UK commercial cleaning is priced as a fixed monthly fee against an agreed specification - typically GBP300 to GBP5,000-plus a month, or around GBP16 to GBP30 per hour per cleaner before 20% VAT. This pillar guide breaks down every cost line, from offices to deep cleans and specialist work, with indicative 2026 prices and how to get an accurate quote.
What does commercial cleaning cost in the UK in 2026?
Most UK commercial cleaning is bought as an ongoing contract and priced as a fixed monthly fee against a written specification, not by the hour. As a broad 2026 guide, a small office runs from around GBP300-GBP800 a month, a medium office GBP800-GBP2,000, and a large or multi-floor site GBP2,000-GBP5,000-plus. Expressed as an hourly rate, UK commercial cleaning is typically GBP16-GBP30 per cleaner; per square metre it is roughly GBP1.50-GBP4 per clean. All figures are indicative and attract 20% VAT on top.
The right number for your building depends on floor area, how often it is cleaned, the tasks in scope, access and location. The quickest way to a firm figure is a fixed monthly quote against your actual site.
What drives the price of a cleaning contract?
Labour is the single biggest cost - usually 60-70% of the price - so the wage floor, the hours on site and the cleaning frequency move the number most. Beyond that, the drivers are floor area and layout, the standard required, access and security (out-of-hours working, escorts, keyholding), consumables, periodic tasks such as carpets and windows, and any specialist vetting. Multi-site buyers also pay for coordination, which is why one national contract with Optus Glean UK is usually cheaper to run than a patchwork of local firms.
What are the costs for each type of cleaning?
Use the dedicated cost guides for a firm range on your service:
Offices and contracts: office cleaning cost, commercial cleaning cost, contract cleaning rates, cleaner cost per hour, cost per square foot, cost per square metre and cost per desk.
One-off and specialist: deep cleaning cost, end of tenancy cleaning cost, after-builders cleaning cost, carpet cleaning cost, window cleaning cost, pressure washing cost and TR19 kitchen extract cost.
By sector: warehouse, school, hospital, care home, gym, hotel, restaurant, pub and Airbnb cleaning costs.
Hourly rates or fixed monthly pricing - which is better?
Hourly pricing pays for time on site; fixed monthly pricing pays for a clean building to a defined standard. A fixed monthly fee against a written scope means the budget is known for the year, there are no surprise call-out charges, and the incentive is the outcome rather than the clock. That is how we price every commercial cleaning contract - one Direct Debit, one annual indexed review.
How does the wage floor set the minimum price?
No sustainable quote can sit below the cost of legally employing the cleaner. From April 2026 the National Living Wage (21 and over) is GBP12.71 an hour; the voluntary real Living Wage - required by many public-sector and blue-chip tenders - is GBP13.45 across the UK and GBP14.80 in London. On top of the wage sit employer's National Insurance, holiday pay (about 12.07%), supervision, training, equipment, insurance and margin, so the charge-out rate is usually 1.3x-2.5x the wage before VAT. A price that looks too cheap is usually cutting the wage, the vetting or the insurance.
Do you pay VAT on commercial cleaning, and how do you get an accurate quote?
Yes - commercial and office cleaning is standard-rated at 20% VAT, with no reduced or zero rate. A VAT-registered contractor must add 20% to its invoices, though most businesses reclaim it as input VAT. For a firm figure rather than a range, we survey your site, agree the specification and return one fixed monthly price. Start with a fixed monthly quote and we will build it around your building, not a rate card.
Indicative UK commercial cleaning monthly costs (2026 guide only)
| Site type | Typical monthly range | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Small office (low footfall) | GBP300 - GBP800 | A few hours, a few times a week |
| Medium office | GBP800 - GBP2,000 | Daily cleaning, washrooms, consumables |
| Large / multi-floor office | GBP2,000 - GBP5,000+ | Daily teams, day porter, periodic deep cleans |
| Warehouse / industrial | GBP1,000 - GBP4,000+ | Driven by area, frequency and access |
| Retail | GBP1,200 - GBP3,500+ | High footfall, front-of-house standard |