House cleaning services in Austin

HomeGuide's April 2024 national figures give a starting range; ask Austin companies for written quotes to compare. A visit averages about $200, with most people paying $120 to $280. Cleaners charge $25 to $75 per hour per worker, so a two-person, two-hour visit lands between $100 and $300.

By the square foot, HomeGuide gives $0.10 to $0.17 for regular cleaning, $0.11 to $0.30 for deep cleaning and $0.22 to $0.33 for move-out work. Then add tax. Texas charges 6.25% state sales tax, and local governments can add up to 2%, for a combined maximum of 8.25%; the company should collect state tax plus any city, county, special district or transit tax on the amount billed. The Texas house cleaning guide explains the tax rule in full.

Quick checks on an Austin cleaner

• Ask for the company's Texas sales tax permit. Anyone providing cleaning services on residential or nonresidential property must hold one and collect tax.
• Search the Texas Department of Public Safety's public conviction database by name, which some households use as one hiring check. It covers Class B misdemeanors and above reported to DPS; Class C convictions appear only if reported.
• Ask whether the people sent to your home are employees or subcontractors, and who carries liability if something is broken.
• Read the cancellation terms. If a seller solicits you at home and you agree there to services over $25, Texas law generally lets you cancel by midnight of the third business day. Cleaning you book online or by phone yourself isn't covered.

Complaints about a cleaning business can be filed with the Texas Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division online, and those complaints are public under Texas law.

Austin deep cleans that need the right season

Washing the siding or driveway is a separate job; see pressure washing in Austin. Window washing and duct cleaning count as taxable cleaning services in Texas too.

Hiring an Austin housekeeper directly

The Comptroller's guidance puts no tax on a self-employed housekeeper who is your household's own employee, while anyone sent by a maid service is taxed. The trade-off is that the screening, scheduling and backup cover become your job. Cleaning a home builder buys as part of building a new Austin home isn't taxable either.

For Austin renters, the move-out clean is about the deposit. A Texas landlord must refund it on or before the 30th day after you surrender the home, but doesn't have to until you give a written forwarding address. The landlord may deduct for damage you are liable for, never for normal wear and tear, and must itemize deductions in writing. A landlord who keeps a deposit in bad faith can owe $100 plus three times the amount wrongfully withheld and your attorney's fees, and missing the 30-day refund or itemization is presumed to be bad faith.

If you're clearing out furniture first, Austin Resource Recovery collects bulk items by appointment only, up to three times per calendar year per address, with items out by 5:30 a.m. and 5 feet from carts, mailboxes and cars. Book it before the cleaners arrive. For the move itself, see movers in Austin; the Austin hub covers other city services, and house cleaning in Round Rock is listed for comparison.