A cleaning enquiry should explain the place, the tasks you want discussed and whether the request is for a single visit or an ongoing arrangement. A room count alone leaves important questions unanswered: cleaning two empty bedrooms is a different request from cleaning a furnished home each week.
The checklist and messages below help you describe the work. They are fictional examples, not a standard cleaning package, a price guide or a promise that a particular business can take the job.
Describe the tasks, not just the property
Write a short list of the rooms and the tasks you want included. Explain whether the property will be occupied or empty, and mention a preferred date as a request for availability. If you do not know an area measurement, say so rather than guessing.
Ask separately about anything you might otherwise assume is included, such as an oven, inside cupboards or internal windows. Listing a task does not mean the cleaner offers it. Let the business explain what it can assess and include.
- Place: property type, relevant rooms and the job postcode if useful for coverage.
- Purpose: a one-off clean, a recurring arrangement or another clearly described request.
- Tasks: what you want included and anything explicitly outside the request.
- Timing: preferred date or frequency, with flexibility where you have it.
- Practical context: occupied or empty, and who can discuss access. Do not put keys, entry codes or security instructions in the initial enquiry.
Compare a one-off request with regular cleaning
A one-off request needs a defined occasion and a discussion of what the visit should cover. For a recurring request, explain the frequency you want to discuss and which tasks matter each time. Ask how occasional extras would be agreed; do not assume every task repeats at every visit.
Fictional one-off enquiry: “Please email about a one-off clean of an empty two-bedroom flat after a move. I would like the kitchen, bathroom and floors discussed. Please say whether inside the oven is offered separately. Preferred week: 26 October; I can be flexible. Postcode MK43 8PB.”
Fictional recurring enquiry: “Please call about a regular clean of an occupied three-bedroom house. I would like to discuss bathrooms, kitchen surfaces and floors, ideally every fortnight. Please explain the tasks included in a normal visit and how extra tasks are arranged.”
Make two replies comparable
Compare what each business says it will include, any task still awaiting assessment, the proposed frequency or visit, and what has actually been agreed. Two replies are not comparable simply because both mention a two-bedroom flat.
For example, one reply may include the oven while another excludes it. Your next question is “Does the proposed work include the oven I mentioned?” rather than assuming the cheaper figure covers the same request. This is a scope check, not advice about what any price should be.
Keep photos and the next step optional
An existing room photo can help explain the request, but a written description remains useful. Leave people, personal paperwork and security details out of the image. Do not move items or attempt cleaning work merely to produce a better enquiry.
BICSc describes cleaning specifications and reviews of site requirements as part of its professional support work. That supports discussing the actual setting and requirements; it does not turn this suggested enquiry template into an accredited specification.
If you use an Enquiry Fox form, the business receives your request for review. Submission does not agree a cleaning package, price or appointment. Ask the business directly to confirm the scope and next step.
Sources and further reading
For help with the work or an existing request, contact the service business directly. Enquiry Fox supplies enquiry software; the business assesses the request and agrees any work with you.