Cleaning is often thought of as a basic job and one that shouldn’t take much thought, skill or indeed, pay. But effective cleaning takes time, attention to detail and a lot of elbow grease.
The effects of below-par cleaning will be seen and felt almost immediately by your residents, and the regularity of the work means that good cleaner-resident relationships are a must. So, you need to find a cleaner that can take on the job, that’s good at what they do and provides great customer service… all with your budget in mind and with your fellow residents watching. If you’re part of an RMC and have been tasked with this important choice, read on.
Scope of Work
Most cleaners will take on only the regular cleaning of the communal areas within your block. As part of a general communal area clean, you can expect the following:
- Dusting and removal of sticky or dirty marks from of skirtings, architraves, window frames, window sills, radiators, light fittings, wall fittings, balustrades and gloss-painted surfaces
- Removal of marks from internal and external communal doors including any glass or metal finger plates
- Hoovering including under rugs/mats, the darkest of corners and in the stubborn grooves of the stairs
- Mopping any hard floors
- Removal of cobwebs
- General cleaning of security lights and wall-mounted entry systems
- Alerts to you about any maintenance issues they’ve spotted such as cracked paving slabs or broken lights etc.
Some may also offer window cleaning, light maintenance (such as replacing lightbulbs and removing wall scuffs) and gardening services including bin store and car park cleaning.
Choosing the Right Cleaner
A quick search online will provide you with multiple options which can be overwhelming and confusing. Take your time and narrow them down- starting with those closest to you can be a good start.
Ideally you want to shortlist at least 3 options based on their online reviews, the services they offer and the general feeling you get from the information available.
You can then go on to contact your shortlist of 3, asking for information about their availability, pricing and insurance. Once you’ve made contact and are happy with the responses received, you can go ahead and invite them to visit the site for an initial survey.
Once they have visited, they should provide you with an accurate quotation based on your stated requirements; what you’d like done, how often and for what budget. As an FYI, communal areas are usually cleaned every fortnight while window cleaning is usually carried out monthly or quarterly.
Making the Decision
Once you’ve received your quotes, you can narrow down your shortlist- there may be a standout contender based on price and the manner of your interactions so far- if so, great.
If not, you can narrow things down further by requesting details of current clients you can contact for a testimonial re their work and their manner. You can also ask them to outline their customer service policy in terms of you as the client and in terms of your fellow residents.
Once you have decided to enter into a contract, you should always request a probationary period to make sure the relationship works nicely and that the results are up to scratch. You should also iron out any additional tasks your cleaners will undertake such as changing lightbulbs etc and add these to the contract for clarity.
From then on, it should be plain sailing and happy residents all-round- fingers crossed!
