Cleaning is one of the easiest home-services businesses to start, which is also why it is crowded. The businesses that last treat the boring parts properly: insurance customers can see, a price that covers travel and supplies, clear rules for cancellations and lockouts, and consistent quality that turns one clean into a standing booking.
Do I need a licence to start a cleaning business in Ontario?
No provincial licence is required for house cleaning. Some municipalities license particular business types, so check your town through BizPaL, the government's permit and licence finder, before you start. Newmarket's published licence categories, for example, do not include cleaning. Carpet cleaning certifications, such as IICRC, are voluntary.
How do I register a cleaning business in Ontario?
Most solo cleaners start as a sole proprietor. Incorporation costs more to set up and run, and it is worth discussing with an accountant once income grows or you hire. For a sole proprietorship:
- Business name: if you trade under any name other than your own legal name, such as Sparkle Home Cleaning, register it on the Ontario Business Registry. The registration lasts five years and then must be renewed.
- Business number: get a free CRA business number when you register for HST, hire staff or need one for a contract. Many sole proprietors under the HST threshold do not need one at first.
- HST: once your taxable sales pass $30,000 in one calendar quarter or over four consecutive quarters, you must register and charge 13% HST in Ontario. Below that you are a small supplier and registration is optional.
- Income tax: report business income and expenses on Form T2125 with your personal return, and set money aside through the year, because nothing is withheld from what clients pay you.
- A business bank account: not required for a sole proprietor, but it makes records and tax time far simpler.
What insurance does a cleaning business need?
Commercial general liability and a fidelity bond are the two that customers ask about. Neither is required by Ontario law for cleaning, but a cleaner without them pays personally for a broken heirloom or a scratched floor, and many clients and platforms will not book them.
| Cover | What it does | Typical norm |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial general liability (CGL) | Pays for damage to a client's property or injury to someone caused by your work | $2 million per occurrence is a common ask |
| Fidelity bond (janitorial bond) | Reimburses a client if a bonded worker is found to have stolen from them; the bonding company then recovers it from the business | Often $10,000 to $50,000 |
| Business-use auto | Covers driving to jobs with supplies and equipment | Tell your insurer; personal policies may not cover it |
| WSIB | Workplace injury cover for workers | Required once you hire workers in a covered industry; optional for a sole operator |
How should I price house cleaning in Ontario?
Price by the size of the home and the type of clean, with a minimum charge, rather than by a flat hourly rate alone. Size is what customers can tell you before you arrive, and a minimum protects you from driving across town for a one-hour job. Build your price from real numbers: the hours a clean actually takes you, travel time between clients, supplies per visit, insurance, and the weeks you will not work.
- Standard clean: regular upkeep, priced per bedroom or per hour with a minimum.
- Deep clean: the first visit or a seasonal clean, commonly about one and a half to two times a standard clean, because it takes that much longer.
- Move-out clean: inside cabinets, appliances and closets in an empty home, priced highest per room.
- Add-ons: inside the oven, inside the fridge, interior windows, laundry or baseboards, each priced separately so the base price stays honest.
For comparison, Doyo's current all-in prices in Toronto and York Region, with Doyo's fee included, are $69 per bedroom with a $172.50 minimum for a standard clean, $115 per bedroom with a $287.50 minimum for a deep clean, and $132.25 per bedroom with a $322 minimum for a move-out clean. The pro's earnings on each job are shown before they accept it.
What policies should a cleaning business set from day one?
Write these down and send them with every first booking. Arguments in cleaning are almost always about one of them:
- Cancellation: how much notice you need, and what a late cancellation costs.
- Lockouts: what happens if you arrive and cannot get in.
- Scope: what is and is not included, for example no mould remediation, no biohazards, no moving heavy furniture.
- Supplies: whether you bring products and equipment or use the client's, and what you do about allergies and pets.
- Damage and complaints: how a client reports a problem, and your re-clean window.
How do I find my first cleaning clients?
Start where trust already exists. Ask friends and past employers for referrals and reviews, post in local community groups for your town, leave cards with real estate agents and property managers who need move-out cleans, and join a platform that brings you bookings while you build a client list. Move-out cleans are a good door-opener: they are one-off, urgent and often lead to a regular clean at the new address.
Questions people ask
Sources
- BizPaL: find the permits and licences your business needs · services.bizpal-perle.ca
- Canada Revenue Agency: when to register for and start charging GST/HST · canada.ca
- Town of Newmarket: business licensing · newmarket.ca
- Canada Revenue Agency: Form T2125 for business income · canada.ca