Service Agreements for House Cleaning and Janitorial Businesses
A cleaning business depends on trust in both directions: clients let your team into their homes and offices, and your team relies on clients to pay on time and respect the schedule. A clear service agreement, signed before the first visit, is how professional cleaning companies set expectations about scope, access, cancellations and breakage. Codec Document makes it a two-minute step instead of a stack of paper.
Unwritten expectations are the root of most client complaints
Clients rarely complain that the house was dirty. They complain that the oven was not included when they thought it was, that the cleaner arrived at ten instead of nine, or that a last-minute cancellation fee was a surprise. Each of those is a scope or policy question that a written agreement answers in advance. Without one, the business absorbs the cost of every misunderstanding, and the cleaner in the middle absorbs the stress.
How it helps cleaning services
A scope checklist the client signs
List exactly what is included in a standard, deep or move-out clean, so extras are clearly extras and priced before the visit, not argued after.
Access, keys and alarm codes in writing
Record how your team gets in and who is responsible for keys and codes, which protects both the client and your cleaners.
Cancellation and lockout policy
State the notice period and the fee if the team arrives and cannot get in. A signed policy is enforceable; a policy on your website that nobody read is harder to rely on.
Commercial contracts with multiple sites
Janitorial agreements for offices and buildings, with service frequency, supplies and term, signed by the facility manager and whoever approves payments.
How you classify your cleaners matters as much as your client contract
Cleaning companies must decide whether their cleaners are employees or independent contractors, and the answer depends on control, not on the label in a contract. The IRS applies a common-law test that looks at behavioral control, financial control and the relationship of the parties, described in IRS Publication 15-A, and some states apply stricter tests, such as California ABC test in Labor Code § 2775. Client service agreements and contractor agreements can be signed electronically under the ESIGN Act, 15 U.S.C. § 7001, but classification is determined by how the work is actually done.
The move-out clean that was not
A cleaning company in Florida booked a move-out clean by phone. The client expected inside the cabinets, the fridge and the oven; the company standard move-out did not include appliances. The client refused to pay the full amount and left a one-star review. The company now sends a move-out checklist with each booking that the client signs, with appliances listed as optional extras. The owner says the number of disputed bookings dropped to almost none within two months.
What to put in writing before the first clean
- A room-by-room checklist of what each service level includes and what is an extra.
- The price, the schedule and how rescheduling works on holidays.
- The cancellation notice period and the fee when the team is locked out.
- How keys, lockboxes and alarm codes are handled and returned.
- How breakage is reported and what your insurance covers.
- Any items the team will not clean for safety reasons, such as biohazards or high exterior windows.
Questions people ask about this
Can clients sign the service agreement from a text message?
Yes. Send the link by SMS, WhatsApp or email and the client signs in the browser without creating an account.
Should I have my cleaners sign something too?
Many companies use a confidentiality agreement and, for contractors, an independent contractor agreement. Both can be signed electronically before a cleaner starts.
Can I change my prices each year?
Yes. Update your template and send the new agreement to clients for signature, so the new price is agreed rather than assumed.
Do I need a lawyer to use this?
Templates give you a strong starting point. For unusual situations or large commercial contracts, a quick review by a local attorney is always a good idea.
Documents cleaning services send most
- Service agreement template
- Independent contractor agreement
- Employee confidentiality agreement
- Quote generator