Cost for agency cleaners

[indiepanda]

Curious to know how much do people pay when they have an agency cleaner per hour and do they still have to provide cleaning products / equipment themselves or does the agency provide.

Asking as my cleaning agency are become VAT registered and trying to work out if the price is still reasonable at ?13.20 per hour with me having to provide all cleaning materials / equipment. I have found them pretty reliable and the advantage of an agency is they can find cover for the staff member's holidays and they check the staff out properly and you know you are insured, which I am not sure is always true employing someone direct.

[Odyssey]

I used to use an agency thinking that if the usual cleaner couldn't make it for whatever reason, that a replacement cleaner would be sent because that was what I was told by the agency. The reality was very different and I got fed up with their unreliability so I stopped using them and wouldn't bother going with an agency again. I paid ?13 and they used my materials. Out of interest, who do you use and are they good at sending someone else when the usual cleaner can't make it.