Is buying a housekeeping placement agency different from buying a cleaning company?

Housekeeping businesses share a vocabulary, which hides how different they are. One introduces a housekeeper to a household. The other sends a team with supplies to do the work. A buyer who treats them alike will ask the wrong questions and may miss what the business actually depends on.

How each one earns

A placement agency usually earns when it makes a match, so it needs a steady supply of households and candidates. A cleaning company earns on visits and contracts, so routes, schedules and repeat customers matter most. Ask the seller to show a typical month of income for the model they run, and ask what portion came from customers who were already on the books.

Equipment and staff

A cleaning company owns vehicles, supplies and equipment, and it manages crews directly. A placement agency owns little equipment; ask the seller which assets, such as candidate files and the screening process, come with it. The staff questions also differ. For a cleaning company, ask about crew turnover and training. For a placement agency, ask how candidates are found and checked. How workers are classified is for your lawyer.

What the records show

Cleaning company records revolve around schedules, customer accounts and job costs. Placement records revolve around candidate files, household requests, placements and any guarantee given. If you are comparing models, read how residential and commercial cleaning companies differ and notice how little of it applies to a placement agency.

• Who the household pays, and for what
• Who the housekeeper works for day to day
• What would leave the business if the owner left