Where do window cleaners earn the most? Here are the top 10 regions in the UK by turnover

Using Simply Business data, we’ve discovered the top regions for window cleaners in the UK by annual turnover.

These top 10 regions span the length and breadth of the country, from the south coast of England to Scotland’s capital. Take a look to find out which regions offer the highest earning potential.

• How to start a window cleaning business
• What is business turnover?
• The self-employed guide to Self Assessment tax returns
• Insurance for window cleaners

Top 10 cities and towns for window cleaners by turnover in 2018

We looked at data for the whole of 2018 to create our list. The top 10 is a cross-section of towns and cities all over the UK, showing there’s not just one hotspot for window cleaners.

Town/city	Average turnover per person
Leicester	£103,000
Basildon	£98,026
Reading	£78,000
Swansea	£48,649
Poole	£47,951
Southampton	£43,519
Edinburgh	£41,216
London	£40,378
Manchester	£37,815
Leeds	£36,066

The top three towns tower above the rest by a significant margin – there’s almost a £30,000 gap between third-place Reading and Swansea, in position four.

Positions five and six are occupied by Poole and Southampton respectively, both towns on the south coast of England. It’s worth noting that the Sandbanks peninsula is in Poole, which is home to some of the most expensive property in the world.

London comes eighth and rounding out the top-10 list are the major northern cities of Manchester and Leeds.

A note on our data – when we ask businesses to enter their turnover they choose it in bands, for example £25,000-£49,999, £50,000-£74,999, and so on. When calculating the average turnover, we’ve used the lower figure of these bands. Each of these regions had more than 30 requests for an online quote in 2018.

Are window cleaners sole traders or limited companies?

Window cleaners are overwhelmingly sole traders, with 84 per cent choosing this simpler company structure in 2018. By contrast, only 9 per cent of window cleaners were incorporated as a limited company.

If your business is growing, you might be wondering whether it’s worth incorporating. If you’d like to know more about the difference between the two structures, including the best time to make the switch, read our guide on changing from a sole trader to a limited company.

Do window cleaners take out personal accident insurance?

Modern technology means that window cleaners today often work from the safety of the ground. As the British Window Cleaning Academy (BWCA) explains: “The reality is that modern window cleaners don’t generally use ladders at all any more.”

While the profession might be safer than it once was, over a third – 37 per cent – of window cleaners chose to take out personal accident insurance in 2018.

Personal accident insurance can cover serious injury caused by an accident, with the money paid out used for things like lost income, medical costs and hospitalisation benefit, up to the limit of the policy.

How to grow your window cleaning business

There are different ways to grow a business – the strategies below could give you the ability to increase your turnover.

• refresh your brand – customers value authentic brands with a good story to tell – take a look at our top tips for an award-winning brand refresh
• keep an eye on your competitors – your competitors may have changed since you put your business plan together. Are they offering any new services? This might give you inspiration to put your own new services in place
• make the most of your existing customers – focus on customer loyalty to keep your customers coming back. Do you offer any perks, or have an email newsletter to send out with special offers?

What tried and tested methods have you used to grow your business? Let us know in the comments below.