Written by MaidEX Cleaning Services Editorial Team · Reviewed by Milad Hoseini, Founder & CEO · Published August 9, 2026 · Updated October 16, 2026 · 4 min read
Quick answer
To choose a house cleaning service, confirm they're insured and background-check their cleaners, give flat-rate pricing you can see before booking (not a vague “starting at” or a mandatory sales call), put their checklist and scope in writing, and back the work with a re-clean satisfaction guarantee — then check recent reviews and that they actually serve your area. MaidEX meets all five across Metro Vancouver; see your exact price before you book.
You're handing a stranger a key to your home — often while you're at work — so it's worth a few minutes to choose well. The reassuring part: the cleaning industry in BC is lightly regulated, which means the few things that actually separate a trustworthy company from a risky one are easy to check in a five-minute phone call, or before you ever pick up the phone. Here are the five that matter, the BC-specific tell most people miss, and the red flags to walk away from.
1. Insured & background-checked
This is non-negotiable. Insurance protects you if something is ever damaged, and background checks mean you know who's in your home. Ask directly — a reputable company confirms both without hesitation, and a vague or defensive answer is itself the answer. (Every MaidEX cleaner is background-checked before their first job, and all our work is fully insured. What “insured” really means for your protection is covered in are house cleaners insured?)
2. Clear, upfront pricing
You should see a real, all-in price before you commit — not a vague “starting at,” and not a callback for a quote. Watch for fees bolted on later for supplies, travel or “extras” that weren't mentioned. Flat-rate pricing you can see online, with the tax shown, is the gold standard — you can see yours in about 60 seconds.
3. A satisfaction guarantee
Good companies stand behind their work. Look for a re-clean guarantee — if something isn't right, they come back and fix it, usually within a set window. MaidEX backs every visit with a 100% satisfaction guarantee: tell us within 24 hours and we re-clean the spot free.
4. A clear checklist & scope
You should know exactly what's included and what isn't, in writing. If a service can't tell you what a “standard” clean covers — or whether things like inside the oven or interior windows are included or extra — that's a red flag. (Here's what ours includes, and the difference between a deep clean and a standard clean.)
5. Easy booking & real communication
Can you book without a sales call? Do they confirm the appointment and send an invoice? Can you reach a real person if plans change? Friction at the booking stage is a preview of what working with them will feel like every visit.
A BC note: the GST tell
A quick local shortcut: in BC, residential cleaning is PST-exempt — you should only ever be charged 5% GST, never PST. A properly set-up company is GST-registered and gives you a real invoice. A cash-only cleaner with no GST and no receipt can be a sign the business isn't fully set up or insured — which is exactly when a problem becomes your problem. (More: is house cleaning taxed in BC? and is it safe to hire a house cleaner?)
Red flags to avoid
- No proof of insurance or background checks
- Cash-only, no invoice, no GST, no paper trail
- Prices that only come by phone, after pressure
- No guarantee, or vague answers about what's included
- No recent reviews, or a company that doesn't clearly serve your city
Insured, upfront, guaranteed — and booked in about a minute.
Flat-rate, 5% GST shown, no PST · Background-checked cleaners · Metro Vancouver & the Lower Mainland
Get your instant priceFrequently asked questions
How do I choose a house cleaning service?
Confirm five things: the company is insured and background-checks its cleaners; it gives flat-rate pricing you can see before booking; it puts the checklist and scope in writing; it backs the work with a re-clean satisfaction guarantee; and it has recent reviews and actually serves your area. If all five check out, you're in good shape.
What questions should I ask before hiring a cleaner?
Ask: Are your cleaners background-checked? Are you fully insured? Is the price flat-rate and all-in, shown before I book? What exactly is included and excluded? Is there a satisfaction guarantee? A company operating properly will answer all five clearly and without pressure.
Is a cash-only cleaner a red flag?
It can be. Cash-only with no invoice leaves no paper trail, and in BC a properly set-up company is GST-registered and gives a real receipt — 5% GST, no PST. A cleaner with no GST and no receipt may not be fully set up or insured, which is a risk if anything goes wrong.
Should a cleaning service give me a price before I book?
Yes. The best services show a flat, all-in price for your home before you commit. A vague “starting at” figure, a mandatory sales call, or surprise fees for supplies or travel are warning signs.
Do house cleaners need to be licensed in BC?
Residential cleaning is lightly regulated in BC — there's no special cleaning licence — so the responsibility is on you to verify the basics: insurance, background checks, and a real registered business (GST-registered, with proper invoices). That's why the questions above matter.
About the author
Milad Hoseini
Founder & CEO, MaidEX Cleaning Services
Written by the MaidEX Cleaning Services Editorial Team and reviewed by Milad Hoseini, who founded MaidEX in Vancouver. MaidEX provides insured, background-checked cleaning across Metro Vancouver and the Lower Mainland. More about MaidEX →
How this guide was made
This guide draws on MaidEX's hands-on cleaning experience across Metro Vancouver and the Lower Mainland, along with publicly available sources. It was drafted with the help of AI tools, then reviewed and fact-checked by our editorial team and approved by Milad Hoseini, Founder & CEO, before publishing.