guides · 2026-10-16
How to Start a Cleaning Business in Cyprus
A cleaning business in Cyprus has two markets that behave very differently: homes and offices that want the same visit every week, and holiday lets that need a changeover between guests on the busiest days of summer. Most new cleaning companies start with one and grow into the other. This guide covers the decisions that matter in the first months — what to offer, how to price it, how to keep recurring clients and how to schedule a team without a wall of messages.
Pick the first service and say no to the rest
Regular home cleaning, office cleaning, end-of-tenancy deep cleans and holiday-let changeovers need different hours, kit and people. Start with one or two you can do well and price confidently. A clear list of services, each with a typical duration, makes quoting faster and lets customers book without a phone call.
Price by the job, not only by the hour
Customers compare per visit. Work out a typical duration per service and property size, add travel between jobs, and quote a fixed price for the standard job with clear extras (oven, windows, balconies, laundry). Keep a separate quote for one-off deep cleans: they take longer than anyone expects, and a fixed price protects the margin.
Recurring clients are the business
One weekly client is worth fifty one-off jobs. Offer a fixed day and time, the same cleaner where you can, and make rescheduling easy so a skipped week does not become a cancelled contract. A recurring visit should be created once and repeat on its own, with the customer reminded the day before.
Holiday-let changeovers run on check-out times
Changeovers stack on Saturdays and Sundays between a late check-out and an early check-in. Plan teams by the window, not by the day, keep the linen and consumables per property, and record what was found — a broken glass, a missing remote — with a photo for the owner. Owners renew the cleaner who reports, not the one who is cheapest.
Teams, keys and addresses
Each job needs an address, an access note, a key or code and a responsible person. Keep keys logged out and back in, never in a group chat. When a team member is ill, the replacement needs the same notes in their phone before they leave, not a forwarded message thread.
Scheduling without chaos
Use a scheduling tool built for jobs at the customer’s address: requests become quotes, quotes become jobs, jobs get a team and a time window, and completion is recorded with notes and photos. The customer sees the window they were promised; the team sees the day in order; you see which jobs are unassigned.
Registration and insurance to check first
Ask an accountant about registering the business, VAT and employing staff, and an insurer about public liability and cover for damage at a customer’s property. Requirements change, so take them in writing from the source before taking the first paid job.
Win the first ten clients
Start where trust already exists: neighbours, friends of friends, property managers and holiday-let owners in one area, so travel between jobs stays short. Offer a first clean at the standard price with a short report and photographs of the result, then propose a fixed weekly or fortnightly slot before you leave. Ask every satisfied client for one introduction. Put a simple booking page online with your services, typical durations and areas covered, so a referral can book without waiting for a reply. Ten recurring clients in one district make a schedule that pays a cleaner full-time; thirty one-off jobs across the island do not.
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