What does a cleaning company do for your homeowners’ association (HOA) or apartment building?
A good cleaning company for an apartment complex works with permanent staff per building, has a site manager as a fixed point of contact for the owners’ association board, arranges its own cover in case of illness and provides a clear cleaning plan with fixed tasks and frequency. Also look at quality marks such as SIEV, experience with owners’ associations and whether the company also offers window cleaning and floor maintenance in-house.
As a board member or manager of an owners’ association, you are responsible for the communal areas. Communal entrances, stairwells, lifts, gallery walkways and storage rooms all need to look well kept. That may seem simple to arrange, but in practice owners’ associations often run into the same problems: changing cleaners, resident complaints that go unresolved, and board members who lose hours managing a single freelance cleaner.
A professional cleaning company solves that. But not every cleaning company is suited to managing a complex. In this article you will read what a cleaning company for an apartment complex should do, what to look out for when choosing one and which questions to ask during the intake.
What does a cleaning company for a complex focus on?
A cleaning company for owners’ associations limits itself to the communal areas. The homes themselves are and remain the responsibility of the residents. The communal areas usually include the entrance and communal porch, stairwells including handrails and landings, lifts and lift cars, gallery walkways, storage corridors, bicycle storage areas, car parks and the glass in the communal areas.
The details make the difference. A cleaning company that only mops the floor and leaves the rest untouched does not keep a complex well kept. Intercom panels, letterboxes, door frames, windowsills, light fittings and ledges together determine whether a communal entrance looks genuinely clean or merely “given a quick once-over”.
What to look out for when choosing a cleaning company for your owners’ association?
The seven points below are the key checklist when comparing cleaning companies for your complex. They run from practical to strategic considerations.
1. Does the company work with permanent staff per complex?
This is by far the most important question. A cleaner who knows the complex works faster and more effectively. He or she knows which corner of the communal entrance always gets dirty, where residents often lean their bikes against the wall and which frame needs extra attention. Residents see a familiar face, which directly adds to the sense of safety and care within the complex.
Ask specifically: how many staff will you deploy at our complex, how stable is that team and what happens in case of illness or holidays? A good cleaning company arranges cover entirely itself, from its own pool of certified staff.
2. Is there one fixed point of contact for the board?
For an owners’ association board, nothing is as time-consuming as having to work out again and again who to approach for what. A good cleaning company assigns a fixed site manager to your complex. Someone with a direct phone number, who knows the building and comes by in person for questions or complaints. No call centre, no changing contacts.
3. Is there a quality mark behind the company?
Recognised quality marks such as the SIEV quality mark (Schoonmaak Is Een Vak, ‘Cleaning Is a Craft’) show that the cleaning company is independently audited each year on quality, staff policy, safety and transparency. For an owners’ association board, that is an external check you do not have to carry out yourself.
Other valuable quality marks: the Responsible Market Conduct Code (fair employment and realistic prices) and the EU Ecolabel for the cleaning products used. The latter is relevant if your owners’ association values sustainable cleaning.
4. Do you get a tailored cleaning plan?
A cleaning company that sends a quote straight away without first visiting does not know your complex. A good approach starts with an on-site intake. The site manager looks at the number of floors, the floor types, the occupancy, the visitor volume and the specific wishes. On that basis, a cleaning plan is drawn up with concrete tasks, frequencies and checkpoints.
Ask for that plan in writing. That way everyone knows what is being done and you, as the board, can check whether agreements are being kept.
5. Can the company also handle window cleaning and floor maintenance?
A complex periodically needs more than weekly cleaning. Window cleaning of the communal areas, machine cleaning of poured floors or corridors, moss and algae removal on gallery walkways, façade cleaning and sometimes specialist work such as graffiti removal. If the cleaning company offers these services itself, you keep one point of contact for everything.
If the company works with multiple subcontractors, it becomes more complex to make agreements and resolve complaints. An integrated offering is usually more practical for owners’ associations.
6. How does communication with residents and the board work?
Residents sometimes have a request or complaint: a leak in the communal entrance, a broken glass, extra attention for a visitor day. Ask how the cleaning company handles that. Does it work with a digital system such as the Appreo app, where reports are immediately visible? Or does everything go via email and post?
A modern approach means that you, as the board, have insight into what has been done, when, and which particulars have been reported. That saves board meetings ending in “can someone chase that up?”.
7. What is in the contract?
Pay attention to the term, the notice period and the pricing arrangements. A cleaning company that relies on its own quality does not need years-long contracts with high penalty clauses. At Reino, for example, a notice period of two months applies for smaller contracts and three months for larger projects.
Also check whether price increases are reasonably arranged. An annual indexation in line with the cleaning sector collective labour agreement (CAO Schoonmaak) is normal; an open-ended clause is not.
How often should an apartment complex be cleaned?
The frequency depends on four factors: the number of homes, the presence of a lift, the visitor flow and the type of floor. Below is a guideline that suits most complexes:
- Small complex without a lift (4 to 8 homes, limited traffic): every other week
- Medium-sized complex with a lift (8 to 20 homes): weekly
- Large complex or high visitor flow (more than 20 homes): weekly to several times a week
- Complex with commercial units or hospitality: at least weekly, often more often
In addition, periodic work is part of the complex: window cleaning usually three to four times a year, machine cleaning of hard floors two to four times a year and deep cleaning of storage rooms or car parks annually. This work is included in the cleaning plan in advance, so it does not have to be negotiated separately each year.
What does a cleaning company for an owners’ association cost?
The price for cleaning an apartment complex depends on the size, the number of floors, the frequency, the type of floor and any extra services. As a guideline, the monthly cost for a medium-sized complex with a lift usually lies between €200 and €600 per month, excluding periodic services such as window cleaning and floor maintenance.
Important to know: the lowest quote is rarely the best choice. A cleaning company that structurally bids below the real cost price then cuts back on materials, training or staff. You notice that within six months through declining quality and rising complaints. Always ask for an on-site intake before comparing prices, and make sure quotes are based on a comparable scope.
Questions to ask a cleaning company for your complex
- Do you work with permanent staff per complex, and who is our site manager?
- What happens when the regular member of staff is ill or on holiday?
- How does communication with the board and with residents work for reports?
- Do you also offer window cleaning, floor maintenance and specialist work?
- How long is the notice period and which price indexation do you apply?
- Do you work with a SIEV quality mark or other external quality control?
- Can we, as the board, get insight into the work carried out?
A cleaning company that answers these clearly and concretely, with examples and documents, is a serious candidate. A company that talks in generalities is one to skip.
About Reino Interieurverzorgers
Reino is a family business from Haarlem with more than 87 years of experience in commercial cleaning. We handle the cleaning of owners’ associations and apartment complexes in the Haarlem, Hoofddorp, Schiphol-Rijk, Lijnden, Amstelveen and Haarlemmermeer region. With permanent staff per complex, a fixed site manager as point of contact and the Appreo app for direct communication. We are SIEV-certified, uphold the Responsible Market Conduct Code and work with EU Ecolabel cleaning products.
Would you like to know what this approach would look like for your complex? Request a no-obligation quotation.
