Are companies always more expensive?

Generally, yes — the price carries insurance, vetting, training, cover and administration. Whether that difference is worth it depends on how much you value those things, which varies legitimately between households.

Could I hire an individual and be their employer?

Depending on the arrangement, you may be taking on employment obligations. It is worth understanding what applies before setting something up informally, because the responsibilities are real.

How do I check whether an independent is insured?

Ask for a certificate of insurance from the insurer, not a verbal assurance. Anyone genuinely insured will have one and will not mind being asked.

Do companies really send the same team?

We aim to on recurring schedules and manage it most of the time. Holidays, illness and route changes make it occasionally impossible, and when they do, your account notes travel with the job. An independent has an advantage here and it is worth acknowledging.

What about commercial premises?

For a business, insurance, a written scope and cover for absence are usually non-negotiable, and most landlords and property managers require a certificate on file. That tends to settle the question.

Compare

Cleaning company vs independent cleaner

A good independent cleaner can be excellent, and plenty of households are very happy with one. The differences are structural rather than about quality, and they matter more in some situations than others.

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A Hygiene Maids of Carrollton cleaner carrying a caddy of cleaning supplies

What is actually different

Not skill. There are excellent independent cleaners and mediocre companies. The differences are in what happens around the cleaning.

Cover is the big one. When an individual is ill, on holiday, or has a family emergency, there is no visit that week. When a company's cleaner is unavailable, somebody else comes. Whether that matters depends entirely on whether your schedule is a convenience or something you depend on.

Insurance and bonding is the second. A company should carry both — insurance for accidental damage and injury, a bond covering theft — and should be able to produce a certificate. An independent may or may not, and it is a fair question to ask directly.

Consistency is the third, and it cuts both ways. An independent gives you the same person every single time, which is the strongest form of consistency there is. A company gives you a documented standard that survives a change of personnel. Which is better depends on which failure you are more worried about.

Side by side

	Cleaning company	Independent cleaner
Cover when someone is unavailable	Another team comes	The visit does not happen
Insurance and bonding	Should carry both; ask for a certificate	Varies — ask directly
Background checks	Should be standard before a first visit	Your responsibility to verify
Same person every time	Same team wherever scheduling allows	Yes, by definition
Documented standard	A defined scope and method	Whatever you agree between you
Cost	Generally higher	Generally lower
Scaling up	A larger team for a bigger job	Limited to one person's hours
If something goes wrong	A company process and a policy	A conversation between you
Payment and admin	Handled through a system	Arranged directly
Employment obligations	Theirs	Potentially yours, depending on the arrangement

When an independent is genuinely the better choice

This is not a page arguing everyone should hire a company. Several situations favour an individual.

You have found someone you trust completely and the relationship works. That is worth more than most structural advantages.
Cost is the binding constraint and you are prepared to accept the trade-offs knowingly.
Your schedule is flexible enough that a missed week is an inconvenience rather than a problem.
You want a very specific way of working that a documented standard would not accommodate.
The job is small and consistent, and the flexibility of a larger operation buys you nothing.

When the structural differences start to matter

And the situations where they genuinely do.

You are not home during visits, so vetting and insurance carry more weight than usual.
The schedule is something you plan around — a rental turnover, a business, a household that cannot absorb a missed week.
The job is large enough to need more than one person to be done well in a day.
You need a certificate of insurance for a building, an association or a management company.
You are cleaning a commercial premises, where insurance and a written scope are usually non-negotiable.
You want the arrangement to survive a change of personnel without starting over.

Questions to ask either one

These apply identically whether you are talking to a company or an individual, and the answers matter more than which type they are.

Are you insured, and can I see a certificate?
Have you been background checked, and by whom?
What happens if you are ill on my scheduled day?
What exactly is included, and what is not?
What happens if something is missed or damaged?
Do you bring your own supplies and equipment?

Company vs independent questions

Are companies always more expensive?: Generally, yes — the price carries insurance, vetting, training, cover and administration. Whether that difference is worth it depends on how much you value those things, which varies legitimately between households.
Could I hire an individual and be their employer?: Depending on the arrangement, you may be taking on employment obligations. It is worth understanding what applies before setting something up informally, because the responsibilities are real.
How do I check whether an independent is insured?: Ask for a certificate of insurance from the insurer, not a verbal assurance. Anyone genuinely insured will have one and will not mind being asked.
Do companies really send the same team?: We aim to on recurring schedules and manage it most of the time. Holidays, illness and route changes make it occasionally impossible, and when they do, your account notes travel with the job. An independent has an advantage here and it is worth acknowledging.
What about commercial premises?: For a business, insurance, a written scope and cover for absence are usually non-negotiable, and most landlords and property managers require a certificate on file. That tends to settle the question.

Ask us the questions

Every question on this page has a straight answer, and a certificate of insurance is available on request.