Services

Work inside the house, on the lot and on the back of a pickup:

the three split cleanly by how they are charged. Cleaning, ironing and a plumber chasing a leak are paid by the hour or by the job. Garden upkeep, cutting back an overgrown lot and clearing the gutters are priced per visit or per area, once someone has seen the place. Pickup hauls, small-load runs across town and full house moves are quoted per trip, with distance, stairs and the number of helpers deciding the figure. Someone wanted on a fixed schedule for the long term is a hire, and belongs in jobs. Brushcutters and mowers for doing the outdoor work yourself are in garden and outdoor.

A cleaner by the hour or a cleaning company by the square metre:

companies quote by floor area, and a general clean of a small flat starts around ₡90,000, with deep and after-builders cleans above that and the final figure fixed after a visit. An independent cleaner in the Central Valley charges around ₡2,500 to ₡4,000 an hour, a little more in Escazú or Santa Ana, so a full day in a three-bedroom house in Alajuela costs a fraction of the company price. The gap pays for a team, products and machines brought along, and a replacement when the usual cleaner is ill. For the weekly clean, one trusted person makes sense; for a move-out clean, a team finishes in a day what one person would spread over several visits. On the coast, a good part of this work is turnover cleaning for holiday rentals in Nosara, Tamarindo or Uvita, quoted in dollars for owners who live abroad. They hire on a written list of what a turnover includes, how fast a unit is ready on a same-day changeover, and who covers when the cleaner cannot come.

Gutters, roofs and overgrown lots ahead of the rains:

the rainy season runs from about May to November, and the jobs worth booking in April are the ones that keep water out. Gutters and downpipes packed with leaves overflow in the first heavy afternoon downpour and send water down the walls and under the eaves, so clearing them and having the roof sheets and their screws checked costs far less before May than after a stain appears on the ceiling. Once the rains settle in, weeds and scrub on an open lot grow fast enough that cutting them back becomes a job every few weeks rather than twice a year. The price depends on the area, the slope and how long the lot was left, so send photos with something in frame for scale, and agree whether the cuttings are hauled away.

A mover, a brushcutter crew or a cleaner, checked before the first visit:

ask for references from homes nearby and for a cédula, or the company’s legal registration number if a company is sending staff. Put the rate, the hours and who supplies products, tools or fuel in a WhatsApp message before anyone arrives. A quote marked “subject to a visit” is not final until that visit has happened. With a move, confirm how many helpers come, whether stairs are included, and who pays if the fridge arrives dented. A rate far below the others usually leaves something out: travel to your area, materials, or taking the rubbish away.

A service ad that names the cantons and the rate:

people hire whoever is close, so name the area you cover, such as Moravia, Tibás and Coronado, or Liberia and the beaches around it. Say whether you charge per hour, per visit or per trip, and what that includes: your own products for cleaning, your own machine for clearing a lot, the size of the truck bed for moves. Before-and-after photos of a real job beat any description, and a starting rate gets more replies than “price on request”. If you speak English, put it in the ad: a rental owner writing from abroad books the cleaner who can answer the first message in English.