@Helen3
£16 an hour for a cleaner is expensive if you are paying them direct. By 'expensive', I mean comparatively, not that it's too much.
My cleaners, who are very good, and a small company so they employ others and obviously take a cut out of that, were charging me £12.50 up until recently. They put it up because of the recent rises in the cost of living, which is fair enough. They have to heat their homes too. But, £12.50 or thereabouts would be quite normal, particularly if you are paying the cleaner direct.
The last time I used an agency, I think they charged £13.50 or £14 an hour, and agencies usually charge quite a bit more. I'd rather pay the cleaner direct so they earn a better wage, but the ones I use now are a tiny, family run business and I am okay with that. Everything's above board and they invoice me once a month.
My cleaners just clean. They do not prepare the listing for guests. I do that. Even if they did, I don't think that warrants paying them more per hour, it just means paying them for more hours because it will take longer.
Then, of course, when you look at the hourly rate, you have to factor in the travel time, some admin, maybe some taxes etc (all equipment and materials are provided by me). Bear in mind, however, that a lot of independent cleaners only take cash and are not paying taxes at all.
All that considered, $50 an hour is still a lot! $50 an hour to do laundry seems excessive. It might be the going rate in some places, but that doesn't mean it's not expensive and it wouldn't surprise me at all if that's more than a doctor get's paid. That's £44.55 currently. How many people do you know who earn that an hour?