Window cleaning playbook.

London window-cleaning rounds (residential 4–8 weekly, plus commercial monthly contracts). The win is route density per crew-day, direct-debit conversion and abseil / cherry-picker work for high-rise upsell.

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Overview

A London window-cleaning round with one or two vans typically turns over £85k–£280k on average residential price points of £14–£28 per visit, 4–8 weekly. The single most decisive economic lever is direct-debit conversion — rounds collecting on GoCardless typically post 12–18 points higher net margin than cash/card-on-visit rounds. This playbook covers launching a water-fed pole + commercial-capable round in greater London.

Properties / crew-day

78%

Direct-debit conversion

88%

Annual retention

№ 01 / What you'll need

Equipment list with real 2026 UK prices.

Sized for a 2–4 chair shop. Buy mid-range on chairs and clippers; cheap kit fails inside 12 months and walks away with your barbers.

Per crew (water-fed pole)

Van (Caddy / Transit Connect — ULEZ-compliant)

£8,500–£18,000 used

WFP system (650 L tank + DI vessel + pump + reel)

£3,500–£7,500

Carbon-fibre poles (22m + 35m)

£900–£2,800 set

RO/DI water purification (lock-up)

£800–£2,400

Ladders + harness (for traditional / sash window work)

£280–£900

Commercial / high-rise

Rope access kit + IRATA Level 1 training

£1,800–£4,500 + £750 per technician training

Required for any abseil work.

Cherry picker hire (per day, when needed)

£180–£420 / day

Suction cleaning system (commercial gutters add-on)

£1,400–£3,800

Back-office

Round-management software (Cleaner Planner / Aworka / RoundMan)

£18–£60 / user / month

GoCardless direct debit

1% per txn (capped £2)

PPE + uniform (hi-vis, boots)

£140–£280 per person

№ 02 / Where to set up

Location is half the business.

Catchment density

≥ 2,500 sash / residential homes within 15 min drive

Route density makes the round; commuting between jobs kills profit.

ULEZ compliance

Euro 6 diesel or electric van

Daily £12.50 fee makes intra-London non-compliant rounds unprofitable.

Lock-up

Small lock-up with 3-phase + water

RO/DI water purification needs 24h running for stock.

Parking access

Catchment with reasonable on-street loading

Parking PCNs on residential rounds add 5–8% to operating cost if mismanaged.

Area tier

Rent / month

Notes

Inner London (Hackney, Brixton, Camden)

Lock-up £350–£800

£15–£22 / visit. Compact terraces; 38+ properties / crew-day possible.

Outer London (Bromley, Wimbledon, Ealing)

Lock-up £250–£600

Sweet spot. £18–£32 / visit, large sashes, 28–32 properties / crew-day.

Commuter belt (Surrey, Herts)

Lock-up £200–£480

£24–£48 / visit; larger jobs, lower density but higher AOV.

№ 03 / Licences & registrations

Get the paperwork done before you sign a lease.

UK figures for 2026. Lead times assume you submit complete applications — councils will pause the clock if you miss documents.

Requirement

Who issues

Cost

Lead time

ReqRegister company + HMRC

Companies House / HMRC

£50

1–3 days

ReqPublic liability (£5m+) + employer's liability

Specialist broker

£280–£900 / yr

1 week

ReqTools-in-transit + WFP system insurance

Same broker

£180–£500 / yr

1 week

ReqVan + commercial fleet insurance

Specialist broker

£800–£1,800 / yr

1 week

ReqWorking at Height + ladder safety training

IPAF / LANTRA

£140–£320 per person

1 day

OptIRATA Level 1 (if doing abseil)

IRATA training centre

£750–£1,200 per technician

5 days course

ReqFirst Aid at Work (1 per crew)

St John / Red Cross

£180–£320

3 days

OptVAT registration (if turnover > £90k)

HMRC

Free

30 days

ReqICO data protection registration

ICO

£40 / yr

Same day

№ 04 / Build-out timeline

From decision to open in 12 weeks.

Phase 1 · Plan + register

Week −6 to −4

Pick 2 adjacent postcodes.
Buy / build van + WFP system.
Register company + bind insurance + Working at Height training.

Phase 2 · Round building

Week −4 to 0

Door-to-door + Facebook local groups + Nextdoor on 1,500–3,000 homes.
Sign every customer onto GoCardless direct debit at first visit.
Set up Cleaner Planner / Aworka + GoCardless + Xero.

Phase 3 · Compound

Month 1–12

Month 1: NAVIZIX day-before SMS + weather-reschedule live.
Month 3: Add commercial monthly contracts (offices, pubs, schools).
Month 6: IRATA Level 1 if rope-access opportunity in catchment.
Month 12: Second van breakeven when first van at 95%+ utilisation.

№ 05 / Budget

Realistic startup and monthly cost ranges.

One-off · Startup

Setting up the shop

Van + WFP build

£12,000 → £26,000

Poles + DI vessel + reels

£1,400 → £3,500

RO/DI lock-up setup

£900 → £2,800

Ladders + traditional kit

£300 → £900

Insurance + training year 1

£900 → £2,400

Brand + flyers + website + Facebook setup

£900 → £3,500

Working capital (2 months)

£4,500 → £12,000

Typical total

£35k → £85k

Recurring · Monthly

Keeping the lights on

Van + insurance + lock-up

£700 → £1,800

Operator wages (1–2 per van)

£2,800 → £7,500

Fuel + DI resin + consumables

£280 → £900

Software + GoCardless + card fees

£90 → £320

Marketing (Google + Facebook + flyers)

£140 → £700

Typical total

£5.8k → £23k

№ 06 / Numbers that compound

How a window cleaning actually looks on a chart.

Interactive projections rebuilt from real UK operating data — toggle the views to see ramp, mix and weekly load.

12-month revenue ramp

Low vs high scenario (£ monthly)

High Low

Source · NAVIZIX cohort · 1–2 van London window-cleaning rounds · 2025–2026

№ 07 / First 90 days

Dates that actually matter after opening.

01Day 0

First 60 properties on schedule. GoCardless mandates active.

02Day 14

First DNA scan; day-before SMS automation reduces no-access rate.

03Day 30

Direct-debit conversion measurement; first commercial enquiry pipeline.

04Day 60

First peer benchmark on properties / crew-day + DD conversion.

05Day 90

Round at 90%+ utilisation; second van evaluated.

№ 08 / What's inside

DNA, route, automations, integrations, benchmarks, advisors — tuned for a window cleaning.

01Move

DNA dimensions

Properties per crew-day, direct-debit conversion, contract vs ad-hoc mix, residential vs commercial split, complaint rate and review velocity.

02Move

Suggested route

Sell every new customer onto direct debit on visit one, tighten routes by postcode, then add commercial monthly + occasional rope-access work for margin.

03Move

Automations

Day-before SMS, GoCardless direct-debit mandate at sign-up, weather-triggered re-schedule, payment-reminder digest and post-visit review request.

04Move

Integrations

GoCardless, Xero, Cleaner Planner / Aworka / RoundMan, Google Business Profile, Checkatrade, Stripe.

05Move

Benchmarks

Properties / crew-day, DD conversion and contract retention vs London rounds in the same residential mix.

06Move

Advisors

Encore advisors from multi-van London rounds paired with NAVIZIX AI for daily route + DD-conversion nudges.

№ 09 / Stack

Modules used in this playbook.

01DNA Engine02Route Map03Launch Twin04Automation05Verified06Encore

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