If you are responsible for office cleaning — whether as a facilities manager, property manager, or business owner — you will eventually need to review, renew, or replace your cleaning contract. The document you sign determines the standard of cleanliness your staff and visitors experience daily. It also defines how problems get handled, what happens when standards slip, and how much flexibility you have as your needs change.
Yet many businesses approach cleaning contracts reactively. They stick with incumbent providers because switching feels burdensome. They accept vague service descriptions because they assume “cleaning is cleaning.” They overlook key clauses until a dispute arises.
This guide explains what a well-drafted office cleaning contract should include, why each element matters, and how to evaluate whether a proposed contract serves your interests.
The Foundation: Scope of Services
A good contract begins with precise definitions. “Office cleaning” means different things to different providers. Without specificity, you risk receiving a basic service when your premises require something more comprehensive.
If you manage a school rather than a standard office, the requirements differ significantly. We have covered what to look for in a school cleaning contract separately, as educational environments have unique safeguarding and scheduling needs. For standard commercial premises, focus on the following.
Daily Cleaning Tasks
Your contract should list exactly what happens during each cleaning visit. This typically includes:
- Reception and common areas — Vacuuming or mopping floors, wiping reception desks, emptying bins, cleaning glass doors and internal windows
- Office spaces — Dusting desks (where cleared by staff), emptying waste and recycling bins, vacuuming carpeted areas, mopping hard floors
- Kitchen and break areas — Cleaning worktops, sinks and appliances, emptying bins, replenishing consumables if specified
- Toilet facilities — Sanitising toilets, sinks and surfaces, replenishing soap and paper products, mopping floors
- Meeting rooms — Resetting furniture, wiping tables, cleaning whiteboards if requested
Periodic Tasks
Beyond daily cleaning, your contract should specify less frequent but essential tasks:
- Weekly — High-level dusting (shelves, picture frames, skirting boards), thorough kitchen appliance cleaning
- Monthly — Internal window cleaning, carpet spot cleaning, deep sanitisation of toilets
- Quarterly — Full carpet extraction cleaning, hard floor buffing or sealing, high-level cleaning of light fittings and ventilation
What Your Contract Should Say
Vague language like “cleaning as required” or “industry standard cleaning” creates ambiguity. Instead, look for specific task definitions and verification methods that align with our commercial office cleaning services.
Scheduling and Flexibility
Office cleaning typically occurs outside business hours to minimise disruption. But “out of hours” varies by organisation. Your contract must align with your operational requirements.
Fixed vs Flexible Scheduling
Some contracts specify rigid timings: “Cleaning shall occur Monday to Friday, 18:00 to 20:00.” This works if your office empties predictably at 5:30 pm. It fails if your team regularly works late, or if you host evening events.
Better contracts offer flexibility within defined parameters, recognising that your needs change — quarterly board meetings, client entertainment, or simply a busy period requiring later working.
Ad-Hoc and Emergency Cleaning
Even well-planned schedules cannot anticipate every requirement. Your contract should address pre-event cleaning, post-incident cleaning, and outbreak response. A robust contract either includes these within the service scope or specifies how they are requested, priced, and delivered.
Quality Standards and Verification
Cleaning quality is subjective until you define what “clean” means. Your contract should establish objective standards and verification mechanisms.
Defining “Clean”
Rather than relying on general descriptions, effective contracts reference specific standards:
- Visual standards — “No visible dust on horizontal surfaces at eye level when viewed under normal office lighting”
- Hygiene standards — “Toilet fixtures shall be sanitised to BS EN 1276 standard”
- Completion standards — “All bins emptied, liners replaced, and no rubbish bags left in office areas”
These standards become measurable. You can verify them during inspections. More importantly, your cleaning provider understands exactly what constitutes acceptable work.
Verification Methods
How do you know cleaning occurred as specified? Your contract should require cleaning logs, supervision, client inspections, and key performance indicators.
Many facilities managers now expect photo verification of completed work. When your cleaner can show you timestamped images of cleared desks, sanitised kitchens, and vacuumed carpets, you have confidence the work was done properly. This is particularly valuable if you are preparing for a CQC inspection or similar regulatory review.
Staffing and Personnel
The people entering your office at night matter as much as the contract terms. Your agreement should address who cleans your premises and how they are managed.
Direct Employment vs Subcontracting
Cleaning contracts vary significantly in employment structure. Directly employed teams work exclusively for your contractor, receiving training, supervision, and equipment from a single organisation. This structure typically offers better consistency and accountability.
Subcontracted or agency staff may change frequently. Different individuals clean your office each week. Training and supervision vary. Continuity suffers.
Your contract should specify which model applies. If subcontracting is used, you should understand how the contractor ensures quality control across third-party staff.
Vetting and Safeguarding
Anyone with unsupervised access to your office requires proper vetting. This is non-negotiable for businesses handling confidential data or vulnerable individuals. Your contract should confirm right to work checks, Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks, reference verification, and training records.
Pricing and Payment Structure
Understanding what you are paying for prevents disputes and enables fair comparison between providers.
Fixed Fee vs Variable Pricing
Most office cleaning contracts operate on fixed monthly fees based on time, tasks, or square footage. Your contract should clearly state the pricing model, how fees are calculated, what is included, and what is excluded.
Additional Charges
Unexpected fees erode trust and budgets. Transparent contracts specify circumstances triggering extra charges: extra cleaning visits, specialist services, consumables if not included, and keyholding if required. Better contracts either include reasonable contingencies within the fixed fee or provide capped rates for predictable extras.
Contract Duration and Termination
Cleaning relationships work best when both parties commit to reasonable timeframes while retaining flexibility if things go wrong.
Initial Term and Notice Periods
Standard office cleaning contracts typically run 12 months with break clauses, 24 months with annual reviews, or rolling monthly after an initial commitment. Longer terms often secure better pricing — the contractor can invest in staff training and equipment knowing the relationship has stability. Shorter terms provide flexibility if your circumstances change.
Your contract should specify the initial term length, how and when either party can terminate, notice periods required, and any penalties or obligations upon termination.
Performance Termination
What happens if service quality persistently fails? Your contract should define service level failures, remedial periods, and immediate termination grounds. These protections matter — without them, you are locked into poor service until the contract expires.
Problem Resolution and Communication
Even excellent cleaning services encounter problems. Equipment breaks. Staff become ill. Standards occasionally slip. Your contract should define how issues get resolved.
Complaint Handling
Clear procedures ensure problems get addressed promptly. Your contract should specify how to report service deficiencies, acknowledgement timeframes, resolution plans, and escalation for recurring deficiencies.
Account Management
Regular communication prevents small issues becoming major problems. Your contract should specify frequency of review meetings, key contact personnel, and reporting requirements.
Insurance and Liability
Cleaning work involves risks — damaged equipment, slip hazards from wet floors, theft allegations. Your contract should address responsibility and protection.
Required Insurance
Reputable cleaning contractors carry public liability insurance, employers liability insurance, and treatment risk insurance. Your contract should require current certificates of insurance and specify minimum coverage levels.
Damage and Loss
What happens if cleaning damages your property or items go missing? Your contract should define notification requirements, investigation processes, remedy limits, and excluded items.
Conclusion
A good office cleaning contract does more than specify what gets cleaned and how much you pay. It creates a framework for accountability, quality verification, and problem resolution. It protects both parties by defining expectations clearly and establishing processes for when things go wrong.
The time to address these matters is before you sign — when you have leverage to negotiate terms and compare providers on a like-for-like basis. Once the contract is signed and the keys handed over, your options narrow.
If you are reviewing cleaning contracts or considering a change of provider, focus on specificity. The more precisely a contract defines services, standards, and responsibilities, the more likely you are to receive the service your office actually needs.
Looking for a cleaning contract that delivers accountability and quality? Clean Bees provides commercial office cleaning across Bristol with detailed service specifications, photo-verified cleaning, and straightforward contracts. Contact us to discuss your requirements.