New Eltham · Greater London
Starting a Cleaning Business in New Eltham
A straight answer on licensing, insurance and your first clients around New Eltham and Greater London.
Open the Cleaning Business Launch Kit to see everything included — £22A cleaning business is one of the lowest-friction ways to start self-employed work in the UK, and New Eltham is no exception. Before you take your first booking in Greater London, here's the honest picture on licensing, insurance and what actually gets you clients.
What the rules say
Cleaning is one of the least regulated trades to start in the UK: no general licence is needed for ordinary domestic work, though waste-carrying has its own separate registration rules if you take it away yourself. Public liability cover isn't a legal must-have as a sole trader, but clients and agents routinely ask for it. Employers' liability insurance is the one genuine legal trigger -- it kicks in as soon as you take on non-family staff.
Quick answers
Do I need insurance to clean houses in New Eltham?
It isn't a legal requirement as a sole trader, but public liability insurance is strongly recommended and often expected by clients and letting agents across New Eltham and Greater London. If you ever employ staff, employers' liability insurance becomes a legal requirement.
Do I need a qualification to be a cleaner in New Eltham?
No qualification is legally required to start cleaning for clients in New Eltham. Industry training such as BICSc becomes more commercially relevant once you're employing staff or taking on larger recurring contracts.
Should I register as a sole trader or a limited company in New Eltham?
Most people starting out in New Eltham begin as a sole trader -- it's simpler to set up and run. A limited company can make sense later as the business grows; the Cleaning Business Launch Kit covers the trade-offs in detail.
Can I subcontract for an agency instead of finding my own clients in New Eltham?
Yes -- many cleaners in New Eltham start by subcontracting through an agency or cleaning company before building a direct client base. Either route has different implications for how you're paid and taxed.