Top UK cities to operate cleaning businesses

With the cleaning industry receiving recognition for excellence in the prestigious Golden Service Awards just recently, a new study has revealed the best UK cities to start a cleaning business.

The research comes from the experts at money.co.uk business insurance, who looked at which UK cities offer the best opportunity for cleaning business owners based on demand, competition and disposable income for a range of cleaning niches.

The best UK cities to own a cleaning business

House Cleaning: Bristol is the top city for house cleaners, scoring 7.76 out of 10. It boasts a relatively high disposable income per person at £17,224, a decent number of job listings and a competitive average salary of £24,119. The city’s balance of search demand (107 searches per 100,000 people) against the number of competitor businesses (48 per 100,000 people) makes it an attractive location for house cleaning professionals.

Commercial Cleaning: London tops the list with a score of 8.00, reflecting its robust market potential driven by the highest disposable income per person at £31,094. It also has few competitors, high search demand and the highest average salary. The capital’s massive population and economic scale offer significant opportunities for commercial cleaners.

Laundry Assistants: Leicester takes the lead with a score of 8.00. It has a balanced market for laundry assistants, with moderate search interest, competition, and job listings. With an average salary of £20,010 and a disposable income of £21,084, Leicester presents appealing opportunities for professionals in the laundry sector.

House Clearance Specialists: Edinburgh leads with a score of 7.58, offering the highest search volume per 100,000 people, indicating strong demand for clearance services. Despite a lower average salary (£20,521) compared to other cities, its balance of demand against relatively low competition positions it as an ideal market.

Kyle Eaton, money.co.uk business insurance expert, offers expert insight into what type of business insurance cleaning businesses need and what these policies cover:

“Navigating business insurance can be complex, especially for businesses operating within cleaning niches like residential cleaning, commercial cleaning, and services like residential clearance or laundry assistance. 

“Each niche has unique risks and requirements, making specific insurance policies essential to protect the business, its employees, and its clients.”

Public liability insurance

• Protects against claims of bodily injury or property damage caused to third parties by your business operations. For instance, if a client trips over cleaning equipment and gets injured, this insurance can cover the compensation costs.

• Fundamental cover for all cleaning businesses to safeguard against common risks encountered during cleaning jobs.

Professional indemnity insurance

• Offers protection against claims of negligence, breach of duty, or failure to deliver services as promised. This can include damages or losses a client suffers due to mistakes or oversights by your cleaning business.

• Essential for defending against claims where the service didn’t meet client expectations or contractual obligations.

Employers’ liability insurance

• Compulsory for any UK business that employs staff, covering claims from employees who get injured or ill due to their work. This includes direct employees and contract.

• It’s legally required for businesses with staff (that aren’t family members) in the UK, with fines for businesses that don’t have a policy in place.