How Many of You Clean Apartments and Rentals?

[Joe Couch]

I just wanted to get a idea of how many of you clean apartments or rentals full time. I bought a business 4 years ago that specialized in cleaning apartments and its definitely been a learning experience having come from doing restaurants and residential part time. We now have over 16 complexes and clean about 3000 carpets a year but it is a low cost, high volume way to do business. On a slow day we will clean 5-10 apartments and on our busiest day we have cleaned 36.

Thank god for the 14inch wand and a greenglide!!

 

[steve r]

i could live on that. i only have 6 complexes and have only had them about one year. occasionally i get paid well. ive been training them on extra charges that they bill the renters for so they dont mind paying the extra. basic clean for 1 bd is $50 but today i got $125 and as much as $300 for a 2 bd.

i showed them i could clean the ones they use to tear out, well some of them anyway depending on age of carpet.over 7 years old they replace it and some they were replacing at 2 years those are the ones i convinced them to let me clean for extra pay.a lot extra.

all stains and heavy soiling(if i have to prespray) are extra charges to the tennants deposits.

 

[Dolly Llama]

we clean a fair amount, John

Though honestly, we've dumped a lot (and been dumped) by many over the years.
We've kept the ones that stayed loyal thru price increases.

we also diversified in '01 and started soliciting for the whole enchilada.
painting, repairs and general cleaning.
Turns a $75 to $150 dollar carpet cleaning job into a $800 to $1500+ job (with minimal equipment/tool costs to boot)

..L.T.A.

 

[Joe Couch]

You know I used to think that there was no money in cleaning apartments until I learned that you make all of your money on doing the extras.

We get paid extra to:

Rotary scrub $80-$120
Spot Dyeing $75 minimum
Carpet repair $35 minimum
Stain removal $35 minimum

A $50 cleaning can turn into a $200-$300 job very quickly.

 

[TimM]

About 75% of my jobs are from Property Management companies or out of state investors who have rentals. I have also done like what Meat has done and I do the general cleanings, painting and what ever handyman stuff I can handle and it has really increased the profit on the job.

 

[Guest]

I built a business in Michigan were we service over 125 complexes and the University of Michigan family housing, we do 1.6 mil a year with 28% profit last year! people say there's no money in apartments, let them say that, and let me make the money.

 

[Joe Couch]

That is very impressive Steve. I would love to pick your brain sometime just to see if we are close to the same pricing structure for our added services.

 

[Farenheit251]

I do mostly empty rental houses. Pricing is competetive if you want alot of work but with a good system I get done quick. I set up my route in the morning and run nonstop till I'm done. For me I'm getting to a point where occuppied houses are more trouble than their worth.
Rental cleaning won't go down in a recession. If anything there will just be more turnovers.

 

[Driguy]

I do wonder if you all charge more for apartments that are extremely hard to reach. where its 300 feet of hose from the parking lot to the back bedroom, and 3 to 4 flights of stairs up.

A 3 bedroom on the first floor takes me about an hour to clean, a 3 bedroom on the 3rd floor takes me 2 to 3 hours.. Hauling my big ass up and down steps... just seems like i should charge more.

 

[Joe Couch]

We charge $50 extra for long setups and if it is really long we will use a portable with a minimum charge of $125.

 

[Dolly Llama]

I do wonder if you all charge more for apartments that are extremely hard to reach. where its 300 feet of hose from the parking lot to the back bedroom, and 3 to 4 flights of stairs up.

.

we do.
We also charge extra for restoration/salvage cleaning.

Time is money

and It goes with out saying that specialty spoting/deo/sanitizer, etc is extra


..L.T.A.

 

[Fon Johnson]

We clean a few apartments. I do some rat holes, and a few nicer complexes. I get what I need, and don't fool around with the low price B&S volume stuff. I get those calls, but I get rid of them fast..

 

[SRI Cleaning]

The vast majority of my work is rental. It isnt the greatest pay but in a slow time like this, they pay the bills!!

 

[Scott]

Man oh man Joe, what a fantastic last name to dominate the furniture cleaning business!

Scott

 

[cu]

apt,s have always been the back bone of my biz , from a 20min clean to an hour and a half . the repairs is where you make your money. i have tried the res side of the biz but i dont think im cut out for that,.

for me apt,s and flood restoration work is the best

 

[SRI Cleaning]

Jerry, sometimes i agree with you, that i like vacants. There is something to be said about going into a vacant apartment with no furniture and no one standing over you. just in and out. i am trying to figure out a way to get my property managers to "upgrade" the clean with a good prescrub on the nasty ones.

 

[Joe Couch]

When we first get a complex we ask them to give us a real nasty carpet that they would normally replace and we will scrub it for free to show them the value in trying to save the carpet. It will work 9 out of 10 times. Complexes don't want the headache and cost of replacing carpet they would much rather save it if they can.

New Carpet $1000-$1500 (or)
Scrub and stain removal $150-$300

Which one would you take if you were them?

 

[Dolly Llama]

I think every newbie should put a year or two in some rat holes.
They'll gain more experience of what can and can't be done on a carpet than all the classes in the world.

it would take 6 to 7 years experience in "average" res cleaning to equal the experience/knowledge that can be gained in 2 years of rat holes


..L.T.A.

 

[SRI Cleaning]

I agree with meat 100 percent!!!

 

[Joe Couch]

I second that! You have more room for error if you mess something up and also get to try out alot of new cleaners without having someone watch over you.

 

[Brad_Smith]

Yep apts are great for learning. Lots of room for mistakes and experiments.

Brad

 

[Guest]

A lot of guys bitch about apartments because they cant do the extras, that's were you make you money, and like Joe said The apartments would rather spend $200 on cleaning than $1000 on replacement. You have to build a good relationship with the manager and maintenance supervisor

and 3 hours to clean a apartment WTF!!!
that guy needs a state job

 

[Numero Uno]

Ditto, Larry on both counts,have a fair amount of the complexes here also,and the time spent doing rat holes comment...

Nowadays ,many cleaners would rather not do that type of carpet cleaning,but when bills arrive.It is not a problem picky people have...
Have a cleaner who left his company after 23 yrs.They are giving referrals to some one else who is paying them .An he wants to know why he has had no work in about a month.

Now this company decided to cancel out there own wall to wall service.An he did not choose to remain in the inplant crews.I told him for over a year get some Apt,complexes.But did he listen...NO...

You need a fair share of all pieces of the pie to succeed...But to lose apts means to lose future prospects who like your work possibly.To have the next guy do there new home...So...

 

[The Preacher]

i have PM's i do work for and i get good $$ for my services.

we have a ton of college apts here in Tallahassee and the apt guys have it priced down so low it would be painful to get into that side of the biz.

if i were gonna do apts here, i'd go with an AeroTech and triple wand the crap out of the rat holes and hope to do 3-4 per wand per hour!

 

[safeclean]

Yes we love rentals here in Australia we have over 380 property managers that includes a mix of body corp and goverment work but they are all empties I charge $33 per room and charge sh.. loads if it is soiled stained etc my guys love them and if the stains do not come out I will do a bonded insert and charge what I like.

craig

Oh yea my advertising costs are 1% got to love that.

 

[cu]

theres more to be done in the apts then just the spots and stains , the bleach spots, cig burns, stretching are all good money makers as well , i also offer pull carpet and pad then treat and seal sub floor in bad pet damage apts

offering the services others dont or cant make you the #1 go to guy

 

[alazo1]

I talked to Jerry for some time yesterday. This dude knows his stuff when it comes to apartments. At first his prices seem cheap but like he said the add ons make it worth while.

Albert