The problem
Move-out and first deep cleans vary hugely, so many owners drive out to see each home before quoting. If a company gets 12 move-out requests a month and each walk-through takes an hour with driving, that's 12 hours a month, about $360£271€322A$520C$509 at an assumed $30£23€27A$43C$42 an hour, and tenants moving out this weekend book whoever quotes first.
What the AI does
The owner asks each customer for photos of the oven, fridge, cabinets, bathrooms, floors and walls, then uploads them to ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini with the company's price list and a saved prompt. The assistant lists what it can see that adds time (baked-on grease, mold on caulk, marks on walls, a full fridge) and drafts a quote message using those prices. The owner checks the photos, sets the final price and sends it. All three assistants accept photos, including on free plans with usage limits.
A worked example
An illustrative example built from typical figures, not a named business.
A house cleaning company in Minneapolis with the owner and 5 cleaners gets about 12 move-out requests a month, priced from $350£263€313A$505C$495 for a 2-bed apartment plus extras such as $45£34€40A$65C$64 inside the oven and $40£30€36A$58C$57 inside the fridge. The owner starts quoting from photos, with a walk-through only for large or very dirty homes.
Before
12 walk-throughs a month at about an hour each, about 12 hours
After
9 quotes from photos at about 15 minutes each and 3 walk-throughs, about 5.25 hours
What it's worth
About $202£152€181A$292C$286 a month of the owner's time saved, against nothing to $20£15€18A$29C$28 for an assistant plan. That is 6.75 fewer hours a month (12 hours down to 5.25) at an assumed $30£23€27A$43C$42 an hour.
How to set it up
- Write a photo list to send every move-out inquiry: inside the oven and fridge, cabinets, each bathroom, floors, walls and windows, in good light.
- Save a prompt with your price list and extras, and ask the assistant to list what it sees that adds time and draft a quote message using only your prices.
- Check every photo yourself before sending; set the final price and say clearly what's included and what isn't.
- Add a line that the price is based on the photos and may change if the home differs on the day, and agree what happens then.
- Visit in person for large homes, hoarding, pet damage or anything the photos don't show clearly.
What goes wrong
- An assistant can miss what's outside the frame or misjudge grime from a photo. The price is yours, not the assistant's.
- Photos can show mail, documents or family photos. Ask customers to leave those out, and don't upload anything showing people.
- Free plans have usage limits and may use uploads to train models unless you turn that off in settings. Paid plans run about $20£15€18A$29C$28 a month for one person.
- Landlords and tenants sometimes argue over deposits. Quote only for the work, and never promise a clean will get a deposit back.