ClauseryHow to write a cleaning services contract
A cleaning services contract should explain what happens at each visit: the tasks, frequency, price, supplies, access and how concerns are resolved. The aim is not a long document full of general promises. It is a schedule the cleaner and client can both use to check what was agreed, including what costs extra.
Identify the property and people responsible
Use the client's and cleaning business's legal names, the service address and an authorised contact. Distinguish a residential home from an office or other premises with additional security and safety requirements. Name the person who can approve extra work and price changes, not just whoever happens to be present.
Describe who will attend and whether substitutes or subcontractors are allowed. Do not promise a particular individual every week if the service operates through a rotating team. Any staff or contractor arrangements still need to comply with the applicable rules.
Attach a task schedule with clear exclusions
Break work down by room or task and state its frequency. Separate a regular maintenance clean, an initial deep clean and an end-of-tenancy service. Mention surfaces that need special care and identify work outside the agreed service, such as pest control, hazardous material or moving heavy furniture.
| Area | Routine visit | Separate agreement needed |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen | Accessible counters, sink and floor | Inside oven and refrigerator |
| Bathroom | Agreed sanitary fixtures and floor | Specialist mould or restoration work |
| Living areas | Accessible dusting and vacuuming | High windows and heavy furniture moves |
This fictional schedule needs adapting to the property. Avoid a blanket promise to remove every stain or make premises sterile when the service and equipment cannot achieve that result.
Define visit times and the pricing method
State the start date, days, frequency and expected arrival window. If a team attends, explain whether an hourly rate means a worker-hour or a clock hour for the whole team. Two cleaners working two hours create four worker-hours, not two. Set any minimum visit length and approval process for additional time.
For a fixed USD 120 visit every other week, invoice actual agreed visits rather than assuming every calendar month contains two. List taxes and approved extras separately. The cleaning invoice template provides a relevant billing starting point; check the dates and tasks against the attendance record.
Agree supplies and safe working conditions
Say who provides products, consumables and equipment, how replacements are approved and where items are stored. Record surface-care instructions and any relevant restrictions. If the client supplies products, that does not make every combination or use safe: follow labels, safety information and applicable training requirements.
The OSHA source below concerns US hazard communication, not a universal cleaning standard. Specialist or hazardous work needs its own risk assessment and competent service. A contract should allow concerns to be raised, not pressure a worker to perform unsafe tasks to avoid a missed-visit complaint.
Keep keys, alarm codes and personal information secure
Explain how access is arranged, who may hold a key, how keys are identified and how access is removed when the service ends. Keep live alarm codes and passwords out of a broadly circulated contract. Use an approved separate channel and limit access to the people who need it.
Address pets, occupants, valuables and restricted rooms. Decide what happens if entry is unavailable or conditions are unsafe. A useful agreement describes the contact and waiting process rather than silently treating every failed visit as a chargeable cancellation.
Make cancellation and changes workable
Specify how much notice is requested, where notice must be sent and any fair, lawful fee. Distinguish rescheduling one visit from ending the whole arrangement. Explain holidays, sickness and a cancelled visit by the provider as well as cancellation by the client.
When the scope changes, confirm the new tasks, time and price before work starts. For a larger commercial service, the statement-of-work checklist helps separate the recurring schedule from a one-off project.
Describe complaints, breakage and insurance
Give a contact and reasonable reporting process for missed tasks or damage. If offering a re-clean, describe its scope and how it is arranged without removing mandatory consumer remedies. Record incidents, preserve relevant evidence and avoid promises that every loss is automatically covered by insurance.
Check the actual policy and any limits on keys, theft, subcontractors and specialist work. Liability caps and exclusions need local review, especially where personal injury or consumer services are involved. Do not copy an insurance limit into a contract as though the two have the same legal effect.
Example scope and extra-work wording
The Provider will carry out the tasks in Schedule A at [property] every [frequency]
for [currency and price] per visit. The Client will arrange access by [method].
Oven cleaning, high-level windows and [other exclusions] are not included.
Additional tasks or time require agreement on the scope and price before work.
Concerns about a visit should be reported to [contact] so the parties can review
and arrange an appropriate response, subject to applicable consumer rights.Check status and the end-of-service process
The label “independent contractor” does not decide employment or tax status. Review the actual arrangement using the applicable rules; the IRS source illustrates one US tax framework. The contractor agreement guide explains why the written label is not enough.
Set notice to end the service, final invoicing, return of keys and removal of access. Use the free cleaning services contract template to record the agreed choices, then inspect the downloaded Word file before both parties sign.
General drafting information, not legal, tax or safety advice. Employment, consumer and workplace rules differ by location.
Sources
Questions
Should a cleaning contract list every task?
List the recurring tasks and frequency clearly enough to distinguish a routine visit from extra work. Name important exclusions such as high-level windows or specialist stain treatment. A short task schedule is more useful than a promise to make the entire property spotless.
Can I charge a client when the cleaner cannot get in?
Agree a clear access and cancellation policy before the visit, including the notice channel and any fair, lawful charge. Record the attempted attendance and circumstances. Do not add an undisclosed lockout fee after the event or assume a clause overrides consumer rights.
Does calling a cleaner an independent contractor settle their tax status?
No. The practical working relationship and the applicable legal tests matter. A service contract cannot turn an employment arrangement into self-employment by its title alone. Check classification and any obligations for staff, substitutes or subcontractors.
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