01Move
DNA dimensions
Properties per crew-day, direct-debit conversion, contract vs ad-hoc mix, residential vs commercial split, complaint rate and review velocity.
All playbooksServices
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.
32
Properties / crew-day
78%
Direct-debit conversion
88%
Annual retention
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.
01
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
02
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
03
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
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.
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
£100
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
Build-out timeline
From decision to open in 12 weeks.
01
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.
02
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.
03
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.
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
Numbers that compound
How a window cleaning actually looks on a chart.
Illustrative planning ranges, not measured customer data. Toggle the views to see ramp, mix and weekly load.
12-month revenue ramp
Low vs high scenario (£ monthly)
High Low
Illustrative example for planning, not measured customer data.
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.
What's inside
DNA, route, automations, integrations, benchmarks, advisors — tuned for a window cleaning.
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.
Stack
Modules used in this playbook.
01DNA Engine02Route Map03Launch Twin04Automation05Verified06Encore
Related playbooks
Owners of a window cleaning often run — or cross-sell with — these adjacent operations.
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