Last updated: 14 October 2026 · By the Sureclean cleaning team

Short answer: A part-time maid agency in Singapore links you up with a cleaner who comes to your flat for a few hours each week. Most agencies charge by the hour. Some also add a booking or platform fee. You can go one of three ways: use an agency or app marketplace, hire someone directly, or book a cleaning company that has its own crews on staff. Sureclean is the third kind. We are NEA-licensed and insured, and weekly home cleaning starts from as low as $22/hour*, with each session usually running 3–5 hours.

What does a part-time maid agency in Singapore actually do?

Think of a part-time maid agency as the go-between for you and your cleaner. You describe your flat, whether HDB or condo, and say which day and how many hours you need. From there, the agency or app matches you with a cleaner who is free. Scheduling and payment go through them as well. If your cleaner falls sick or quits, they send someone else. In Singapore, though, the same label is used for two very different set-ups.

Matching agencies and marketplaces link you up with cleaners who are independent or on contract. Take Helpling: it’s an online marketplace in Singapore where you book part-time cleaners. Urban Company works through an app and covers a range of home services. Sendhelper is a booking platform for home services too. If you’d like to compare a few options and book online in minutes, this route makes sense.

Cleaning companies with their own staff hire their cleaners directly, then train and supervise them in-house. The company answers for the work. It also owns the equipment and carries the insurance. Sureclean runs its weekly home cleaning service this way: every visit is done by our own crews, not by freelancers picked from a listing.

Both models are fine. What matters is who answers for it when a job goes wrong, and what your money actually covers.

Agency, direct hire or in-house crew: which model fits you?

• Agency or marketplace: Booking takes minutes, and changing cleaners is simple. The catch is consistency. Many of these cleaners work independently, so the standard you get one week may differ the next. Before anyone starts, ask who pays if something in your flat gets damaged or a cleaner is hurt on the job.
• Direct hire: Some households hire a cleaner directly and pay them out of their own pocket. They usually find the person through friends, a notice on the condo board or a social media post. If it’s someone you trust, this arrangement can work well. You will have to sort out replacements, holidays and any disagreements on your own, though. You also need to confirm that the person is legally allowed to work for you.
• In-house cleaning company: Here, the crew are the company’s own staff. It hires them, trains them, provides the equipment and holds the insurance. Scheduling and feedback all go through one business, so you’re never stuck chasing different people. If anything gets missed, the crew comes back to clean it again.

In a busy home, a cleaner you can rely on, and a company that answers for them, usually counts for more than a small gap in the hourly rate. Maybe there’s a toddler in the flat. Or elderly parents, or a pet. Then you want to know exactly who is walking through your door and who answers for them, and that matters far more than saving a few dollars a session.

Can you legally hire a local or foreign part-time maid?

Plenty of families get this wrong. A foreign domestic worker on a Work Permit can work only for her own employer, and only at the address registered with the Ministry of Manpower. That rules out hiring a neighbour’s helper to clean your flat on her day off. Both you and the helper can be penalised.

Singaporeans and PRs may take on part-time cleaning work as freelancers, which means hiring a local directly is legal. Rates and availability differ a lot from one cleaner to the next. Weekday daytime slots are usually the first to go.

Foreign cleaners may clean your home legally only when a business employs them on the correct work passes and sends them to you as part of its service. That is how a cleaning company can deploy a foreign crew to your HDB flat or condo. You cannot simply hire a foreign worker yourself.

Before you book, ask any provider one simple question: who employs this cleaner? Look for a clear answer with a company name and a licence you can check. Sureclean is NEA-licensed (NEA240120/6509C/C3/N01) and employs its own crews.

How much does a part-time maid cost in Singapore?

Most agencies and booking platforms bill by the hour. Many also set a minimum number of hours for each visit. Some charge an extra booking or platform fee on top, and a one-off visit may be priced differently from a regular weekly slot. You can usually find the hourly rate on the company’s website. The advertised rate is only the starting point, though, so before you book, add up the full cost of a single visit and compare that figure.

Sureclean’s published prices for home cleaning, all before GST:

• Weekly or fortnightly home cleaning: rates start at $22/hour*. A typical visit lasts 3–5 hours, and a 3-hour session costs from $72*. Weekly and fortnightly visits are charged the same hourly rate. Sign up for a longer commitment and your rate goes down.
• One-time spring or deep cleaning: prices start at $600*. Most jobs land between $700* and $800*.
• Move-in or move-out cleaning: from $370*, with most jobs costing $475*–$525*.

New customers get 10% off their first booking. You don’t need to buy mops or a vacuum for the visit, because our cleaners bring their own equipment. Prices for each service are listed on our cleaning prices in Singapore page.

How does booking a part-time cleaner work? A step-by-step checklist

Whatever option you go with, these steps will help the first few visits run smoothly:

• 1. List the jobs. Note every room, each bathroom, and whether laundry and ironing are included. Say clearly which areas are off-limits. Then mark the weekly tasks that matter most to you.
• 2. Pick realistic hours. A 4-room HDB flat needs more time than a studio. Most weekly sessions run 3–5 hours.
• 3. Find out who employs the cleaner. Then check whether the provider has public liability insurance.
• 4. Confirm what is included. Find out if the service covers laundry, ironing and washing the dishes. Ask what falls outside it, too.
• 5. Agree on access. Will you be home on the day? If not, leave a key or give the cleaner your door code. Condo residents should also register the cleaner’s name with the guardhouse beforehand.
• 6. Prepare for the first visit. Clear the surfaces, show where you keep cleaning products and point out delicate items.
• 7. Give feedback early. Once the first two visits are done, tell the provider what you would like changed. A good one will follow through.

WhatsApp us on +65 6983 9523 to book Sureclean. We’ll confirm the day and the hours with you.

What do HDB, condo and landed homes need from a regular cleaner?

Every Singapore home has to deal with humidity. Mould and dust soon settle in bathrooms, in window tracks and behind wardrobes. That is why a weekly or fortnightly cleaning routine matters more here than in drier countries.

• HDB and BTO flats: Grease builds up in the kitchen and laundry lint settles in the service yard. Bathroom grout and floor traps need regular care too. Plenty of new BTO owners start with a one-time deep clean, then move on to weekly visits.
• Condos: Construction work and passing traffic leave dust on condo balconies and sliding doors. Before your cleaner comes, find out what your condo’s visitor registration rules are.
• Landed homes: Expect longer sessions here. Extra floors, staircases and outdoor spaces all add time, so plan for the upper end of 3–5 hours, or spread the work over separate visits.

A weekly visit handles the regular chores: laundry, ironing, dishes and changing the bedsheets. Bigger one-off jobs need their own booking. That covers things like scrubbing off years of grime, or the dust and debris left after a renovation. For those, look at spring cleaning or post-renovation cleaning.

When should you choose a cleaning company over a part-time maid agency?

Want the same crew every visit, and one business you can hold responsible when something goes wrong? Then a cleaning company that employs its own staff is the sensible choice over a rotating pool of freelancers. It suits you if:

• Your cleaners have cancelled at short notice or stopped turning up.
• Accidents happen, even with careful crews. Choose a provider that carries public liability insurance, so any damage is covered.
• Laundry, ironing and the dishes should be part of the visit itself, not added to the bill as extras.
• You prefer a single WhatsApp contact for changes and feedback.
• You want published prices you can check before you book.

Sureclean was founded in 2013. Since then, we have cleaned more than 50,000 homes, and on Google we hold a 4.9-star rating across 1,500+ reviews. Every crew member is trained in-house. Our teams arrive with their own equipment and are covered by S$1,000,000 public liability insurance. Spot something we missed? Let us know and we will come back to re-clean it.

First-time customers save 10% on our weekly home cleaning, which starts from as low as $22/hour*.

Sureclean home cleaning prices at a glance

These are starting prices, all before GST. The final quote depends on how big your home is and what state it’s in.

Service	Published price (before GST)	Typical session or job
Weekly / fortnightly home cleaning	As low as $22/hour*	3–5 hours; from $72* per 3-hour session
One-time spring / deep cleaning	From $600*	Most jobs $700*–$800*
Move-in / move-out cleaning	From $370*	Most jobs $475*–$525*
Post-renovation cleaning	From $350*	HDB 4-room $525*; deep floor cleaning is a separate add-on

Frequently asked questions

How much does a part-time maid cost per hour in Singapore?

Each agency and platform sets its own rates. Most list hourly prices on their websites, and some add a minimum number of hours or a booking fee. At Sureclean, weekly and fortnightly home cleaning goes as low as $22/hour* before GST. A typical session lasts 3–5 hours, and a 3-hour session starts from $72*. Booking with us for the first time? You get 10% off that first session.

Can I hire someone else’s foreign helper to clean part-time?

No. A foreign domestic worker can only work for her own employer, and only at the address registered with the Ministry of Manpower. That means hiring her part-time to clean your HDB flat or condo isn’t allowed. Go with a local freelancer or a company that employs its own crews instead. Sureclean’s NEA-licensed crews do weekly home cleaning from as low as $22/hour* before GST.

Is Sureclean a part-time maid agency?

No, we are not an agency or a marketplace. Sureclean runs its own cleaning company with crews we train ourselves. Every cleaner is on our payroll, the equipment comes from us, and we hold S$1,000,000 public liability insurance. Regular cleaning, weekly or fortnightly, can cost as little as $22/hour*. Some homes need a proper reset before a routine starts. For those, a one-time spring clean starts from $600* before GST.

What is included in a weekly home cleaning session?

Our weekly session handles the everyday housework: ironing, laundry, dishes and changing the bedsheets. Most sessions last 3–5 hours, and rates start from $72* per 3-hour session before GST. Bigger jobs need a separate booking. Post-renovation cleaning starts from $350*, and move-out cleaning from $370*.

Is weekly or fortnightly cleaning better for an HDB flat?

Singapore’s humidity means dust settles fast and bathroom mould returns within days. That is why weekly cleaning suits most families with children or pets, and any household that cooks a lot. Fortnightly visits can work well for couples, or for small flats that stay tidy in between. Both options are charged at the same hourly rate, as low as $22/hour*. Commit for longer and the rate drops.

Related guides

• Weekly Home Cleaning Singapore
• Cleaning prices in Singapore
• Professional spring cleaning

Main service page: Weekly Home Cleaning Singapore — from $22/hour*

*Every price listed is a “from” rate, meant as a guide only. Rates may change without notice. Your final price depends on the size of your unit, its condition and how easy the site is to access — before any booking is confirmed, we send you an exact written quote on WhatsApp (+65 6983 9523).