day one
- Need the reassurance of a globally recognised franchise brand
What you get from day one
- A live local microsite optimised for your area, targeting local search terms from day one
- A booking system that captures enquiries, manages scheduling, and handles payment processing
- Automated payment splitting so cleaner payments and your area manager fee are separated and recorded correctly
- Xero integration so your accounts reflect the correct structure from the start
- Branded business cards with a QR code linking to your Google review page, the fastest route to local pack visibility
- A peer community of area managers across the UK, non-competing, experienced, and genuinely willing to help
- No royalties, ever. What your business earns is yours above the licence fee
The discovery call
The starting point is a 30-minute discovery call to find out whether your area is available, whether the model is the right fit, and what getting started actually looks like. There is no hard sell. If it is not the right thing for you, we will tell you. Check whether your area is available and book a call.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a cleaning franchise cost in the UK?
Traditional cleaning franchises in the UK range from around £10,000 for smaller operations to £140,000 or more for national brands, with ongoing royalties of 8 to 15 percent of revenue. A licence model such as Love My Cleaner works on a one-off setup fee and a flat ongoing fee, with no ongoing royalties.
What is the difference between a cleaning franchise and a cleaning licence?
A franchise gives you the right to operate under a brand for a significant upfront fee plus ongoing royalties on your revenue. A licence gives you access to a platform, brand, and systems for a lower upfront cost with no royalties. You keep everything your business earns above the licence fee.
Is Love My Cleaner a franchise?
Love My Cleaner operates on a licence model rather than a traditional franchise. Area managers pay a one-off setup fee and an ongoing licence fee, with no royalties. Area managers retain full control of pricing, operations, and profits, backed by the Love My Cleaner platform, booking system, and peer network.
