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Janitorial Service Agreements: The Sections Worth Writing Down
A janitorial service agreement sets out how the cleaning runs week to week: the rooms, the hours, the visit counts, extra requests, supplies and who to call. Here is what each section should say.
Two documents that work as a pair
Most cleaning arrangements rest on two pieces of paper. The service agreement describes how the relationship runs: which building, which hours, how requests and changes travel, who brings the paper towels and who holds the keys. The task list, usually attached to it, names every room and the work done there. When people say the cleaning contract was vague, the gap almost always sits in the first document, because the second one got all the attention.
Keep them separate and cross-referenced. The agreement can then say that the attached list governs what gets cleaned, and the list can be updated as rooms change without reopening every other clause. If you are still building that list, the room-by-room task list guide covers it, and this page covers everything around it.
Premises, areas and cleaning hours
Start with the address, the floors and the suites included. In a shared building, list which common areas this agreement covers. Note the approximate square footage and the floor types, since both shape the time on site.
Then write the service window as clock times and weekdays, for example Monday through Friday after 6 p.m. List the days the building closes and say whether a visit is skipped, moved or kept on those dates. A short line on what happens when your office opens on a normal holiday, or closes for a week in December, saves a round of phone calls later.
When one agreement covers several addresses, give each building its own short page: rooms, hours, access and contacts. A blended list across sites hides the differences that matter, such as one location with a busy public restroom and another where only staff ever use the facilities.
Frequency in numbers, not adjectives
“Regular vacuuming” means nothing when you need to settle a disagreement. Write every recurring task with a count: five nights a week, twice a week, once a month. Where a room gets lighter treatment on some nights, such as a full restroom clean three nights and a touch-up on the other two, spell out both versions.
Define the standard for each task while you are at it. “Restrooms cleaned” tells a new crew member very little; “toilets, urinals and sinks cleaned inside and out, mirrors and partitions wiped, floor mopped into the corners” leaves nothing to guess. Short definitions like these also make inspections fairer, because both sides judge the same result.
Give periodic work its own schedule. Carpet extraction, strip-and-refinish on VCT, high dusting and interior glass are the usual entries, each with the month or season it happens and the areas it covers. Separating these from the nightly routine keeps everyone clear on what was promised for this week versus this year.
Extra requests and changes over time
Something unplanned always comes up: an event cleanup, a spill in the warehouse, a suite that needs a deep clean before a new hire starts. The agreement should name who on your side can request extra work, how the request is made, and that a written quote or work order comes back for approval first. That one step keeps surprise charges and unauthorized jobs off the table. It also helps to list the one-off jobs you already expect during the year, such as a carpet clean before a holiday party, so they are quoted as add-ons ahead of time rather than arranged in a rush.
Changes to the recurring service deserve their own short clause. When a floor closes, headcount grows or a storage room becomes an office, the task list is amended in writing with an effective date, and both contacts confirm it. Without that habit, the paper describes the building as it was two years ago while the crew works to the building as it is today.
Who supplies what
Paper towels running out is the most common complaint in shared buildings, and it usually traces back to nobody writing down who orders them. Make a short table with each item and the party that buys it: toilet paper, paper towels, can liners, hand soap, hand sanitizer and seat covers. Add dispensers, since the refills must fit them, and note where the backstock lives and how much should be on the shelf.
- Consumables: bought by you and restocked by the crew, or supplied and restocked by the cleaning company.
- Equipment and cleaning products: who provides vacuums, mops, machines and chemicals.
- Storage: the closet, sink and outlets the crew can use.
- Special products: anything your facility requires or bans, such as a fragrance-free soap.
We can work either way on paper, soap and liners: supply and restock them on cleaning visits, or refill dispensers from the stock you buy. Whichever you choose, put it in writing.
Keys, alarms and house rules
An after-hours crew holds real access to your building, so the agreement should treat it with care. Record how keys, fobs or access cards are issued and logged, who receives alarm codes, and what happens if a key goes missing. Note any sign-in procedure, the doors that must be locked and the lights turned off on the way out.
List rooms with their own rules: a server room entered only with an escort, a records room left alone, a lab with its own entry procedure. Add the small house rules too, like papers on desks left in place and no use of the office kitchen. Crews follow what they are told, and the agreement is where that telling belongs.
Contacts, quality checks and insurance
Name one contact on each side, with a backup, and say how issues are reported. A missed item reported with the room, the task and the date can be traced to the list and fixed; a general complaint usually cannot. Ask how quality is checked and whether you will see the results. Our supervisors carry out quality inspections against the task list, and we send every client a certificate of insurance for its files.
Agree how often the two contacts talk when nothing is wrong. A short check-in each month or quarter, with a walk through a few rooms, catches small drifts in quality early and gives you a natural moment to mention changes coming up in the building.
Close the checklist with the paperwork you want at the start: the certificate of insurance, proof of workers’ compensation coverage, and the crew’s building access details. With those in hand and the sections above filled in, the agreement describes the cleaning you are actually buying, and anyone who picks it up next year can follow it.
A few useful answers
Common questions
Is the service agreement the same thing as the cleaning task list?
No. The task list says what is cleaned in each room and how often. The agreement wraps around it and covers hours, access, supplies, extra requests, changes and contacts, usually with the task list attached as a schedule.
Who should be allowed to request extra cleaning?
Name one or two people on your side, usually the office or facility manager and a backup. Requests from anyone else go through them, and each one gets a written quote or work order before the work is done.
Should holidays and closures be written into the agreement?
Yes. List the days the building closes and whether the visit is skipped or moved. Also note how the crew learns about one-off closures, such as an office move or a long weekend.
How often should the agreement be updated?
Update the task list whenever the building changes: new tenants, a remodel, more staff or a room used differently. Read the whole agreement through once a year so it still describes the building you have.
Do you provide a certificate of insurance for our files?
Yes. Loom Janitorial is insured and covers its crews with workers’ compensation. We issue a certificate of insurance to each client for its vendor records.