Start a Window Cleaning Business
Honest, practical guidance on starting a window cleaning business in the UK — safety rules, equipment, insurance, and building rounds clients rely on. Delivered over video call, wherever you're based.
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How to Start a Window Cleaning Business
Modern window cleaning has moved well beyond ladders and buckets — most cleaners now work from the ground using water-fed pole systems — and it's a classic recurring "round" business, with regular clients booked monthly or fortnightly rather than one-off visits.
What You'll Need to Get Started
Working at Height, Done Safely
The Work at Height Regulations 2005 apply, with ladders restricted above 4 metres — most cleaners now use water-fed poles to stay grounded instead.
The Right Equipment
A water-fed pole system with a hose reel is now the industry standard, reaching windows up to around 20 metres without a ladder.
Public Liability Insurance
Essential given the nature of the work — around glass, at height, and close to a client's property.
Domestic or Commercial, or Both
Domestic rounds build steady, regular income; commercial work can pay more per visit but often needs RAMS documentation and higher insurance.
Registering Your Business
Most window cleaners start as sole traders — the simplest structure, requiring registration with HMRC for Self Assessment once you earn over £1,000 in a tax year. A limited company is worth considering later, particularly once you're hiring or taking on larger commercial contracts.
The Real Costs of Starting
A water-fed pole system is the main investment — a genuine upgrade over traditional kit, but the one that keeps you safely off ladders and able to reach upper floors. Getting your budget and pricing right early matters here as much as anywhere. Our free Planning Tool gives you an honest first estimate based on your specific plans.
How We Help Window Cleaners Specifically
Beyond the general start-up support, we help with the things that matter most for this trade: getting found locally through your Google Business Profile and marketing, building a genuinely reliable round rather than a list of one-off cleans through winning and keeping customers, and keeping route efficiency and costs under control through straightforward financial tracking.
How much of this have you already worked out?
- Are you set up to avoid ladder work above 4 metres, or will your kit hold you back from safely reaching upper floors?
- Have you decided between domestic rounds and commercial contracts, and priced each properly?
- Do you know whether a window cleaning licence applies to you, wherever in the UK you're based?
- How will you build a genuinely reliable round, not just a list of one-off cleans?
These aren't trick questions — most people starting out haven't sat down and answered them either. Your free call is where we figure out which of these matter most for you; working through the answers properly is what the ongoing mentoring is for.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a licence to be a window cleaner?
Do I need to use ladders?
What insurance do I need?
How much does it cost to start a window cleaning business?
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