There are many significant differences between hiring an independent cleaner versus a professional house cleaning company.  Independent contractors have a much lower barrier to entry in the cleaning business and often can offer cheaper rates because they are able to pass some of the liabilities of conducting business on to their customers.  Independent contractors generally are not bonded and insured which means you carry ALL of the risk if they were to get injured on the job, destroy any of your valuables or experience theft. Despite their claim that they are an “Independent Contractor” the IRS almost never agrees which could leave you liable to pay federal payroll taxes and provide proof that you are following applicable labor laws. What may seem like savings upon first glance could end up costing you substantially.
Additionally, independent cleaners rarely have systematic cleaning processes in place to maintain the quality of their services.  Professional house cleaning companies typically have robust systems in place for background checks, professional training and on-going quality control.