The Corona crisis affects us all, but it has also hit home service providers hard. Many customers are worried about having a cleaner come to their home. Justified? With our Covid Best Practices protect yourself and your cleaner to the maximum without having to sacrifice service. Many were also not dependent on domestic help during the lockdown period. But this fact alone does not make life difficult for the cleaners. But also the earning potential of the agencies where they are employed. In this article we would like to compare the largest providers of cleaners for private households. This will help you to get a better picture and to understand a little bit why we at Suuber do a few things differently.
Below we would like to introduce a few of the larger cleaning service providers for private households in Switzerland. The criteria according to which we will compare them refer to the gross costs for the cleaner per hour, how much of this remains net for the cleaner, what the employment relationship is, how much administrative effort is involved and finally what the general advantages and disadvantages of the respective service are. Of course, you always have the option of hiring a domestic helper yourself. We can also show you here how this option compares to professional providers in terms of cost, effort, advantages and disadvantages.
Batmaid promises to provide its customers with trustworthy cleaners easily and quickly. Especially in French-speaking Switzerland in Geneva and Lausanne, as well as in Zurich, the placement platform for cleaners to private households has established itself. The price per hour for the cleaning lady cannot be freely chosen and is fixed at CHF 34. This price is in comparison to the other providers in the normal range. If you book a cleaning lady every two weeks, you will pay CHF 884.- per year. But what is left over for the cleaners? After deducting the statutory social benefits and the agency's share, the cleaners earn CHF 21.- net. If we now subtract the social benefits and the net wage from the gross wage, this results in a share for the agency of about CHF 8.90 Which is more than one third of the net earnings of the cleaning ladies and a steep amount. Until recently, Batmaid's services did not include insurance or registration of the cleaners. This had to be done by the employer, in this case the customer himself. Batmaid only offered this service in addition. Since this business model has led to much criticism, Batmaid decided to hire and thus insure the majority of their cleaners from 2021. It is a bit shocking for the cleaners that they could not use the advantage of an employee relationship including all insurances, but still could not choose their hourly wage and customers freely.
The big advantage with Batmaid is clearly the large offer of domestic helpers throughout Switzerland and the simple booking process. Their booking platform is simple and clear, a Batmaid is booked in a few minutes. Registration with Batmaid is free of charge. It should also be noted that Batmaid does not allow cleaners to choose their own customers and vice versa. This is assigned by Batmaid, according to your availability and possibility. In practice, however, there is hardly enough time for the cleaners to get from one customer to another. The transport costs have to be paid by the cleaners themselves. It is not uncommon for cleaners to be late or to have to leave early because otherwise they will not be able to keep their next appointment. The burden is on the cleaners.
However, the customer can be sure that the cleaners are checked beforehand and have the necessary qualifications. Unfortunately, a transparent evaluation system is still missing.
Advantages: quick and easy to book, medium price category, large selection of cleaners, professional customer service.
Disadvantages: so far no included service for insurances and registration, minimal net income for cleaners, cleaning lady cannot be chosen freely
Homeservice24 is also purely an agency platform for services of all kinds. So even domestic help, gardeners, senior care, etc. can be found via the platform. Anyone can place an ad there. Homeservice24 offers that customers can register free of charge and create advertisements. But to view applications that one receives, one must then pay. The platform advertises very inexpensive domestic helpers, gardeners, craftsmen, etc. from net CHF 20.-/hour. Here is also no service included, which takes over the registration and insurance of the service providers. As a customer, you either have to do all the administration yourself or use the Homeservice24 assistant, who helps with insurance and registration. However, the assistant only prepares the corresponding forms for accident insurance and AHV free of charge. So there is still some personal effort left for the administration.
Cleaning Advantage here is sure that you as a customer have full control over the selection process and can negotiate an individual price. Thanks to a detailed profile and reviews, you can make an informed decision on who to bring into your home. However, not all cleaners here are equally trained or qualified. Homeservice24 does not check job seekers for criminal records, etc. The decision is entirely up to the customer. Price-wise Homeservice24 is of course very favorable. However, the price can still be negotiated individually. There are no deductions from the platform itself on the hourly rate paid, but as already mentioned, users of the platform pay a fee if they want to view applications, etc.
Disadvantages: The mediation platform offers only the minimum standard of service to the customer. The gross costs for the customer differ a little (with net CHF 20.- you finally pay about CHF 24.-), but as a customer you have more administrative effort. It is also important to note that CHF 20.- net is the absolute minimum and most offers are CHF 25.- and more. Also, the selection of qualified cleaners often depends on the location. This can vary throughout Switzerland and often you will not immediately find someone suitable in your area.
The newcomer on the Swiss cleaning market is Helpling. The English company has already successfully established its business model in Germany and has recently started offering a promising selection of reliable and competent cleaners in Switzerland. Unlike many other companies, Helpling hires the cleaners itself. This eliminates the often costly employment contract and you benefit as a direct customer of the all-round service of the company. The price now varies depending on the booking model. For a one-time cleaning, Helpling charges a price of CHF 37.90 per hour. Those who want to book a cleaner on a regular basis can thus benefit from price advantages. The price for a cleaning every two weeks, for example, then costs CHF 31.95. For the cleaners, this means a net income of CHF 21.50. This is only a minimal difference to Batmaid, for example, but the cleaners benefit from the advantages of a permanent position and are socially insured, as well as accident insured. This is an important factor and should not be underestimated. Just now through Covid-19 it has been shown how difficult it is for domestic helpers who do not have social insurance and do not receive continued salary payments in the event of illness.
Another Plus point Helpling is also the transparent evaluation of the cleaners and the simple booking process. Likewise, you as a customer can choose the cleaner yourself.
Cleaning Disadvantage of Helpling is that the supply of cleaners is still somewhat limited throughout Switzerland. Outside of the major cities, you will often not find an offer, which is annoying for many.
It should be clarified in advance with the cleaner what cleaning utensils are needed, as they do not bring their own. Helpling's cancellation policy allows free cancellation up to 48 hours before the appointment. After that, depending on the time of cancellation, 25% up to the full fee may be charged.
The next provider was one of the first in the placement of cleaners to private households in Switzerland. The agency offers a full service and is represented throughout Switzerland. The cleaners are employed and insured by the agency. The employees are trained and educated in cleaning, handling materials and customer contact. The cleaning lady academy has different locations in Switzerland. Thus, a top quality of customer service and cleaning can be delivered. Of course, this service has its price. With CHF 42.95 cost per hour, putzfrau.ch is the most expensive provider so far. Does this also mean more net wages for the cleaning ladies? According to our research (source: putzfrau-vergleich.ch), the net wage is, despite everything, the minimum wage of CHF 21.30. But compared to all other providers, the agency reimburses the cleaners for transportation costs.
The booking is not simply done online, but is professionally handled by a regionally responsible contact person. You need to contact putzfrau.ch and make an appointment. Thereby, your individual needs will be addressed and a suitable cleaner will be selected for you. This is to ensure that you are completely satisfied with the service. A one-time booking of a cleaning is not possible at putzfrau.ch, a regular booking is expected.
All in all, it's a very professional, high-quality service that takes care of customers' needs very individually and provides them with a top service. This comes with a fairly high price and little flexibility in contract terms. The question remains whether such a full-featured service is desirable for most households. However, if you are looking for trained and well-trained cleaners for a weekly cleaning, you will find it here.
To offer you as little effort as possible, the cleaning agency MamiExpress takes over all administrative activities for you. This is also reflected by the simple payment process and the flexible booking options. The cleaners are again employed and insured by the agency. The net wage at MamiExpress for the employees is CHF 23.30 and is on average higher than the competition. However, the costs per hour for the customer are also higher at CHF 37.70. All cleaners are carefully selected and screened by the agency. In addition, the cleaners benefit from subsidies for further training, which further enhances their competence. After contacting the customer, MamiExpress selects the cleaning lady for the customer and arranges a first appointment to get to know her. Although you can decide how long and at what intervals you would like to have a cleaning done, a minimum of 2 hours is required. Unfortunately, appointments with variable dates or irregular assignments are not possible with MamiExpress. For irregular appointments, however, the agency offers the option to book single units. In this case, however, two consecutive appointments are mandatory, because Mamiexpress does not perform one-time cleaning or moving work. Since all employees are also covered by health insurance, there are no disadvantages for you as a customer should there be a breakdown, as you will be provided with a replacement. In addition, it should be mentioned that MamiExpress charges a service fee of CHF 10 for each successful placement.
Advantage: fair employment for cleaners, professional staff, all-round customer service.
Disadvantage Cleaning lady can not be chosen by yourself, minimum time required for cleaning, little flexibility.
Suuber now offers its customers a new, modern model that meets the wishes and needs of both customers and cleaners. With Suuber, the cleaners are not employed by an agency. The client remains the employer, but through a fiduciary mandate, Suuber takes over all administrative tasks. Thanks to the expertise from the insurance industry, the cleaners benefit from very advantageous contracts and are fully insured, including accident and health insurance. These price advantages can also be passed on to the customer. This service is always included with Suuber, unlike other pure mediation platforms. However, the cleaners can decide for themselves where and when they work and, above all, at what hourly rate. Thanks to the advantageous insurance contracts and low administration costs, more is left for the cleaners in the end. The price for the client is variable and usually not much higher than the usual agencies. On average, the cost per hour for a cleaner is about CHF 29.50. This leaves net CHF 23.- for the cleaners. This is higher in comparison with the other providers. Furthermore, the customers are also fully insured with regard to their household. Suuber.ch sees itself as a marketplace. However, the cleaners can of course also work regularly with the same employer.
With Suuber, there are no hidden costs when you sign up. You sign up for free and creates a profile. A one-time fee of CHF 39.- is due when a contract is concluded. This is the cost for the one-time registration and insurance in the insurance pool of Suuber. However, if you register via a promo code of an existing user, you will get this fee for free. Payment is only due when a contract is concluded.
Advantages: fair, individual price, fully insured, cleaner can be chosen individually.
Disadvantages: Cleaner must be selected yourself, which means a little effort.
| Batmaid | Homeservice24 | Helpling | Putzfrau | MamiExpress | Suuber | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Business
-model |
Mediation
platform |
Mediation
platform |
Agency |
Agency |
Agency |
Marketplace/
Mediation-
platform |
|
Preis/h
brutto in
CHF |
34.- |
approx. 24.-
(variabel) |
31.95 (every 2 weeks) |
42.95 |
37.70 |
29.50 (variable) |
|
Net wage/h
Cleaner in CHF |
21.- |
from 20.- |
21.50.- |
21.30.- |
23.30 .- |
22.50 .- |
|
Accident
insurance |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Registration/
Insurance
incl.? |
Partial |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
