Building Cleaning Contract for Property Management Companies: Contents and Termination

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The owners’ committee gets in touch in October: the stairwell has not been „properly cleaned for months”, the basement was last swept in spring, and nobody knows whether the corridor windows are included in the contract. The property manager pulls out the contract — two sentences: „Cleaning of the property as required” and a monthly flat rate. No areas specified, no frequency, no zones. Nothing can be enforced with that: it was never defined what „delivered” means.

We are Kleibrink Glas- und Gebäudereinigung GmbH, based in Gladbeck, a family business since 1983, now in its second generation. A large part of our work involves residential buildings and owner-managed communities, which we service for property management companies in the Ruhr area, within roughly 50 kilometres of Gladbeck, for example in Gelsenkirchen and Recklinghausen. Vague contracts are a problem in our industry, not on the part of property managers: whoever writes „as required” is creating room for manoeuvre.

This article shows what a building cleaning contract for property management companies and owner-managed communities should include: scope of services, allocation of regular and deep cleaning costs, DIN 77400, price adjustment, term and termination, and quality control. You will not find ready-made clauses to copy here, and this text is not a substitute for legal advice — have drafts reviewed by a lawyer if in doubt.

Why the scope of services is the most important part

The contract framework deals with formalities. The value lies in the scope of services as an annex, which answers three questions for each item: which area, what extent, what frequency. What is not listed there is not commissioned; what is listed vaguely will be carried out vaguely. This includes a rule for cleaning days on public holidays. Typical items:

• Stairwell: Damp-wipe stair flights and landings, handrails, exterior of apartment doors, light switches — with number of floors and area, typically 1 to 2 times per week (obligation and scope).
• Entrance area: vestibule, mats, letterbox unit, glass of the front door — usually a shorter interval than the floors.
• Basement, laundry room, drying room: sweeping and mopping, cobwebs, light shafts, drains — monthly to quarterly.
• Lift: Cabin floor, mirrors, stainless steel, door guides — the guides reveal the level of care.
• Glass surfaces: Stairwell windows inside and out, light domes, door glazing — itemise separately, because window cleaning is priced differently.
• External areas: Access paths, courtyard, refuse area, leaf clearance, litter bins — with a clear statement on whether winter maintenance and grounds care are included.

The distinction between service types is critical: regular cleaning maintains the condition at a fixed interval (regular cleaning explained), while deep cleaning is the deep intervention. Under the Operating Costs Ordinance, the costs of ongoing building cleaning are in principle apportionable — the recurring stairwell cleaning is a classic item — whereas one-off repair measures are not. Bundling them into a single flat rate makes the apportionment open to challenge.

What every cleaning contract should include

This list serves as a checklist for reviewing a draft. The schedule of services, site plan, price schedule and insurance certificate must be expressly named as contractual components.

• Parties and property: Exact designation of the owners’ association; where there are multiple buildings, each house number individually.
• Authorisation: Who may commission additional services — the management company only, or also the advisory board? Otherwise verbal extras end up as disputed items in the apportionment.
• Fees and materials: Net flat rate plus VAT, payment terms, hourly rate for additional work; plus the question of who supplies cleaning agents, equipment and connections, and whether a cleaning store is available.
• Public liability insurance: Certificate with adequate coverage limits for personal injury, property damage and financial loss, including key loss. We are fully covered by public liability insurance; certificate available on request.
• Keys: Document the handover (number, description, date, signature), store separately from the property address, immediate reporting obligation in case of loss.
• Staffing and cover in case of illness: Dedicated site cleaner, named substitute, response time in case of absence. Our team consists of permanent employees paid at collective agreement rates, with no subcontractors.
• Data protection: bind the service provider to confidentiality and instructed staff; where the management’s data is concerned, review whether a data processing agreement is required.
• Contact person: one named contact and a response deadline for defects. We are available Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 18:00.

DIN 77400 and what it stipulates for schools and other buildings

DIN 77400 is the standard for cleaning services in school buildings. It is not a legal requirement, but it is regularly used as the basis in tenders issued by public authorities. Its value lies in its systematic approach: it classifies rooms into usage groups — classrooms, sanitary areas, circulation areas, sports halls, administrative areas — and assigns cleaning types and intervals to each group; it also governs quality assurance, hygiene and documentation.

It also works as a thinking model outside of schools: instead of „stairwell cleaning”, specify by usage — circulation areas more frequently, ancillary areas less frequently, sanitary rooms with their own specification. Anyone managing nurseries, medical practices or commercial units should consider adopting it — but not wholesale: state which parts you are taking on, and attach the room group list.

Price adjustment, minimum wage and collective agreement increases in the contract

Building cleaning is labour-intensive, and wages are the dominant cost block. The framework collective agreement for the building cleaning trade regularly provides for rising minimum hourly rates, and these increases are declared generally binding. Multi-year contracts with a fixed price therefore tend to end in one of two ways: the provider terminates, or it quietly reduces the service.

Two models are market standard. A price adjustment clause links the price to a named reference index, usually the collective-agreement wage development in the building cleaning trade or the minimum wage; if it rises, the price increases by the wage component of the cost calculation. A negotiation clause instead provides for discussions when the reference index changes, with a right of termination if no agreement is reached. What such clauses may contain is legally complex — for contracts with a homeowners’ association, it is worth having a lawyer review them.

• Name the reference index specifically, not just „in case of increased costs”; set the adjustment date and the advance notice period, for example annually with eight weeks’ notice.
• Require evidence: a reference to the published collective agreement rather than a mere assertion; and check for symmetry — if the reference index falls, the price should fall too.
• By way of indication: hourly rates in the trade are commonly in the range of approximately €36 to €48 (net €30 to €40) gross (including 19% VAT) — market orientation, not a quotation.

Term, termination and special right of termination for quality defects

Contract terms of one to three years have become established, often with an implicit one-year extension; notice periods of four to twelve weeks to the end of a quarter or year are market standard. Longer commitments are not inherently bad, but only with a clear price adjustment mechanism and a functioning defect resolution process — more important than the notice period is the escalation chain:

• Defect report in writing, with date, area, description and, where possible, a photograph, plus a remediation period of a few working days.
• Formal warning in case of recurrence, with a note of the consequences. This is generally a prerequisite for invoking a right of extraordinary termination.
• Deduction or extraordinary termination for persistent, material defects — with a definition of „material”, for example multiple missed cleaning days within a quarter.

Also regulate the end of the contract: key return against a protocol, access for the successor, final proof of service. Wording relating to extraordinary termination is legally sensitive — here too: no legal advice.

Quality control: proof of service, property log, inspections

A contract whose performance no one checks is a contract of trust — and trust is gone the moment the residents’ council photographs a dusty podium. Three instruments are sufficient, provided they are set out in the contract:

• Proof of service: a list on site or digital, in which each cleaning is documented with date and abbreviation. It evidences when work was carried out — and when it was not.
• Property log: access arrangements, key numbers, waste collection dates, sensitive floor coverings, on-site contact person. When the cleaner changes, it determines whether the replacement works.
• Inspections: a fixed schedule, for example half-yearly, with the management and, on request, with a residents’ council member, with a protocol and action list. This prevents quality from gradually declining.

Those who want to measure more objectively can agree on spot checks with a rating scheme. For a residential building with eight flats, that is overkill; for thirty properties, it may be worth it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How detailed must the schedule of services be?

So detailed that an unfamiliar cleaner could carry out the work without asking questions: each area listed individually, with area size or quantity, the tasks involved, and a specific interval. „As needed“ belongs only where it is genuinely intended. A site plan as an annex makes it beyond dispute which areas were meant.

Are stairwell cleaning costs recoverable from tenants?

The costs of regular building cleaning are, as a general rule, classifiable as recoverable operating costs under the Operating Costs Ordinance, provided the tenancy agreement provides for their apportionment. Recurring cleaning of stairwells and common areas is a standard item; one-off maintenance measures are not. Keep regular cleaning, deep cleaning and special services separate.

Can the service provider unilaterally increase the price due to collective wage increases?

Only if the contract provides for it. Without a price adjustment clause, the price remains fixed; the provider can then only renegotiate or terminate. With a clause, the reference index must be clearly specified, such as the collective wage development in the building cleaning trade, along with the adjustment date and a duty to provide evidence. Whether a particular formulation is valid depends on the individual case.

How should I proceed if quality remains consistently poor?

First, document: report defects in writing, with date, area and, where possible, a photograph, along with a short cure period. If the defects persist, issue a formal warning with a note of the consequences; this is generally the basis for a termination without notice. Only then should termination or a reduction of the fixed fee be considered.

One-off job or maintenance contract — which is right for a property?

For one-off tasks such as a deep clean after refurbishment or window cleaning, we work on a one-off job basis with a fixed price; for window cleaning in a private household from approximately 85 euros, and for conservatories from around 150 euros. For residential buildings, a maintenance contract with a fixed monthly fee is more suitable, as it provides planning certainty and a dedicated site cleaner. All other prices are determined after a free site visit.

Does a cleaning contract have to be concluded in writing?

Formally, a cleaning contract is also valid if concluded orally, but this is unsuitable for a property management company: scope, interval and price cannot be evidenced. Once costs are to be apportioned, you need an auditable record in any event — that is, in writing, with the schedule of services as an annex.

Questions or a quote?

Are you reviewing a cleaning contract or re-tendering a property? We will come to you, record the areas and zones, and prepare a line-by-line schedule of services with prices — free of charge and without obligation. Available Monday to Friday 10:00 to 18:00, response within 48 hours (working day).

Phone 02043 41100 Send an email