Starting Home help/cleaning service possible?

bonehead903028402

Hi there,

I've recently found myself unemployed and am not entitled to JSA or any other benefits.

I've been unemployed a week now and after this week will have no money coming in.

I live with my boyfriend who makes too much money for me to qualify for any benefits.

We can afford to live on his wage but I have a loan and a few credits cards, a phone contract and overdraft fee to pay every month.

I never miss payments on any of these and have quite a good credit rating and do not want to damage this by missing payments etc.

I have listed a few bits and bobs on ebay and have applied for every job going on the jobcentre website in my local area, contacted quite alot of the local businesses, pubs, cafes, restraunts in my town. Have been contacted by a few saying they have no vacancies at present and have a phone interview for a new store that may be opening in a few months.

But until then I really need to try and make some money, I have worked in care before in the past and also cleaning so was thinking of posting an ad in the local paper and gumtree advertising cleaning services and perhaps some home help for elderly, I don't want to do personal care as I have no actual qualifications in this area but would be looking at doing things like helping around the house a few days a week, doing washing and cleaning and maybe some meal preparations and shopping etc.

I just wondered if this would be possible to do or if you need some sort of license etc. I have an upto date disclosure and would be able to provide references does anyone else do anything like this or know anything about it.

Also if anyone else can think up any other ways to make some money whilst I'm unemployed Thanks

InsideInsurance

Good reliable cleaners are like hens teeth, especially if you are willing to do ironing and/ or work when the people are at home. The downside is that they tend to want at least a moderate length of commitment and hopefully you wont be able to give that.

You can certainly advertise your services on gumtree etc and see what sort of response you get. If you were doing it long term it would be sensible to get liability insurance in place in case you break something expensive but for short term you may want to take the risk without it.

You could go through an agency instead but your length of availability may be a bigger issue

littleminx_2

Hi,

Been seriously considering doing this myself while i am studying. I didn't know you could just put an ad on gumtree though, was just looking at doing a leaflet drop in my local area.Have done a bit of research into how much other local companies are charging, and think i may just give it a go.

How much would it cost for liability insurance?

kezlou

Hi,

Good idea, i would put an add up in your local newsagents and post a free listing on gumtree. Never know you might something, but another thing i would too is go for your local area, word of mouth is best kind of advertising.

Thats what i did when we first started.Also put up a free listing on google maps, just put your address up, name and numbers.
Oh just of something else, have you got a local newspaper website, if so look into a free listing on there.

We got public liabilty insurance of our bank for quite a good price, much better than anywhere else we looked.

Good Luck!

Februarycat

Im looking into doing something similar as I only work 14 hrs at the moment and now ds is at uni everything stopped like CB, CT, maintenance .

I have just had some business cards printed free at Vista and might put an ad in the local paper.

Good luck

pineapple

Hi
I found private cleaning work through putting a card in a post office window. And that first customer lead to other recommendations.
It actually shocked me that he was willing to trust his house keys to me and leave me to it from the word off. He didn't even ask for a reference. For my own protection as much as anything, I insisted on coming while he was around, initially.
I should have had insurance but didn't. I remember the time the vacuum sucked up something it shouldn't have and I sneaked into another room to furtively empty the vacuum cleaner. It could have been a Rolex for all I knew... Anyway it turned out to be a wrist band.
Actually that insurance is worthwhile. I lived in fear of knocking one of his expensive vases over. Plus it's protection should you be accused of something.

Windows

I am a window cleaner and my personal liability insurance for £1m is £53 for this year. Other than registering with HMRC and keeping accounts really this is all you need. (The insurance is optional but highly recommended).

As a window cleaner I noticed different needs during the year; so in Autumn I started gutter clearance / cleaning and during winter when it was cold I offered to do inside windows also (for 80% of cost of outside). This worked great but I was still getting cold from being outside regularly.

Hence I started also advertising domestic house cleaning and I've never looked back; I still do some windows (sold off 75% of the round) but now I mainly do domestic cleaning and got a contract to do some offices also after approaching large cooperations (local council /passport office etc).

So my advise is do not be scared starting up something else yourself; no the start up is not easy but once you get going use initiative to make it work. And the best advertising is your customers get them to recommend you to friends / family (offer them a small discount if they do so).

P.S. I only went self employed just over a year ago...