If a draft is silent on any of these, ask for it in writing. This checklist is for an office or similar workplace that hires a cleaning company.
1. Scope: what gets cleaned
List the areas. Name the floors, kitchens, bathrooms, meeting rooms and any glass or carpet work. Then list what is not included, such as inside windows, high dusting or waste removal beyond the bins.
Write the standard in plain words. "Bins emptied and bathrooms cleaned and restocked" is a task a cleaner can follow and you can check. "Clean to a high standard" is not.
Ask how extra jobs are handled. A spill after a staff event or a deep clean after a fit-out is one-off work. Agree whether it is quoted first or charged at a set rate.
2. Frequency, hours and access
State the days and the time window. Most office cleaning happens after hours, so also settle how the cleaners get in. Who holds keys or access cards? Who sets the alarm? What happens if the building is closed on a public holiday?
Ask what happens when a visit is missed. A fair contract says the cleaner returns within a set time or you get a credit. Without that line, a missed visit is only a complaint.
Agree who you call with a problem and how fast they must reply. A named contact and a reply time are small details that save a lot of friction later.
3. Supplies, equipment and staff
Decide who pays for paper, soap, bin liners and chemicals. Some quotes include them. Others add them as a separate line. Ask for the item list and the price, so a supply charge cannot grow unseen.
Ask who the cleaners work for. Many providers employ their own staff, and the Cleaning Award sets the minimum pay and conditions for employers in the contract cleaning industry. It also covers labour hire businesses that place staff with a cleaning company. You do not run payroll, but you should ask the provider to confirm that its staff are paid under the right award. Underpaying staff is the provider's legal duty to avoid, and it is also a sign of how the business is run.
4. Insurance and safety
Ask for a current certificate of currency for public liability insurance. It shows the insurer, the cover amount and the expiry date. Put a line in the contract that the provider keeps this cover for the whole term and sends you the new certificate each year.
Ask who pays if something is damaged or lost. Say what happens if a cleaner is hurt on your site. Ask if the provider carries workers compensation cover for its staff. These are normal questions for a cleaning firm, and a good one answers them quickly.
Ask for the safety data sheets for any chemical used in your building. Check that the provider has trained staff on them.
5. Price, and how it can change
Get one clear monthly or per-visit price, and ask what it includes. Then find the price review clause. Cleaning is labour-heavy, so wage rises flow into quotes. On 3 June 2024 the Fair Work Commission announced a 3.75 per cent rise in the National Minimum Wage and all modern award minimum rates, effective from 1 July 2024. Expect a provider to point to rises like this when it asks for a higher price.
A fair clause says when the price can be reviewed, usually once a year. It also says how much notice you get and what the increase is tied to. Be careful of wording that lets the provider raise the price at any time for any reason.
Check the payment terms. Note when invoices are due and what happens if you pay late or dispute a charge.
6. Term, renewal and exit
Look at the length of the term and what happens at the end. An auto-renewal clause can lock you in for another year if you miss a short notice window. Diarise the notice date as soon as you sign.
Ask how you can leave early. Good contracts allow exit for poor service after a written warning and a fair time to fix it. They also set a notice period, such as 30 days, for ending without cause. Check that any exit fee is stated in dollars or by a clear formula.
Know your rights on the fine print. Under Australian Consumer Law, unfair terms in standard form contracts are banned for small business contracts, and penalties apply. Since 9 November 2023 this covers contracts made or renewed on or after that date. A small business contract is one where at least one party has fewer than 100 employees or turns over less than $10 million a year. A standard form contract is generally one offered on a take-it-or-leave-it basis. A term that lets only the provider end the deal, change the price or cancel without penalty can be unfair. Treat this as general information, not legal advice. Before you sign a big or unusual cleaning deal, ask a lawyer to read it first.
Quick checklist before you sign
Scope listed and exclusions named. Days, hours and access agreed. Supplies and extra jobs priced. Insurance certificate seen. Price review clause read. Renewal date diarised. Exit terms clear. Get all of it in writing, and keep a signed copy.