Depending on the size of your apartment complex, you pay a fixed monthly fee.
Cleaning of common areas usually costs a homeowners’ association €15 to €30 per apartment per month, excluding VAT. For a small apartment entrance with eight homes, this amounts to approximately €160 to €320 per month with weekly cleaning. For a complex with 40 homes, a lift and parking garage, the cost is around €650 to €1,400 per month. The size of the complex, the frequency and the number of areas together determine the price.
Indicative prices by complex size and frequency
Use this table as a guideline for your budget. The amounts exclude VAT and apply to regular cleaning of entrances, hallways, stairwells, galleries and lifts.
- 6 to 12 homes, entrance without lift, once every 2 weeks: €90 to €180 per month. That is €10 to €18 per apartment per month.
- 6 to 12 homes, entrance without lift, once per week: €160 to €320 per month. That is €18 to €30 per apartment per month.
- 12 to 30 homes, lift and gallery, once per week: €300 to €650 per month. That is €15 to €28 per apartment per month.
- 30 to 60 homes, multiple entrances, lift and parking garage, once per week: €650 to €1,400 per month. That is €15 to €30 per apartment per month.
- 60 homes or more, twice per week: €1,400 to €3,000 per month. That is €18 to €35 per apartment per month.
Pay attention to VAT. A homeowners’ association generally cannot reclaim VAT. Therefore, always calculate the amount including VAT when calculating the service charges.
Why a fixed monthly price works better than an hourly rate
An hourly rate says little about the actual cleaning result for your complex. The standard hourly rate for commercial cleaning is between €38 and €50, but two companies charging the same rate can deliver a completely different result. One may spend three hours cleaning your stairwell, while another spends one and a half.
A fixed monthly price per complex works better for three reasons.
- You know exactly what to budget for the general meeting, the same amount every month.
- The cleaning company sells a result, not hours. If someone works faster, the result remains the standard.
- You can compare quotes fairly, because you look at the same work programme instead of individual hours.
Therefore, always ask for a work programme with the price. It specifies which areas are cleaned and how often. Without a work programme, you are not comparing like with like.
What is normally included in the price
This is included in regular cleaning of common areas.
- Entrance, hallway and doormats
- Stairwell, stair treads, handrails and porch
- Galleries and storage corridors
- Lift, lift doors and lift floor
- Touch surfaces such as the doorbell panel, letterboxes, switches and door handles
- Inside of the glass entrance door
These services are almost always priced separately.
- Window cleaning for homeowners’ associations, exterior: per service, 4 to 6 times per year. Indicative price €90 to €400 per service.
- Mechanical cleaning of parking garage: per service, 1 to 2 times per year. Indicative price €300 to €900 per service.
- Bicycle storage and waste area deep cleaning: per service. Indicative price €150 to €450 per service.
- Stairwell floor maintenance, crystallising or waxing: per m² or per service. Price on request.
- Graffiti, bulky waste and emergencies: hourly rate plus materials. Indicative price €45 to €60 per hour.
Which factors determine your price
- Number of homes and floors. More floors means more stairs and more time.
- Lift or no lift. A lift takes extra cleaning time, but saves the cleaner time carrying equipment.
- Floor type. Marmoleum, natural stone and carpet each need a different approach and different machines.
- Number of entrances. Three porches with four homes each cost more than one entrance with twelve homes.
- Extra areas such as a parking garage, bicycle storage, container room and storage corridor.
- Frequency. Going from every two weeks to weekly doubles the number of visits, but not always the price. Lightly soiled areas are cleaned more quickly.
- Accessibility. Key management, access codes and nearby parking affect the time required.
- Resident behaviour. A complex with many rentals or many parcel deliveries gets dirty faster than a complex with permanent residents.
Example calculation for a complex with 24 homes
An apartment complex in Haarlem with 24 homes, one entrance, a lift, four floors with a gallery and bicycle storage.
- Weekly cleaning of common areas, €420 per month
- Window cleaning inside and outside, 4 services per year, €300 per service, €100 per month
- Graffiti cleaing of othere services, estimate, €25 per month
Total approximately €545 per month excluding VAT, or €595 including VAT. Per apartment, this is €25 per month including VAT. This amount is included in the service charges and divided according to each owner’s share.
How to compare quotations fairly
- Put all quotations side by side against the same work programme and the same frequency.
- Check whether prices include or exclude VAT.
- Ask about annual indexation and the percentage applied.
- Ask who will do the cleaning and whether it is the same person every week.
- Ask how quality is demonstrated, for example with a digital logbook or a DKS measurement.
- Check certifications such as SieV! and the EU Ecolabel, and whether the company has signed the Code of Responsible Market Behaviour.
- The cheapest quotation is rarely the cheapest choice. Budgeting too few hours can lead to rushed work, complaints from residents and a change of cleaning company within a year.
About Reino Interieurverzorgers
Reino is a family business from Haarlem with more than 87 years of experience in commercial cleaning. We combine proven craftsmanship with modern technology: EU Ecolabel products, dosing systems, machine cleaning where it makes sense, the digital work-order app Appreo, periodic DKS measurements and a CSR policy with concrete goals. We are SIEV-certified and uphold the Responsible Market Conduct Code. Our service area covers Haarlem, Hoofddorp, Schiphol-Rijk, Lijnden, Amstelveen and Haarlemmermeer.
Would you like to know what this approach would look like for your complex? Request a no-obligation quotation.
