West Fields · West Berkshire
How to Start a Cleaning Business in West Fields
What you need to know about licensing, insurance and getting started -- specific to West Fields and the wider West Berkshire area.
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 West Fields is no exception. Before you take your first booking in West Berkshire, 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 West Fields?
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 West Fields and West Berkshire. If you ever employ staff, employers' liability insurance becomes a legal requirement.
Do I need a qualification to be a cleaner in West Fields?
No qualification is legally required to start cleaning for clients in West Fields. 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 West Fields?
Most people starting out in West Fields 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 West Fields?
Yes -- many cleaners in West Fields 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.