Costs of cleaning

[amatesic]

Back on topic .... cleaning costs .... and laundry costs

Personally I think you are getting away quite cheap ... remember this work is seasonal and temporary work often costs more than permanent work.

My clients pay 200 - 250kn for approximately 4-5 hrs of work after guests leave. In Zadar, laundry rates are approximately the same as in Istria ... 10 euro / basket (washing and ironing).

I pay my own cleaning lady the same amount - 200 kn for approximately 4-5 hours per week ... and 250kn if she does 6 hours.

I think this is very fair given that the ladies that do this work usually do not have stable jobs and so what if I pay a little more if I can afford it.

Just ask yourself ... What would you charge if you were the one having to do the cleaning

... get realistic here ... and be fair ...

People complain about being taken for a ride because they feel insecure in a foreign country .... however, in many ways you are so much luckier than the locals doing your cleaning jobs ... I do not understand your thriftiness .... when you are the lucky ones with second homes etc .... your way of thinking is very sad ....


How about being grateful for what you do have ...

Sorry, can't help myself today ....

[zvekov]

This last contribution is just shy of ridiculous. The question, was whether the charge was fair or not? And more so the issue of the extras.. In the last contribution you lmplicitly stated it was just about normal (nothing bout the extras). Larry wouId have worked hard to buy his/her house, he is as lucky as the cleaner is to fleece their clients. I think it is just north of fair & tell cleaner no extras & move on - get another. This stubborness has to stop esp 18% unemployment.

[crojoe]

Apr 26, 2011 20:06:33 GMT 1 zvekov said:

This last contribution is just shy of ridiculous. The question, was whether the charge was fair or not? And more so the issue of the extras.. In the last contribution you lmplicitly stated it was just about normal (nothing bout the extras). Larry wouId have worked hard to buy his/her house, he is as lucky as the cleaner is to fleece their clients. I think it is just north of fair & tell cleaner no extras & move on - get another. This stubborness has to stop esp 18% unemployment.

Go find a student cleaner, and they will work for less pay and appreciate the job. Make sure you get them to supply a student contract. You do have to pay 17.5% pdv on their salary.

I have no holiday house, no weekend bungalow, and no field of grapes; not even a rubber dingy but I know when I'm being fleeced. Having lived in Croatia for 5 years, you come to know what the norm is. Any hiring I do is not done with a list of service charges, but just one amount.

Like I said before, a lot has to do with the amount of time per day, days of work, is it fulltime or part time work you give the person? Like someone suggested, go buy a laundry machine and have her toss in the sheets when she first arrives and away she goes.

It's those extra's that drive a person mad, and you have to watch it. It's human nature to slack off, and locals on the Croatian Coast are prone to that Mediterranean mentality... work short periods of time then rest, drink and be merry but expect money to pour in.

It's a tough call, but you have to weigh the pros and cons. Is she worth her weight in salt? Do you have time to find someone else or negotiate a set fee with your current person? I don’t think the person should dictate hours of work to you blindly. Doing it this way opens the door to abuse.

You never really gave us a description of if the person managers your house for rental (as you mentioned washing sheets), or only while you are on there on holiday?

Yes, pay a fair price, but not over the odds and not blindly, or be prepared to be taken for a ride.