Common area cleaning
Maintenance of communal areas in residential buildings, on an agreed schedule with monthly reporting.
The service thirty people pay for at once
Cleaning a residential entrance differs from every other service in one way: the client is not one person but a building association. That means good work alone is not enough. There has to be accountability, so residents can see what was done and when, and monthly meetings do not turn into arguments.
So every visit is logged, and at the end of each month the building manager receives a report. The schedule is fixed in the contract: specific days, specific floors, specific tasks.
The price is based on the number of flats rather than floor area. That makes the sum predictable and easy to divide between owners, and buildings with the same number of homes pay the same.
- A fixed schedule, written into the contract
- Monthly report to the building manager
- Priced per flat, simple to divide between owners
- Invoiced to the building association
- Response to an incident within 24 hours
Scope by area
The split below is the standard at four visits a month. On two visits, the monthly tasks stay and the weekly ones are spread out.
Staircase and landings
- Sweeping every floor
- Wet cleaning of steps and landings
- Dusting handrails along their full length
- Ledges and cornices
- Cleaning windows on the half-landings
- Cobwebs in corners and ceilings
- Dusting light fittings
Entrance and ground floor
- Entrance door, both sides
- Intercom panel and bells
- Letterboxes, dusted externally
- Glass surfaces in the entrance hall
- Doormats and entrance area
- Notice board
- Disinfection of handles and buttons
Lift
- Car floor
- Mirror and walls
- Button panel, cleaned and disinfected
- Door runners
- External buttons on every floor
- Lighting inside the car
- Airing and odour removal
Basements and outdoor areas
- Sweeping basement corridors
- Cleaning shared basement rooms
- Stairs down to the basement
- Sweeping the area in front of the entrance
- Leaf clearance in autumn
- Cleaning around the bin store
- Dusting technical recesses
What the contract covers
A clear scope prevents the most common dispute in any building association, which is what exactly is being paid for.
Included in the monthly fee
- Labour, equipment and all cleaning products
- A fixed number of visits on an agreed schedule
- Monthly report to the building manager
- Disinfection of contact points
- Cover during holidays and illness
- Seasonal leaf clearance at the entrance
Agreed separately
- Snow clearance and gritting
- Deep cleaning after building work
- Façade and external window cleaning
- Grounds maintenance and grass cutting
- Removal of abandoned bulky waste
- Pest control
Snow clearance and grounds maintenance can be added as seasonal annexes to the main contract.
From enquiry to first clean
Building inspection
We walk the entrance, count floors and flats, note the condition of the flooring and whether there is a lift and basements. We also ask about the problem points residents already discuss.
A quote for the residents' meeting
You receive a written quote with a price per flat and per entrance, broken down by frequency. It is formatted to be read aloud at the meeting.
Decision and contract
Once the residents' meeting decides, we sign a contract with the building association covering the schedule, the scope and payment terms.
Access and start
We arrange a key or fob. The first visit is usually more thorough than the routine ones, to bring the building up to a baseline.
Routine work and reporting
The team works to the schedule. The building manager receives a monthly report, and residents can raise anything through them at any time.
Price by number of flats
The per-flat cost falls as the building gets larger. The figures below assume four visits a month.
| Flats | Floors | Visits | Per flat / month |
|---|---|---|---|
| up to 12 | up to 4 | 4 per month | from €6 |
| 12–24 | 4–6 | 4 per month | from €5 |
| 24–40 | 6–8 | 4 per month | from €4 |
| over 40 | 8+ | 4 per month | from €3 |
| 24–40 | 6–8 | 2 per month | from €2 |
Guide prices, dependent on whether there is a lift, basements and outdoor areas. The exact quote follows an inspection and is formatted for a residents' meeting.
Why building associations stay with us
A report, not trust
Every visit is logged. At month end the manager has a document to show, which removes half the conversations at the residents' meeting.
A predictable sum
A price per flat, fixed in the contract. It does not move because of a "dirtier month", and it divides between owners without arithmetic.
Fixed days
Residents know when we come. It is a small thing, but it is the difference between feeling like a service and feeling like chance.
Contact points disinfected
Handrails, intercom, lift buttons. In winter these are the busiest surfaces in the entire building.
Continuity
During holidays or illness we send a replacement. The entrance is not left uncleaned for two weeks because one person is unwell.
We work with managers too
If the building has a professional manager, communication runs through them. If not, we work directly with a nominated owner.
Advice for building managers
The most common reason for changing contractor is not quality. It is lack of visibility. If residents do not know when and what was done, every bit of dirt is read as a failure to deliver.
Ask any contractor for two things: a schedule by day, and a monthly report. Print them and put them on the notice board. The meetings get noticeably shorter.
Worth knowing
How many visits are needed
For an entrance without a lift and up to 16 flats, two visits a month are usually enough. For buildings with a lift, with children and pets, or with a commercial unit on the ground floor, four visits is the minimum at which the condition does not deteriorate between visits.
Autumn and winter are heavier, with leaves, mud and road salt. Many associations choose four visits from October to March and two for the rest of the year; the contract allows for that seasonal split.
How the decision gets made
Choosing a cleaning contractor for communal areas is a decision of the residents' meeting and is recorded in the minutes. So our quotes are written to be read aloud: price per flat, price per entrance, number of visits and scope, with no small print.
Payment is usually by bank transfer from the association's account against an invoice. Collection by the manager is possible, but transfer is more transparent and reduces disputes.
What affects the price
- Number of flats, the main variable, not floor area
- Number of floors and whether there is a lift
- Floor type, terrazzo, porcelain tile and marble are maintained differently
- Whether there are basements and surrounding outdoor areas
- A commercial unit on the ground floor bringing external footfall
- Visit frequency and any seasonal split
Other services you may need
Deep cleaning
Thorough cleaning of every room, including grout, appliances, window frames and hard-to-reach places. Ideal before moving in or after the holidays.
Office cleaning
Contract maintenance for offices and retail spaces. We work outside your business hours so your team is never disturbed.
Home cleaning
Regular or one-off cleaning of flats and houses. We work to your schedule, whether that is weekly, fortnightly or monthly.
Frequently asked questions
How often do you come?
Most commonly two or four times a month. The schedule is agreed with the building association and written into the contract with specific weekdays.
How is payment handled?
Usually by bank transfer from the association's account against an invoice. Collection by the manager is possible, but transfer is more transparent.
Do you maintain the grounds too?
Yes. For buildings with outdoor areas we can include sweeping, leaf clearance and basic grounds maintenance as an annex to the contract.
Do you do snow clearance?
It is not part of the standard contract, but it can be agreed separately as a seasonal annex for December to February.
Who provides access to the building?
The association provides a key or fob. Access is described in the contract, and the list of people using it is by name.
What if residents are not satisfied?
Reports come through the building manager. We respond by the next visit, and where a complaint is justified we return at no extra charge.
Can we trial it for a month?
Yes. We offer a one-month trial, after which the association decides whether to continue. No penalty if you do not.
A quote ready for your residents' meeting
Free inspection of the entrance and a written quote with a per-flat price, within two working days.