A cleaning contract is only as good as what's written in it. Most disagreements with a cleaning company come down to the same thing: something both sides assumed but never wrote down. A few minutes agreeing the points below saves months of friction.
Scope and specification
Ask for a written list of what's cleaned, how often and to what standard. A good specification separates daily tasks (desks, bins, kitchens, floors), weekly tasks and periodic ones such as windows or carpets. If it's not on the list, it's not included.
Ask what happens for extras. Deep cleans, carpet extraction and window cleaning are usually priced separately, and it's worth knowing that up front. See our cleaning specification for the kind of list to expect.
Hours, access and security
Agree the days and times, who holds keys or fobs, and how alarms are handled. Named cleaners, sign-in rules and a contact for problems should all be on paper. We cover this in how keys, alarms and access work.
Also agree what happens if access fails on the night: does the visit get rescheduled, and is it charged?
Insurance, notice and putting things right
Check that the company carries public liability insurance and ask to see the certificate. Then look at the notice period: long tie-ins and auto-renewals are the most common frustration. We don't do long tie-ins, and it's worth asking any company why theirs are long.
Finally, agree how problems are handled: who you call, how quickly it's put right, and whether that costs you anything. Ours is a 24-hour fix-it-free guarantee.
If it matters to you, it belongs in writing. If it isn't written, assume it isn't included.
The short answer
Agree scope, hours and access, insurance and notice, and how problems get put right, in writing, before the first clean. That covers most of the ways a cleaning contract goes wrong.