If you're sketching out 2026 numbers for a Cornwall holiday let — either as a new owner planning the budget or an existing owner reviewing margins — cleaning is the operational cost that catches most people out. The per-turn rates are higher than they were three years ago, the labour market is tighter, and the standards expected by guests have risen. Here's the realistic 2026 picture, broken down by property size, area and season.
Changeover cleaning rates (per turn)
By property size — Cornwall average 2026
| Property size | Low end | Mid market | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio / 1-bed | £45 | £60 | £75 |
| 2-bed cottage | £60 | £80 | £95 |
| 3-bed cottage | £85 | £110 | £140 |
| 4-bed property | £120 | £150 | £180 |
| 5-bed luxury | £160 | £220 | £280 |
| 6+ bed | £200 | £280 | £380+ |
By area
- Premium north-coast (Padstow, Rock, Polzeath, Daymer): top end of all bands. Saturday changeover demand is most intense here.
- St Ives / Carbis Bay: top end, with surcharges for access difficulty (Down-along/Up-along streets often require foot-shuttling)
- Newquay: mid-band, large cleaner pool keeps prices competitive
- Falmouth / Helford: mid-band
- Penzance / Mousehole / far-west: mid to upper-mid; rural premium for properties beyond Penzance toward Sennen/Land's End
- Truro / mid-Cornwall: lower-mid; better cleaner availability
- Bodmin Moor / rural east Cornwall: remote premium typically £15-£30/turn above town rates due to driving time
- Lizard peninsula: remote premium, fewer cleaners willing to work the area
By season
- Peak Saturday surcharges (July-August): typically +£15-£30 per turn
- Bank holiday surcharges: +£15-£30
- Christmas/New Year: +£30-£60 (limited cleaner availability)
- Low-season weekday cleans: at standard rate (sometimes -£5 if cleaner has gap-filler availability)
Hot tub services
Hot tubs are now mainstream in mid-tier and premium Cornwall holiday lets. Cleaning and chemistry services:
- Per-turn hot tub clean and chemistry: £20-£40 typically (included in some cleaner packages, separate in others)
- Mid-stay top-up for 7-night+ stays: £15-£25
- Monthly deep service (filter clean, full water replacement if needed): £40-£80
- Annual maintenance (heater, jets, cover assessment): £100-£200
For a property with year-round hot tub operation and 40 turns/year, expect £1,200-£2,400/year on hot tub-related cleaning services on top of standard changeover cleaning.
Linen costs
Linen hire (typical Cornwall providers)
- Single bed change: £4-£8 per change
- Double bed change: £6-£12
- King bed change: £10-£16
- Towel set (per person): £3-£6
- Tea towels, bath mat, dish cloth set: £2-£4
Owner-owned linen costs
If providing own linen and laundering between guests:
- Initial set cost (3 sets per bed for rotation): £80-£200 per bed
- Replacement cycle: typically every 2-3 years
- Laundry cost per turn: cleaner labour (45-90 mins) + energy + detergent
For most Cornwall holiday lets letting 30+ weeks a year, linen hire usually wins on total cost. For lower-volume seasonal lets (Easter-September only), owner-owned often works.
Deep cleans
Most properties benefit from 2-3 deep cleans per year:
- 2-bed cottage: £200-£350 per deep clean
- 3-bed cottage: £280-£450
- 4-bed property: £380-£600
- 5+ bed luxury: £600-£900
Deep cleans include: oven interior, fridge/freezer defrost, descaling all taps and showerheads, washing curtains/throws, behind/under furniture, carpet shampoo, windows inside and out.
Window cleaning
Often separate from cleaner contract:
- External windows (every 6-8 weeks): £25-£50 per visit for typical cottage
- Annual deep window clean (inside + outside): £60-£120
- Conservation/listed properties with awkward access: +50-100%
Annual cleaning budget — worked examples
2-bed Newquay cottage, 35 turns/year
- Changeover cleaning (35 turns × £75): £2,625
- Linen hire (35 × £15): £525
- Hot tub services (35 × £30): £1,050
- Deep cleans (2 × £275): £550
- Window cleaning (8 × £35): £280
- Total annual cleaning budget: £5,030
3-bed Padstow cottage, 42 turns/year
- Changeover cleaning (42 turns × £130): £5,460
- Linen hire (42 × £25): £1,050
- Hot tub services (42 × £35): £1,470
- Deep cleans (3 × £400): £1,200
- Window cleaning (8 × £50): £400
- Peak surcharges (10 weeks × £25): £250
- Total annual cleaning budget: £9,830
4-bed Bodmin Moor barn conversion, 28 turns/year (lower volume)
- Changeover cleaning (28 turns × £170, includes remote premium): £4,760
- Linen hire (28 × £30): £840
- Hot tub services (28 × £40): £1,120
- Deep cleans (2 × £550): £1,100
- Window cleaning: £400
- Total annual cleaning budget: £8,220
What drives the price up
- Remote location — properties more than 20 minutes from cleaner's base attract premium
- Difficult access — narrow streets, no parking, foot-shuttling required
- Listed / awkward layout — older properties take longer to clean to standard
- Hot tub + pool — additional service requirements
- High guest churn — multiple short-stay bookings vs single 7-night stay
- Pets allowed — typically £15-£30 surcharge per turn on dog-friendly properties
- Group bookings / large parties — sometimes specific party surcharge
- Saturday-only changeovers — limited cleaner availability creates pricing power
What drives the price down
- Flexible changeover days (Friday or Sunday turnovers) — wider cleaner availability
- Long-stay bookings — fewer turns per year, less cleaning per £ of revenue
- Property within 10 minutes of cleaner's base
- Self-contained kitchen and bathroom (no awkward shared spaces)
- Direct cleaner relationship (vs agency markup)
- Multi-property arrangement — cleaner doing 3+ of your properties may discount
The cleaner vs cleaning company decision
Two routes:
- Direct relationship with individual cleaner: typically £10-£20/hour, no VAT (most sole-trader cleaners aren't VAT registered), more personal relationship. Risk: single-point-of-failure if they're ill or unavailable.
- Cleaning agency / company: typically £15-£30/hour or £15-£30 per turn premium, often VAT registered (+20% if applicable), but with replacement cleaner cover and consistent management. Better for owners with multiple properties or who can't manage cleaner relationships directly.
For a single Cornwall property, direct cleaner relationship usually wins on cost but requires you to have a backup arrangement. For multiple properties or absentee owners, cleaning company usually wins on resilience.
Bottom line
Budget realistically: £100-£300/turn for typical Cornwall holiday lets, plus linen, plus deep cleans, plus hot tub services. Total annual cleaning cost for a mid-tier Cornwall property typically £4,000-£10,000. For a £30,000-gross property, that's 13-33% of gross — comfortably the largest operational line item after agency commission.
Whether to use a direct cleaner, a Cornwall cleaning company, or have your management agency arrange cleaning is largely a question of resilience and time. For Cornwall owners struggling to find a reliable cleaner, our changeover cleaning service page walks through the matching process — or submit your postcode and we'll pair you with a vetted Cornwall provider.