An owner-run gutter cleaning, pressure washing or roof and render cleaning company usually sells for about one and a half to three times a year's adjusted profit, meaning the profit in your accounts with your own pay and personal costs added back, with the vans, machines and access equipment either included at their second-hand value or priced on top.
Scheduled commercial work, domestic customers who rebook every year or two, work that fills the winter months and a team that runs jobs without you all move the price towards the top of that range. A sale usually takes six to nine months from valuation until the money is in your account, and a smaller owner-run firm can be quicker.
Exterior cleaning companies are valued on adjusted profit, so we take a year's profit, add back your own salary, pension and personal costs, and apply a range of about one and a half to three times that figure, which means adjusted profit of £70,000 would point to roughly £105,000 to £210,000.
| What the business shows | Effect on the price |
|---|---|
| Scheduled commercial work for housing providers, managing agents, retail parks and schools | Towards the top of the range |
| Domestic customers who rebook gutter, roof or driveway cleans every year or two | Towards the top of the range |
| Gutter clearing and commercial contracts that keep the diary full through the winter | Towards the top of the range |
| A second technician or team leader who runs jobs without the owner | Towards the top of the range |
| Most work from one-off jobs won through paid adverts | Lower |
| Owner doing every job personally | Lower, or a longer handover |
Larger firms with a manager in place and profit above roughly £250,000 are priced on profit after paying that manager, at a higher level agreed case by case, and our page on what your cleaning business is worth explains the adjustments.
Exterior cleaning is busiest from spring to early autumn and quieter through the winter, so we present the business on two full years of turnover and jobs by month, showing how deep the winter dip goes and what fills it, whether that is gutter clearing after leaf fall, commercial contracts on a schedule or bookings taken in advance for the spring.
That way a buyer prices the business on the whole year's profit. Timing helps too, since listing in late winter lets a buyer take over as the spring work arrives, and we plan the timetable with you so the busiest weeks of the year fall on the right side of the sale.
This section covers the kit and paperwork that go into the sales pack for an exterior cleaning business. We list every pressure washer, rotary surface cleaner, hot water unit, soft wash system, gutter vacuum and camera pole, water tank, van and trailer with its age, condition and any finance still owed, and agree with you whether each item is included in the price or sold on top.
Soft washing uses biocides and cleaning chemicals that fall under the COSHH regulations on hazardous substances at work, so the product data sheets and risk assessments you work to belong in the pack. GOV.UK guidance on pollution prevention for businesses says only clean water should go into surface water drains, and a written method for handling run-off on commercial sites and chemical jobs, together with your public liability insurance and claims record, lets us present the business as one that is well run and ready to hand over.
This is how we take an exterior cleaning company to market, and it is where most of our effort goes, because the price you are paid depends on how well the business is presented and how many serious buyers see it.
We write a sales pack that shows the business at its best and makes the case for its value, with the adjusted profit explained, the commercial accounts and repeat customers set out, the winter work shown and the equipment listed. We list it anonymously on our own site and on the main UK business-for-sale websites, and we approach the buyers we already know are looking, including window cleaning companies wanting to add gutter and exterior services, larger exterior cleaning firms moving into new areas, property maintenance and facilities management companies, and first-time owners with funding in place. We follow up every enquiry, check each buyer can pay, and share the business's name and figures once they have signed our confidentiality agreement.
We have sold commercial window cleaning, contract cleaning and carpet cleaning businesses this year, with more under offer, and several of the window cleaning companies we know are looking to add exterior cleaning work.
Our fees are £495 when you list the business and 4% of the sale price when the sale completes, the valuation is free, and the details are on our fees page.
Once an offer is agreed, including how much is paid on the day and how long you stay on to introduce the buyer to commercial clients and show them your methods, the buyer checks the accounts, customer records, equipment and insurance. We then work with both solicitors on the sale agreement, the transfer of the vans, kit, website, phone number and Google Business Profile, any client consents and the transfer of any staff under TUPE, until the money is in your account. If you are thinking about selling, we are happy to talk it through.
An owner-run gutter or exterior cleaning business usually sells for about one and a half to three times a year's adjusted profit, which is profit with your own pay and personal costs added back. Scheduled commercial work and customers who rebook every year put it towards the top of that range, and our valuation is free.
The business is priced on a full year's profit, so a quiet winter is already allowed for in the figures. We show two years of monthly figures and what fills the winter months, so a buyer can see how steady the income is across the year.
It can be included or priced on top at its second-hand value, and the sale agreement says which. Any finance on vans or machines is usually cleared from the sale money or taken over by the buyer with the lender's agreement.
Yes, most exterior cleaning businesses are owner-operated and sell well. The price allows for what a buyer would pay a technician to do your work, and you would usually stay on for a few weeks to introduce commercial clients and show the buyer your methods.
Yes, your Google Business Profile, reviews, website and phone number can all pass to the buyer. They are listed in the sale agreement and handed over on the day the money is paid.
Window cleaning companies adding gutter and exterior services, larger exterior cleaning firms moving into new areas, property maintenance and facilities management companies, and first-time owners all buy them. We already know many of these buyers and approach them directly as well as listing the business.
A free valuation from us looks at your contracts one by one and comes back with a figure and the reasoning behind it.
