Exterior cleaning has a low barrier to entry — a machine and a van will get you started. The gap between that and a properly equipped, insured specialist only becomes obvious when something goes wrong on your property.
Here is what we would ask if we were hiring someone.
1. Public liability insurance, in writing
Ask for the certificate and check the cover includes work at height if a roof or gutters are involved. Water damage to a neighbour's property, a broken conservatory panel or a damaged vehicle are all realistic risks on a normal job.
2. What method for which surface
A specialist will tell you, unprompted, that your render and roof get a softwash and your driveway gets rotary pressure cleaning. If the answer is 'we'll pressure wash it' for every surface on the property, that is the wrong company.
3. Waste water and run-off
Cleaning produces dirty water with silt and biocide in it. Ask where it goes, and how planting, ponds and drains are protected. Responsible operators sheet borders, pre-wet planting and direct run-off away from surface water drains.
4. Fixed price or estimate?
A fixed written quote before the job means the number cannot move once the machine is running. An 'estimate' or a day rate can. Get the scope in writing too — whether re-sanding, biocide and downpipe testing are in or out.
5. Genuine, checkable reviews and photographs
Look for reviews naming the town and the job, and before-and-after photographs of real properties rather than stock imagery. A company that photographs its own work has nothing to hide from the comparison.
6. Local knowledge
Kent throws up specific problems — ragstone that will not take pressure, Wealden clay that dirties a drive again within days if drainage is poor, coastal salt on the Thanet and Hastings side, chalk dust on the Downs. Someone who works here every week will bring that up before you do.
The short version
- Insurance certificate, including work at height, in writing.
- Different methods for different surfaces is the sign of a specialist.
- Fixed written price with the scope spelt out.
- Real photographs of real local jobs beat stock images every time.
