How to choose a cleaning company: 7 checks
A list of checks that takes ten minutes and rules out most of the problems before a cleaning team is standing in your home.
A reliable cleaning company shows seven signs: a published price with the formula behind it, a written checklist of work, the total fixed before the visit, a contract or a confirmed request, stated liability for damaged property, a photo report on completion, and a clear process for resolving disputes.
1. The price is named before any site visit
If the cost is “confirmed by phone after a site visit”, you have no basis for comparison and no protection against a recalculation on the doorstep. A company that publishes its package rate and its rate per metre takes on the risk of misjudging the job — and that is the right way round.
- The package rate or the rate per square metre is published
- The minimum order and the over-limit surcharge are stated
- There is a calculator or a price list you can work the figure out from yourself
2. There is a written checklist of work
A checklist turns a dispute from a matter of opinion into a matter of fact. Without one, “badly cleaned” is your word against the crew leader's, and that is not an argument you can win.
- The list of work is published and identical for every booking of that type
- It is clear what the service does not include
- Extra work is listed separately with prices
3. The total is fixed before the visit
A recalculation on the doorstep is the most common complaint about cleaning services. The team is already in the apartment, time has been spent and backing out is expensive. Insist that the total is confirmed in writing before they arrive.
- The total is confirmed in writing: in a messenger, an email or the request
- The conditions under which the price can change are stated in advance and limited
- Urgency and extras are agreed before the visit, not after
4. It is clear who is liable for your property
Cleaning means handling other people's belongings and surfaces. Liability has to be stated before the work starts, not discussed after something has been damaged.
- The company states what it does if property is damaged
- There is a list of surfaces the team will not touch without consent
- Heavy furniture and anchored appliances are not moved without your permission
5. There is a photo report
A photo report does two jobs: it confirms the volume of work done and records the state of the property at the moment the team left. For anyone letting a place out it is also evidence to show the next guest.
- Photos are taken on completion and sent the same day
- The shots cover every area on the checklist
- Comments are accepted on the day of the cleaning, not “whenever you notice”
6. Own products and equipment
Professional products and equipment are not marketing but a condition of the result on specific jobs: limescale, grease, construction dust. A team that asks to use your products is working blind.
- Products and equipment are included in the price
- There is an industrial vacuum for post-renovation work
- Constraints are taken into account: allergies, pets, delicate finishes
7. A transparent dispute process
The last check is what happens if the result falls short. An answer along the lines of “we redo checklist items free of charge within twenty-four hours” beats any set of reviews.
- The deadline and the way to raise comments are stated
- Anything missed from the checklist is redone free of charge
- There is a named manager, not a general phone line