What Does Stairwell Cleaning Cost? Prices in 2026 for Condominium Associations and Landlords

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Monday morning, half past seven, a twelve-unit building in Gladbeck: the stairwell still holds the grit from the weekend, and a leaflet is stuck to the tiles in the entrance. In the management office the same owner’s third e-mail is waiting, asking why the cleaning “was not done again” – it was done, on Thursday. And at the next owners’ meeting (Eigentümerversammlung) “cleaning costs” is on the agenda, because a competitor looks forty per cent cheaper.

We are Kleibrink Glas- und Gebäudereinigung GmbH from Gladbeck, founded in 1983 and family-run in the second generation. A large part of our work is residential property: property managers (Hausverwaltungen), condominium owners’ associations and private landlords in the Ruhr area. We work with permanently employed staff on collectively agreed wages, without subcontractors, and we carry full liability insurance.

This guide shows how a price for stairwell cleaning comes about: which factors drive the workload, which guide figures are standard in the market in 2026, which billing model fits, and what may go into the annual service charge statement (Nebenkostenabrechnung). Plus an honest comparison with employing your own cleaner, and a checklist for the schedule of services.

What the price really depends on

Stairwell cleaning is not paid for by the number of flats but by working time. An open concrete staircase over three floors is mopped in a fraction of the time a narrow period stairwell with a wooden banister needs. The main cost drivers:

• Frequency. Twice a week instead of once does not cost double, but around 70 to 85 per cent more.
• Floors and steps. Steps are hand work; as a rule of thumb, one step counts like 0.5 to 1.0 square metres of floor area.
• Floor covering. Porcelain stoneware and linoleum are straightforward; natural stone and unsealed wood take considerably longer.
• Depth of service. Floor and stairs only – or handrails, banister spindles and the letterbox unit as well? There can easily be 50 per cent between the two.
• Travel. We work within roughly 50 kilometres of Gladbeck, for instance in Essen and Bottrop.

The second, invisible factor is the basis of costing. The collectively agreed wage (Tariflohn) for interior cleaning in 2026 is in the low to mid fourteen-euro range; with employer contributions, cover staff, materials and insurance, an hourly rate below about 33 euros is not workable. Anyone quoting less than that is usually saving time on site.

Guide prices for 2026 at a glance

The following ranges are standard market figures for 2026, including 19 % VAT and for orientation only. Apart from window cleaning in private homes from 85 euros and conservatory cleaning from about 150 euros, we deliberately publish no fixed price list – a stairwell can only be costed responsibly once someone has seen it.

• Hourly rate, commercial: around 33 to 45 euros, in the Ruhr area usually 36 to 42 euros.
• Per square metre and visit: about 0.83 to 1.55 euros – hallway areas at the lower end, stair-heavy period buildings at the upper end.
• One-off deep clean: two to four times the effort of a normal visit.

Monthly flat rates for weekly cleaning of floor, stairs, handrail and entrance area:

• 4 to 6 residential units, 2 to 3 floors: around 131 to 226 euros.
• 8 to 12 residential units, 3 to 5 floors: around 226 to 393 euros.
• 16 to 24 residential units with a lift: around 405 to 690 euros.
• From 30 residential units: costed per property, often with a fixed time slot each week.

Broken down to the individual flat, that is usually 10 to 24 euros a month, or about 0.18 to 0.42 euros per square metre of living space – the figure tenants and owners see in their statement. Glass surfaces, winter service, underground car parks and bin stores are costed separately; ordering them together works out cheaper, because the same journey carries more work – for larger properties we often combine them with maintenance cleaning in a single contract.

Billing models: flat rate, square metres or hourly rate

The monthly flat rate is the standard in residential property: a fixed amount for a clearly defined scope, the same twelve times a year. Check whether real calendar months are reflected: weekly cleaning means 4.33 visits a month, not four.

Billing by square metre makes properties comparable: area times price times frequency. The catch lies in how area is defined – are steps counted as footprint or as developed surface, do the cellar corridor and the loft count? Two quotes with the same square-metre price can be twenty per cent apart.

The hourly rate is honest, but it shifts the cost risk to the client. For the regular cycle we rarely recommend it; for one-off work of uncertain scope we almost always do. The mixed form has proved itself: a flat rate for the cycle, an hourly rate for everything additional. A price adjustment clause linked to wage settlements belongs in every contract.

Passing the cost on in the service charge statement

Good news for landlords: the cost of building cleaning is listed in § 2 Nr. 9 of the German Operating Costs Ordinance (Betriebskostenverordnung) and can therefore in principle be passed on to tenants. The tenancy agreement (Mietvertrag) needs a valid agreement on passing operating costs on – without it, the cost stays with the owner. The principle of cost-effectiveness under § 556 Abs. 3 BGB also applies.

What matters is the line between running costs and one-off measures. A deep clean after years of neglect, or cleaning as part of a refurbishment, counts as maintenance and does not belong in the statement; nor does your own administrative effort. We itemise additional work separately – more on this in our guide to passing a cleaning company’s costs on to tenants.

In a condominium owners’ association different law applies: stairwell cleaning is administration of the common property, and the costs are allocated under § 16 Abs. 2 WEG according to co-ownership shares (Miteigentumsanteile) unless another key has been resolved. For long-term contracts, a resolution of the owners’ meeting is the safe route.

Whether a tenant cleaning rota (Kehrwoche) can be imposed through the house rules (Hausordnung) depends on how the contract is drafted – we have a separate article on the obligation to clean the stairwell. One note on all of this: we are a trade business, not a law firm. What we say about the BGB, the BetrKV and the WEG reflects our practical experience and does not replace legal advice.

Your own cleaner or a service provider? An honest calculation

The obvious alternative is your own cleaner on a mini-job contract. A medium-sized property realistically needs four hours a week, which is 17.3 hours a month. At the minimum wage of 13.90 euros that comes to around 240 euros gross, plus about 31 to 32 per cent flat-rate contributions – roughly 315 euros a month in total.

That still leaves out cleaning materials at 15 to 30 euros a month, the initial equipment of trolley and mops at 200 to 400 euros one-off, continued pay during illness and holiday, and cover during those weeks. Realistically your own cleaner comes to 360 to 400 euros in full costs – and liability for damage stays with the owner.

The same scope from a service provider costs around 655 euros a month at an hourly rate of 38 euros. The difference is real and we are not going to talk it away: per working hour, your own cleaner is cheaper. In return you get cover without having to arrange it, materials and equipment, commercial liability insurance and documented proof of performance.

Our experience: with four to six flats and a reliable resident on site, your own arrangement can make sense; from around eight residential units the calculation tips. The most expensive case of all is the third cleaner in two years.

What a good schedule of services has to contain

Almost every dispute about cleaning quality is at heart a dispute about a vague schedule of services (Leistungsverzeichnis). If it does not say in writing that banister spindles are wiped monthly, both sides will be right afterwards. These points belong in it:

• A schedule of areas with square metres per zone, floors, flights of stairs and floor coverings.
• Frequency per item: floor, stairs and handrail weekly, banister spindles and cellar corridor monthly, glass surfaces two to four times a year.
• Specific tasks instead of umbrella terms: sweeping, wet mopping, cobwebs, light switches, letterbox unit, door rebates.
• A cleaning day or time slot – this reduces complaints noticeably.
• Proof of performance and cover arrangements for illness and holiday, with a deadline for making the work up.
• Contact person and response time. With us Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 18:00, with an answer within 48 hours.
• Materials, water, electricity and key arrangements: who provides what, and who is liable if a key is lost?
• Term, notice period and price adjustment, linked to wage settlements.

Give every bidder the same basis of areas, otherwise you are not comparing prices but interpretations. And do the arithmetic on cheap quotes: 25 minutes for a five-storey stairwell cannot be done.

Frequently asked questions

What does stairwell cleaning cost per month for an apartment building?

As an industry guide figure for 2026, properties with four to six residential units are at about 131 to 226 euros a month, those with eight to twelve at 226 to 393 euros and those with 16 to 24 at 405 to 690 euros – in each case with weekly cleaning. What decides the price, though, is not the number of flats but the number of floors, the flights of stairs and the depth of service. We name a reliable price after a free on-site appointment.

Can stairwell cleaning be passed on to the tenants?

Yes, under § 2 Nr. 9 of the Operating Costs Ordinance it can in principle be passed on. The conditions are a valid operating costs agreement in the tenancy agreement and the principle of cost-effectiveness under § 556 Abs. 3 BGB. One-off measures such as a deep clean after years of neglect cannot be passed on. This is our practical experience, not legal advice on an individual case.

How often should a stairwell be cleaned?

In ordinary residential buildings, once a week is the usual and generally sufficient cycle. With heavy use, commercial premises on the ground floor or more than about 20 residential units, two visits a week make sense, which means 70 to 85 per cent higher costs. Quiet buildings with few households manage well every two weeks and save 35 to 45 per cent.

Why are some quotes so much cheaper?

The collectively agreed wage for interior cleaning in 2026 is in the low to mid fourteen-euro range; with employer contributions, cover staff, materials and insurance, an hourly rate below about 33 euros is not workable. Anyone quoting considerably less is either costing in less time or working with subcontractors. So compare the time costed per visit, not the final price.

Are glass surfaces and winter service included in the flat rate?

As a rule, no. Usual monthly flat rates cover floor, stairs, handrail and entrance area; glass surfaces, front door glazing, winter service, underground car parks and bin stores are costed separately. It is sensible to include window cleaning with two to four visits a year in the contract from the outset – ordered together, it is cheaper.

How exactly does placing an order with Kleibrink work?

You contact us by telephone on 02043 41100 or by e-mail; we are available Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 18:00 and reply within 48 hours on working days. We then come out for a free on-site appointment and record areas, floors and floor coverings. You receive a written quote with a schedule of services and a monthly flat rate.

Questions or a quote?

Would you like to know what cleaning your stairwell actually costs? We come out for a free on-site appointment, measure the areas and send you a written quote with a schedule of services. Available Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 18:00.

Telephone 02043 41100 Send an e-mail