Switching to a new cleaning company takes five steps
Switching to a new cleaning company takes five steps. You check your contract and notice period, have a cleaning schedule drawn up, compare quotes, give written notice and plan the handover. Allow 2 to 3 months in total. If regular cleaners work at your site, the Dutch cleaning CAO requires the new company to offer them a job. That way your cleaning never stops for a single day.
Many businesses and owners’ associations stay too long with a cleaning company that does not deliver. Switching feels like a hassle. There are keys, contracts and cleaners who have worked in the building for years. In practice it is manageable if you do things in the right order.
In this article you will learn when switching makes sense, which steps to take, what happens to the current cleaners and what the first 30 days look like.
When does switching make sense?
Switching makes sense when the same problems return after you have raised them twice. These are the signs we hear most often from new clients.
- A different face every week, or nobody during sickness and holidays.
- Complaints and reports are not followed up.
- You have no fixed contact person, only a general number.
- Quality drops after the first few months.
- You do not know what was done and when, because there is no log.
- You have to arrange window cleaning and floor maintenance with other suppliers.
- The price goes up without explanation.
Discuss it with your current supplier first. Sometimes a new site supervisor or an updated cleaning schedule solves it. If nothing changes after two conversations, switching is the logical step.
How to switch in five steps
1. Check your contract and notice period
Get your current contract out before you do anything else. Look at these points.
- The end date and whether the contract renews automatically.
- The notice period. This is usually between 1 and 3 months.
- How you must give notice. Written notice is often required.
- Agreements on materials, stock and keys.
At Reino the notice period is two months for smaller contracts and three months for larger projects. Once you know the end date, you know how much time you have to choose a new supplier.
2. Have a cleaning schedule drawn up on site
A good quote starts with a walk through your building. The cleaning company looks at floors, washrooms, occupancy and busy areas. You then receive a cleaning schedule per room with tasks and frequency.
Ask two or three companies for a quote based on the same schedule. Otherwise you are comparing different packages. Also read what office cleaning costs on average or what cleaning costs for an owners’ association.
3. Compare and choose on more than price
The lowest price often leads to the same problem within six months. Look at these points.
- Regular cleaners per site and arranged cover.
- A fixed site supervisor with a direct number.
- A quality mark such as SIEV and the Code of Responsible Market Conduct.
- A digital log, so you can see what has been done.
- Window cleaning, floor maintenance and deep cleaning from the same supplier.
You will find more criteria in our article on finding a reliable cleaning company.
4. Give written notice
Only give notice once your new supplier is confirmed. That way you avoid a period without cleaning. Send your notice by email with a read receipt or by registered post. State the end date and ask for confirmation.
In the same email, ask for an overview of the cleaners working at your site, with hours per week and type of contract, without names. The new company needs this for the staff transfer.
5. Plan the handover
The last week decides whether the start goes smoothly. Arrange these items with both companies.
- Keys, passes and alarm codes. Have the codes changed after the handover.
- Cleaning cupboard, machines and materials. Agree what belongs to whom.
- Stock of soap, paper and towels.
- A start meeting on site with the new site supervisor.
What happens to the current cleaners?
When you change cleaning company, the new company offers the cleaners at your site a job. This is set out in article 38 of the Dutch cleaning CAO, the collective labour agreement for the cleaning sector, under the rules on employment when a contract changes hands. The CAO sets the conditions, such as how long someone has worked at your site.
What this means for you.
- Familiar faces can stay, even though you change company.
- The cleaner may turn down the offer. They then stay with their current employer.
- The new company needs an overview of hours and type of contract per cleaner. Request it from your current supplier in good time.
- If a cleaner is the reason you are switching, discuss this with your new supplier beforehand.
At Reino we handle these conversations ourselves. As a client, you do not have to mediate between two cleaning companies.
Timeline of a switch
A switch usually takes 8 to 12 weeks, depending on your notice period. This is what it looks like week by week.
When | What happens | Who does it |
|---|---|---|
Weeks 1 and 2 | Check contract and notice period, write down the issues | You |
Weeks 2 to 4 | Site visits by two or three cleaning companies | You and the cleaning companies |
Weeks 4 and 5 | Compare quotes on the same schedule and choose | You |
Weeks 5 and 6 | Give written notice and request the staff overview | You and your current supplier |
Weeks 6 to 10 | Notice period runs, job offers to cleaners, schedule finalised | Your new supplier |
Final week | Hand over keys, codes and materials, start meeting | All parties |
First 30 days | Weekly review and first quality inspection | You and the site supervisor |
The first 30 days after switching
The first month decides whether the new partnership settles in well. Agree in advance how you will go through that period together.
- A start meeting on site with the site supervisor and the regular cleaner.
- A short check-in every week for the first four weeks.
- Reports through a digital log. At Reino this is the Appreo app.
- A first quality inspection after the induction period.
- Adjustments based on the inspection results.
After 30 days the regular cleaner knows your building. The partnership then moves into its normal rhythm.
Mistakes to avoid
- Giving notice before you have a new supplier. You then have a gap in your cleaning.
- Choosing on price alone. You will be back in the same situation within six months.
- Not collecting keys and not changing codes. That is a security risk.
- Skipping the start meeting. The new supplier then starts without your priorities.
- Comparing quotes without a cleaning schedule. You are then comparing different packages.
About Reino Interieurverzorgers
Reino is a family business from Haarlem with more than 87 years of experience in commercial cleaning. We work with regular cleaners per site, a fixed site supervisor as your contact and the Appreo app for reports and logging. We are SIEV certified, uphold the Code of Responsible Market Conduct and use EU Ecolabel products. We serve Haarlem, Hoofddorp, Schiphol-Rijk, Lijnden, Amstelveen and the Haarlemmermeer. Thinking of switching? Request a no-obligation quote and we will plan a site visit.
