Cancelling or rescheduling a cleaner: notice and fees
With HomeMaster, one change a month is free with 48 hours' notice; otherwise it costs 50% of the session. Why notice matters and how to move a schedule.
By the HomeMaster team · · Updated · 5 min read
With HomeMaster, you get one free cancellation or reschedule each calendar month, as long as you make it at least 48 hours before the session. Any other change, including any change inside those 48 hours, costs 50% of the session price. You cannot cancel within 2 hours of the start, and moving a visit by up to an hour on the same day with the same cleaner is free if she is still free. Any fee is shown to you first and paid by a link, never taken silently.
Most cleaning companies have some version of these rules. This post explains why notice matters to the person doing the cleaning, sets out our policy exactly with worked examples, and covers how to move a whole regular schedule.
Why notice matters to the cleaner
When you book a clean, a real person's day is arranged around it. The jobs before and after yours are spaced so she is not rushed: we leave at least 30 minutes between a cleaner's jobs, an hour around lunchtime, plus 30 more minutes for every 5 km between the two homes. Your slot is a fixed block in a day planned across the island.
If you cancel with plenty of notice, there is a fair chance that time can go to another household. If you cancel the night before, it rarely can. That is what a late cancellation fee is for: it covers the cleaner whose time was already set aside for you.
The same logic explains why rescheduling counts too. Moving a clean frees one slot and takes another, and the freed slot has the same problem as a cancellation.
Our policy, exactly
| Situation | What it costs |
|---|---|
| Your first cancellation or reschedule this calendar month, made at least 48 hours before the session | Free |
| A second or later change in the same calendar month, even with 48 hours' notice | 50% of the session price |
| Any cancellation or reschedule within 48 hours of the session | 50% of the session price |
| Moving the start by up to an hour on the same day, same cleaner, when she is still free | Free, and it does not use your monthly free change |
| Cancelling within 2 hours of the start | Not possible |
A few details that people often ask about:
- A late change does not use up your free one. If you move a visit inside the 48 hours, the fee applies, but your free change for that month is still there for a later move with proper notice.
- The free change resets on the 1st of each calendar month.
- You see the exact fee before anything happens. Helen shows the amount and asks you to confirm. If you decide not to go ahead, nothing changes.
- Fees are paid by a payment link you tap. We never charge a saved card for a cancellation or reschedule without you.
- If we could not arrange a cleaner for your visit, moving or cancelling that visit is free, whatever the notice, and it does not use your free change.
Some worked examples
Say your clean is on a Friday at 10am.
- You message on Tuesday evening to move it to the following Monday. That is well over 48 hours' notice, and it is your first change this month, so it is free.
- Later that month, you cancel another visit a week ahead. The notice is fine, but you have used your free change, so the fee is 50% of that session's price.
- On Thursday afternoon, you ask to move Friday's clean to next week. That is inside 48 hours, so the fee applies. Your free change for the month is untouched.
- On Friday morning, you ask to start at 11am instead of 10am. If your cleaner is still free at 11am, that is free and does not count as your monthly change.
- At 8.30am on Friday, you decide to cancel. That is within 2 hours of the start, so the visit can no longer be cancelled.
The simple habit that avoids almost every fee: as soon as you know a date will not work, tell us. Two days is the line that matters.
Moving a whole regular schedule
Sometimes the problem is not one visit but the day itself: a new job, a change in school hours, or a partner now working from home on Tuesdays. You do not need to move each visit one by one.
Ask Helen, our AI assistant on WhatsApp, to move the whole schedule, for example "move all my Monday cleans to Wednesday mornings". She checks the new day and shows you the options before anything changes, and she tells you plainly if any fee applies before you confirm.
If you are on a prepaid pack of three sessions, the pack cannot be cancelled once bought. Instead, you move the session that does not work, under the same rules as above. Going away for a while? Tell Helen the dates you will be away and she handles it in one go: paid pack sessions in that window move to the same weekday after you are back.
How to cancel or reschedule with us
Message Helen with which visit you mean and what you want: "Please move this Thursday's clean to Saturday", or "Cancel my clean on 3 December". She finds the visit, shows any fee, and waits for your confirmation before anything changes.
Our cleaning services page summarises how our pricing and policies fit together, and meet Helen explains what else she can change for you.
What to ask any cleaning company about cancellations
Whoever you book, get the cancellation terms before your first visit, in writing. These questions cover it:
- How many hours' notice do I need to give, and is it counted to the start time?
- What is the fee for a late change: a percentage, a fixed amount, or the full price?
- Do I get any free changes, and how often do they reset?
- Is rescheduling treated the same as cancelling?
- How is a fee collected, and will I be asked before it is charged?
- What happens if the company or the cleaner cancels on me?
A company that answers all six clearly is one you can plan around. Our guide to reading a cleaning quote lists other terms worth checking before you book.
Frequently asked questions
When does the free monthly change reset?
On the 1st of each calendar month. You get one free cancellation or reschedule per month, as long as you make it at least 48 hours before the session. A change made inside the 48 hours is charged but does not use up your free one.
Can I cancel a cleaner on the same day?
Yes, as long as it is more than 2 hours before the start, but it will be within the 48-hour window, so the fee of 50% of the session price applies. Within 2 hours of the start, a visit can no longer be cancelled. If only the time is the problem, ask about moving it by up to an hour.
What happens if my cleaner cannot make it?
We arrange cover and you can ask Helen who is coming instead. If we cannot find anyone for that visit, you can move or cancel it for free, whatever the notice, and it does not use your monthly free change.
Is rescheduling cheaper than cancelling?
No. With HomeMaster the same rules apply to both: the first change each calendar month is free with at least 48 hours' notice, and any other change costs 50% of the session price. The only exception is a same-day shift of up to an hour with the same cleaner, which is free when she is still free.
Need a hand at home?
Tell Helen what you need on WhatsApp. She replies with real open times and the exact price, GST included, and weekends cost the same as weekdays.
