How to Start a Cleaning Company in the UK

You can increase your odds of launching a successful (and long-lasting) UK cleaning company by following the right steps, from choosing your business type and understanding your legal requirements to hiring a top team and beyond.

In this guide, we show you how to start a cleaning company in the UK, combining our research with real-world advice from cleaning business owners who’ve done it themselves.

Starting a Cleaning Company in the UK: A Step-by-Step Guide

Follow these steps to start your cleaning business in the UK:

The first thing you need to do is research your target market. This helps you identify which cleaning business ideas could prove profitable and which niches are oversaturated.

It’s a great idea to start with your local area. Different cleaning services have different levels of demand depending on the city, region, and even district or county you live in. For instance, one city might have plenty of commercial cleaning companies serving office buildings but very few specialised home cleaners offering deep cleans or end-of-tenancy cleaning services.

To see which cleaning services are most in demand where you live, check out:

• Local Facebook groups and community forums. 
• Letting agent listings and property websites. 
• Business directories. 
• Competitor websites. 

These sources can help you understand which services people are actively seeking and which market gaps your cleaning company can fill.

Current UK market trends can further help guide your decision: 

• Floor care remains one of the most consistently profitable service types. 
• Carpet and upholstery cleaning are projected to grow the fastest by 2030.
• Major cities like London, Manchester, and Birmingham have strong demand for commercial cleaning across sectors such as hospitality, healthcare, retail, and office spaces. 
• Regional towns have more opportunities in specific niches. For example, Slough is known for its business parks, and the south coast is a hot spot for companies specialising in boat cleaning.
• Rural areas (e.g., Sleaford, Lincolnshire, or Bacup, Lancashire) have lower overall demand but also less competition, which could make it easier to establish your brand.

Once you understand local demand, it’s easier to confidently choose a niche that’s profitable and not overcrowded.

Once you know the services you’ll provide, it’s time to choose a business structure, pick a strong name, and legally register your company. Let’s go through each of these steps below.

Choose a legal structure

Here are the main types of business structures, what they mean, who they suit, and their UK tax implications:

Sole trader

Best for: Solo cleaners or very small businesses

You and the business are the same legal entity. You keep all profits, but you’re personally responsible for any debts.

Income is taxed as part of your personal tax return. Personal assets are at risk if something goes wrong.

Partnership

Best for: 2+ cleaners starting a business together

Two or more people run the business together, sharing profits and responsibility.

Liability and profits are shared. Limited partnerships allow one partner to be passive. No separate business tax; partners pay income tax on their share.

Limited company (Ltd)

Best for: Small or medium-sized cleaning businesses wanting liability protection

A separate legal entity from you. The company owns assets and owes debts, protecting your personal assets.

Corporation tax depends on your profit: You pay 19% on profits up to £50,000, 25% on profits over £250,000, and a gradually increasing rate in between. You can also pay dividends to reduce tax.

Pick a business name

Choose a cleaning company name that’s clear, professional, and easy to remember. Simple names, like “Bright Homes Cleaning,” are usually better than long or gimmicky ones, like “SparkleMagic Deluxe Cleaning Services.” 

Importantly, check that your desired business name isn’t already in use. A unique name helps you avoid legal issues, protects your brand identity, and prevents confusion with other businesses. If your company name is too similar to an existing one, it may be rejected at registration or challenged later. 

If you’re a sole trader, there are a few rules to follow:

• Your business name can’t include terms like ‘limited,’ ‘Ltd,’ ‘limited liability partnership,’ ‘LLP,’ ‘public limited company,’ or ‘plc.’
• It must not be offensive.
• It can’t be too similar to another company’s trademarked name, or else you may be forced to change it if someone makes a complaint.
• You must include your name and your business name (if it differs from your legal name) on official paperwork, such as invoices and letters.

Since sole trader names aren’t centrally registered, it’s important to check availability by:

• Searching online (Google, social media, local directories) to see if the name is already in use.
• Checking the UK Intellectual Property Office for existing trademarks.

If you’re setting up a limited company, you can use the Companies House name checker to confirm whether your chosen name is available.

Register your cleaning company

Next, you need to register your cleaning company. Here are the key steps you need to take for each business structure:

Sole trader

Register with HMRC and sign up for Self Assessment to declare your income. You will receive a Unique Taxpayer Reference.

Partnership

Register with HMRC, and make sure all partners register for Self Assessment. Limited partnerships allow passive investors.

Limited company (Ltd)

Register via Companies House and file Articles of Association, appoint directors, and register for Corporation Tax with HMRC.

Once you’ve registered your cleaning business, there are additional laws and regulations you may need to comply with, depending on the services you offer and the environments you’ll work in. These rules help keep your team, clients, and the public safe.

Here are some examples:

• Under the UK’s Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at Work Regulations, cleaning companies must provide all employees with appropriate protective gear.
• If you use or handle chemicals or substances that can harm humans or the environment, you must follow the Hazardous Waste Regulations. Employers must also comply with COSHH Regulations.
• Companies that transport, dispose of, or deal in waste must register for a Waste Carrier Licence with the Environment Agency. This costs £184, plus a £105 renewal fee every 3 years.

• If your company uses large vehicles, drivers may need to pass a test to achieve an HGV licence.

• You and your staff may need a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check if you clean schools, care homes, or healthcare facilities, or regularly work around children and vulnerable adults.

• If your business makes more than the national threshold (currently £90,000) annually, you must register for VAT, regardless of your business structure.

UK cleaners aren’t technically required to have business insurance unless they employ staff. 

If you plan to hire full-time, part-time, or seasonal staff, you’ll need at least £5 million in employer’s liability insurance. This compensates employees for illnesses or injuries caused by working conditions—for example, slipping on a wet floor or developing rashes from chemical exposure. 

Employer’s liability insurance costs between £60 and £300 per year.

Even when it’s not legally required, public liability insurance (PLI) is also strongly recommended. Most commercial cleaning contracts require businesses to have at least £5 million of PLI cover.

PLI covers costs if you accidentally damage or break clients’ items, and someone gets injured as a result of your work. So, for instance, say a worker breaks a restaurant dishwasher or an office visitor trips on a vacuum cleaner cord during a cleaning, PLI may help with the claim and related legal costs. 

On average, PLI insurance costs £118 per year.

Beyond employer’s liability insurance and PLI, you can also consider these types of insurance:

• Commercial property: Covers your physical assets, such as buildings (owned and leased), equipment, furniture, and inventory, if stolen or damaged.
• Business contents: Covers loss and damage to your business equipment and inventory. Extras, such as coverage for deterioration of stock, are often available under contents insurance.
• Product liability: Covers any harm or injury caused by the cleaning products you or your employees use.
• Vehicle insurance: Covers accidents or damage involving work vehicles and protects you if you use a van or car for work tasks.
• Business interruption insurance: Covers loss of income if your business can’t operate due to an insured event.

To choose the right cover, Davis recommends speaking with a specialist: “Talk to someone who specialises in providing liability insurance for services businesses. Professional indemnity, liability, and workers’ comp are among the early necessary investments, both as legal shields and as trust-builders with clients.”

You can find authorised insurers through the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) website.

Startup costs for a UK cleaning business vary widely depending on your niche, company size, and legal structure. But our research found it can cost anywhere from £410 to £25,000+ to get started. 

We cross-referenced several media, banking, and B2B sites with owner insights to determine startup costs across essential spending categories. 

Here’s a breakdown:

The low end of these estimates applies to a solo domestic cleaner, while the high end applies to small commercial cleaning companies.    

Davis launched Handy Rubbish, which offers eco-friendly waste removal services to residential and commercial clients, for under £10,000.

“Vans, insurance and disposal licensing were the biggest costs,” he tells us. “I self-funded the early stage of the business in a way by reinvesting profits instead of taking large loans, and that allowed us to have more control.”

A business plan is an essential part of establishing your cleaning company. It’s a written document that explains what your business will do, how it will operate, and how it will make money. If you want to apply for funding, get a bank loan, or attract investors, it’s typically the first thing people will ask for.

Key sections of a business plan include:

• Your target market.
• Your legal structure.
• The cleaning services you’ll offer.
• Your hiring and operations plan.
• Your pricing strategy.
• Financial projections, including costs, cash flow, and expected revenue.

For cleaning businesses specifically, it’s also important to show how you’ll build and retain your clients. This may involve:

• Providing services with guaranteed demand, such as legally required commercial kitchen extraction cleaning.
• Catering to an underserved niche in your area (e.g., eco-friendly cleaning or specialist floor care).
• Highlighting what makes your business different from competitors, such as unique cleaning methods or specialist equipment.

If you’re not able to fund your cleaning company yourself, there are several financing options for UK startups:

• The UK government offers start-up loans of up to £25,000 at a fixed rate for new UK-based businesses. 
• The King’s Trust provides grants, low-interest loans, and mentoring for entrepreneurs aged 18–30. 
• Banks and specialist lenders offer working capital loans, which can help you cover everyday expenses (such as supplies, wages, and travel) before client payments start coming in. 

Titus Wardle, CEO of Aether Compliance Ltd, wisely notes, “Inevitably, it takes time to get paid. Making sure the business can operate whilst waiting for clients to pay bills is essential to survive the early stages.”

When exploring funding options, compare interest rates carefully and avoid borrowing more than you realistically need or can repay.

In the cleaning business, you don’t have to take on the cost and commitment of hiring staff immediately. You can start solo and add cleaners as you take on more clients.

Wardle, for instance, took his business from a 1-person operation to an award-winning company with up to 70 workers by using subcontractors until he built up enough recurring revenue to take on full-time staff.

But even if you don’t plan to hire right away, it’s a good idea to familiarise yourself with UK labour laws. 

Here are some key legal requirements and best practices you’ll ultimately need to consider:

• Pay your employees at least the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage, depending on their age. This isn’t optional; it’s a legal requirement enforced by HMRC, and failing to comply can lead to penalties. Make sure you stay up to date with the current rates and apply them correctly for each age group.
• Verify that every employee has the right to work in the UK. You can check their right to work status on the UK government website.
• Provide written employment contracts and payslips. Contracts should outline key details like job role, hours, pay, holiday entitlement, and notice periods. Payslips must be issued for every pay period and clearly show gross pay, deductions (such as tax and National Insurance), and net pay. 
• Follow the Health and Safety at Work Act rules to ensure your team works safely and your cleaning business stays compliant.
• Enroll staff who earn over £10,000 and are between the ages of 22 and pension age in a workplace pension scheme under auto-enrolment rules. You and your employees must contribute at least 8% in total, with a minimum of 3% from you and 5% from your employees (including tax relief). 

Marketing is an important part of getting clients, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. 

Focus on getting noticed in your local area first. Here are a few easy ways to spread the word:

• Create a Google Business Profile, so you appear in local online searches.
• Use keywords like “cleaning service in [your town]” on your Google Business Profile, social media accounts, and cleaning business website (more on this in a moment).
• Join local directories and platforms like Yell.com, Trustpilot, or Checkatrade.
• Share your details in local Facebook groups.
• Create cleaning company flyers or business cards and distribute them in nearby neighbourhoods.

To grow more quickly, create a basic cleaning business website that lists your services, pricing, and contact details—or even offers online booking. A website is especially useful if you’re looking to start a UK cleaning company online, as it helps build trust, improves visibility, and makes it easier for customers to reach you.

If you’re comfortable with social media, post short cleaning transformation videos on TikTok or Instagram to attract new clients quickly. Use location-based hashtags (like #LondonCleaner or #ManchesterCleaningService) to reach people in your area.

Running a successful cleaning business in the UK involves more than just completing jobs. You also need to manage any staff, schedules, supplies, and client communications while staying compliant with labour regulations.

Here are some key ways to keep your operations smooth:

• Use digital cleaning checklists to standardise routines and maintain consistent quality across jobs.
• Track working hours and breaks to comply with the UK Working Time Regulations, which limit average weekly working hours and set minimum rest periods.
• Record tasks, incidents, and accidents in real time to comply with Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reporting requirements.
• Join UK trade associations, such as the British Cleaning Council or the Domestic Cleaning Alliance, for credibility, networking, and industry guidance.
• Maintain clear communication with your team so everyone understands their schedules, jobs, and any changes to both.
• Use cleaning business management software like Connecteam to manage shifts, record hours, and more. This can help you maintain records for HMRC inspections.

FAQs

Disclaimer

The information in this guide is intended for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Employment laws change frequently, and outcomes may vary depending on your specific circumstances. For guidance, consult the appropriate labour authority or a qualified employment lawyer.