How to Choose a Commercial Cleaning Company and Contract

Commercial cleaning is the routine cleaning of workplaces under a formal contract, priced on a set number of hours and a detailed specification. This guide explains how to choose a commercial cleaning company and what your contract should include. For a detailed breakdown of what you will pay, read our guide to office cleaning prices in the UK. Typical 2026 contract rates are £15 to £25 per cleaner per hour in most of the UK and £20 to £32 in London and the South East, quoted before VAT at 20 per cent.

A commercial cleaning contractor takes on the daily or weekly cleaning of your premises as a business to business service. The contractor provides the staff, manages their payroll and training, and arranges absence cover and supervision. You pay a set rate based on the hours worked or the size of your site, rather than employing cleaners directly.

Commercial cleaning contractors usually quote per hour for premises with under about 30 desks. For larger sites they may quote per square metre or square foot per visit, or charge a fixed monthly fee. Many commercial cleaning services will not take on a site that needs less than 10 hours of cleaning a week.

The service relies on a clear specification that outlines exactly what is cleaned and how often. Commercial cleaners work to this agreed list rather than taking instructions from your staff on the day. This ensures the workplace is maintained to a consistent standard and the contractor can allocate the correct number of hours.

Your duties as the business

Health and safety law applies to all businesses, no matter how small. As an employer or a self-employed person you are responsible for health and safety in your business, which includes managing risks, consulting employees, providing training and getting insurance. You can read the full guidance on getting started with health and safety on the official regulator website.

Under regulation 9 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, every workplace and the furniture, furnishings and fittings in it shall be kept sufficiently clean. The regulations state that floors, walls and ceilings inside buildings shall be capable of being kept sufficiently clean. The law also requires that so far as is reasonably practicable waste shall not be allowed to accumulate except in suitable receptacles.

Cleaning involves chemicals, which fall under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health regulations. COSHH requires employers to plan, manage and monitor the substances hazardous to health used in the workplace, including carrying out a COSHH risk assessment. Ask the contractor for the COSHH assessments for the products it brings onto your premises.

Slips on floors left wet after cleaning are a major workplace hazard. People often slip on smooth wet floors, and even a well-wrung mop leaves a thin film of water that is enough to create a slip risk. HSE advises stopping people walking on smooth wet floors by using barriers, locking doors or cleaning in sections. Signs and cones only warn of a hazard and do not prevent people entering the area.

Write the specification before you ask for quotes

You need a clear list of areas, tasks and frequencies before you contact a commercial cleaning company. Your specification should clearly define the following points before you ask for quotes:

• Which rooms and areas need cleaning.
• The specific tasks required in each area.
• The frequency of each task.
• The times of day the cleaners can access the building.
• Who supplies the consumables and chemicals.
• Periodic work such as deep cleaning.

Decide how often each area needs attention based on how your team uses the building. Daily cleaning is usually advised for premises with public footfall, shared washrooms or 30 or more staff. Two or three visits a week suits most hybrid offices with under 20 desks, provided bins and washrooms are done on every visit.

A standard office cleaning contract covers bins, desk and surface wiping, high-touch points, vacuuming and mopping. It also includes washrooms with replenishment from stock you hold, kitchen and breakout areas, reception, meeting rooms and corridors. Supervision, quality audits and absence cover are included as standard.

Tasks that are usually extra include consumables, sanitary waste services, carpet cleaning and window cleaning. Deep cleans, post-event cleans, high-level dusting, floor stripping and sealing, and upholstery are also treated as extras. Overnight, weekend and bank holiday work usually carries an additional charge.

Implementing a clear-desk policy lets cleaners wipe desks properly during their normal routine. You should also plan a deep clean once or twice a year to maintain the areas that are not covered in the daily specification.

Checks to make on any cleaning contractor

Check the contractor's paperwork and working practices before you look at their price. Ask for proof of public liability insurance, where £5 million of cover is the usual commercial minimum. It is not a legal requirement, but it is what would normally pay out if a cleaner injures someone or damages your property.

You must also check their employers' liability insurance. This is a legal requirement for anyone with staff, and an employer must have employers' liability insurance as soon as they become an employer. The policy must cover at least £5 million from an authorised insurer. An employer can be fined £2,500 for every day they are not properly insured, and can be fined £1,000 for not displaying the certificate where employees can see it or not showing it to inspectors.

Ask how the commercial cleaners are trained. A good sign is operatives trained to British Institute of Cleaning Science standards. Effective training and supervision is essential so cleaning is done to the correct standard and slip risks are managed properly.

A professional commercial cleaning contractor should carry out a site survey before pricing the job. They need to see the floor types, the layout and the condition of the premises to calculate the hours required.

If your premises include a commercial kitchen with an extraction system, this falls under a separate grease standard known as TR19 Grease. Cleaning this system sits outside a standard cleaning contract and requires a specialist contractor to ensure fire safety.

Questions to ask before you sign

You need to know what happens when your regular cleaner is on holiday or calls in sick. A reliable contractor will have a relief pool of cleaners so your site is covered when the regular cleaner is off. They should put this commitment in writing as part of your agreement.

Ask the contractor for their cover ratio before signing the contract. This tells you how many relief operatives they employ compared to their regular staff. A good cover ratio makes it more likely that a relief operative will actually be available to cover a sick cleaner's shift without disrupting your service.

Find out who manages the cleaners and checks their work. The contractor should provide a named supervisor who does not just clean alongside the team, but actively monitors the standard of the work. Ask how often this supervisor will visit your site to inspect the cleaning.

Ask if the contractor carries out regular quality audits. These scheduled checks compare the cleanliness of the building against the agreed specification and provide a formal record of performance. Regular audits help catch falling standards before your staff need to complain.

What the contract should say

A proper commercial cleaning contract protects both your business and the cleaning company. A proper commercial cleaning quote states the following details in writing:

• The specification broken down task by task.
• The exact hours allocated per visit.
• The rate per visit or per month net of VAT.
• Which consumables are included in the price.
• The notice period required to end the agreement.
• What happens when the regular cleaner is off sick.

Check that the written specification is included task by task, along with the exact hours allocated per visit and the number of visits per week. The document must state the hourly or monthly rate net of VAT. Most contractors add VAT at 20 per cent, so factor this into your budget.

The contract must list which consumables are included in the price and which you must buy separately. Washrooms are usually replenished from stock you hold, but you must agree who monitors the stock levels and places the orders. It should also state in writing what happens when the cleaner is off sick, confirming that the contractor has a relief pool.

Look closely at the term and the notice period before you sign. The table below compares the typical pricing impact of different commercial cleaning contract terms.

These are typical published discounts for 2026, and local quotes will differ. Ensure the contract explains how price changes work and how much notice the contractor must give before increasing their rates.

TUPE when you change cleaning contractor

When you change the way your premises are cleaned, the Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment regulations may apply. This is known as a service provision change and protects the employment rights of the cleaners currently doing the work. You cannot simply ignore these rules when switching to a new commercial cleaning company.

TUPE service provision changes include when a service provided in-house is awarded to a contractor. They also apply when a contract ends and is given to a new contractor, and when a contract ends and the work is transferred back in-house.

When TUPE applies, the employees' jobs usually transfer to the new company with their terms and conditions, and continuity of employment is maintained. Only employees who can be clearly identified as providing the service are protected by these rules.

You can read the official guidance on business transfers and takeovers for more detail. Acas, Citizens Advice or a trade union representative can say whether TUPE applies to your specific situation.

Keys, alarms and out of hours access

Commercial cleaning often happens early in the morning or late at night when your staff are not present. You must agree in writing exactly how the contractor will access the building and secure it when they leave.

Set out clearly who holds the physical keys and the alarm codes. The contractor must have a secure system for storing keys when they are not in use, rather than leaving them in a cleaner's vehicle or home. You should limit the number of keys issued and keep a register of who holds them.

Agree a process for what happens when a cleaner leaves the contractor's employment. The contractor must notify you immediately so you can change alarm codes and ensure keys are returned.

Provide clear instructions on which internal doors should be locked during the clean and which areas are strictly out of bounds. This protects your sensitive business information and keeps the cleaners safe.

Checking standards once the contract starts

The first few weeks of a new commercial cleaning contract require close attention. You should schedule regular walk-rounds with the contractor's named supervisor to check the work against the agreed specification. This ensures the cleaning team understands exactly what is expected.

Keep a simple issue log where your staff can record problems such as missed bins or empty soap dispensers. Share this log with the cleaning supervisor so they can address recurring issues with the cleaning team. A written log is much more effective than passing on verbal complaints.

Hold a formal review meeting after the first month. This gives you a chance to adjust the specification if certain areas need more time, or if the initial hours allocated are not enough to keep the workplace sufficiently clean.

Do not rely on the cleaners to manage their own standards. Effective supervision from the contractor is essential, and you should ask to see the results of their internal quality audits.

Warning signs in a commercial cleaning quote

Not all commercial cleaning companies deliver what they promise. You should be cautious if a quote seems unusually cheap or lacks detail, as this often leads to poor standards and disputes later. Watch out for these red flags in a commercial cleaning quote:

• A London rate quoted below £20 an hour.
• A price quoted over the phone with no site survey.
• A 12-month term with a 3-month notice period on a site you have not tested.

Be wary of any London rate quoted below £20 an hour. A rate this low usually means someone is uninsured or paying below the Living Wage.

Never accept a price quoted over the phone with no site survey. A contractor cannot accurately price a commercial cleaning contract without seeing the layout, floor types and condition of the premises. An unseen quote can rise once the cleaners are on site.

Do not sign a 12-month term with a 3-month notice period on a site you have not tested. You need a shorter initial term or a break clause to ensure you can exit the contract if the cleaning standards are poor.

Common questions

What is commercial cleaning?

Commercial cleaning is the professional cleaning of business premises such as offices, shops and factories. It is provided by a contractor under a formal agreement, with tasks and frequencies set out in a detailed specification.

How do you set up a cleaning contract?

You set up a cleaning contract by writing a clear specification of the areas and tasks you need covered. You then invite commercial cleaning companies to survey the site, provide a detailed quote and agree terms on hours, rates and absence cover.

What should a commercial cleaning company provide?

A commercial cleaning company provides trained staff, supervision, employers' liability insurance and a relief pool for absence cover. They normally supply the cleaning equipment, while washroom consumables are usually charged separately or come from stock you hold.

Who is a commercial cleaning contractor?

A commercial cleaning contractor is a business that supplies cleaners to clean other organisations' premises. It employs and pays its own staff and is responsible for delivering the agreed specification.

Can you cancel a commercial cleaning contract?

You can end a commercial cleaning contract on the terms it sets out, so check the notice period and whether a fixed term has a break clause before you sign. Be wary of a 12-month term with 3 months' notice on a site you have not tested.

Next steps when hiring a commercial cleaner

You should now be ready to approach commercial cleaning contractors and compare their quotes. Follow these steps to choose a reliable commercial cleaning contractor for your business:

• Write a detailed specification listing every room, task and frequency.
• Decide who will supply the washroom consumables and cleaning equipment.
• Invite three commercial cleaning companies to conduct a site survey.
• Ask for proof of public liability insurance and employers' liability insurance.
• Check the quotes specify the exact hours, net rate and absence cover arrangements.
• Agree a trial period or a break clause before committing to a long contract term.

Taking the time to check the paperwork and the specification will help you secure a reliable service that keeps your workplace safe and clean. When you are ready to start gathering quotes, you can use our directory to find a cleaner near you and compare their reviews.