What Is Included in a Commercial Cleaning Contract in London

A commercial cleaning contract in London should spell out exactly what you are paying for, how often it happens, and what standard you can hold your provider to, because vague agreements are the number one reason London businesses end up disappointed with their cleaning company.

The Core Services Covered in a Standard London Commercial Cleaning Contract

Most commercial cleaning contracts in London include a defined set of daily or per-visit tasks that form the baseline service. These are the tasks your cleaning team performs on every scheduled visit.

Floor cleaning. Vacuuming all carpeted areas including under desks and along skirting boards. Mopping or machine-scrubbing all hard floors including vinyl, laminate, tile, and natural stone where appropriate products are used. Entrance matting vacuumed and debris removed.

Surface cleaning and dusting. Wiping and sanitising all desks, workstations, and shared surfaces. Dusting shelving, windowsills, ledges, and accessible surfaces. Cleaning internal glass partitions and door panels. Wiping door handles, light switches, and high-touch contact points.

Kitchen and breakroom cleaning. Wiping all worktops, splashbacks, and table surfaces. Cleaning the sink, taps, and drainer. Wiping external surfaces of appliances including the microwave, fridge, kettle, and coffee machine. Emptying and relining all bins. Sweeping and mopping the floor.

Washroom cleaning. Sanitising toilets, urinals, and sinks. Cleaning mirrors and dispensers. Restocking consumables including toilet paper, hand soap, and paper towels. Emptying sanitary bins. Mopping floors and wiping all fixtures.

Waste removal. Emptying all waste bins throughout the premises. Replacing bin liners. Consolidating waste for building collection. Separating recycling where your building operates a recycling scheme.

This baseline covers what most people think of when they hear "office cleaning." But a contract that only lists these tasks without specifying frequency, method, and quality benchmarks is a contract that will underdeliver within months.

What Should Be Included But Often Is Not

The gap between what London businesses expect and what their cleaning contract actually covers is where most problems start. These are the items that should be explicitly addressed in your contract but are frequently left out or buried in vague language.

High-touch surface disinfection. Standard surface wiping is not the same as disinfection. Your contract should specify whether high-touch points like door handles, lift buttons, shared technology, and kitchen appliance controls are being disinfected with an appropriate product or simply wiped with a damp cloth. This distinction matters for reducing the spread of illness in your office.

Internal window and glass cleaning. Many contracts include "surface cleaning" but do not explicitly cover internal windows, glass partitions, and glass door panels. These are high-visibility surfaces that show fingerprints and smudges immediately. Your contract should state how often they are cleaned and to what standard.

Appliance interior cleaning. Wiping the outside of a microwave is standard. Cleaning the inside is usually not included unless specified. The same applies to fridge interiors, oven interiors, dishwasher filters, and coffee machine drip trays. If you want appliance interiors cleaned, it needs to be written into the scope.

Consumable supply and restocking. Some contracts include the supply of washroom consumables like toilet rolls, hand soap, and paper towels in the monthly fee. Others charge for consumables separately. Some only restock what you provide. This is one of the most common sources of unexpected costs. Clarify whether consumables are included, excluded, or charged at cost.

Meeting room and phone booth resets. If your office has bookable meeting rooms or phone booths, your contract should specify whether these are cleaned once daily or reset between bookings. In busy London offices and co-working spaces, a single daily clean is not enough to maintain hygiene in high-turnover shared spaces.

Deep Cleaning and Periodic Tasks That Sit Outside the Standard Contract

Regular contract cleaning maintains day-to-day standards. Deep cleaning addresses the accumulated build-up that routine cleaning cannot reach. These are typically either scheduled into the contract on a periodic basis or booked as separate one-off services.

Carpet extraction cleaning. Professional hot-water extraction removes embedded dirt, bacteria, and allergens that vacuuming leaves behind. Most London offices need this quarterly for high-traffic areas and biannually for the rest. It can be included in the contract as a quarterly line item or booked separately.

Hard floor treatment. Stripping, resealing, and buffing hard floors like vinyl, laminate, or natural stone. The frequency depends on foot traffic but is typically biannual for most offices.

Kitchen deep cleaning. Full degreasing of appliance interiors, extraction of drain biofilm, descaling of sinks and taps, and cleaning behind and underneath appliances. Monthly or quarterly depending on kitchen size and use. Restaurants and hospitality venues need this more frequently than standard offices.

Washroom deep cleaning. Grout scrubbing, fixture descaling, drain treatment, and ventilation fan cleaning. Monthly is the recommended frequency for most London offices.

Window cleaning. Internal and external window cleaning is almost always a separate line item. Monthly for ground-floor retail and client-facing offices, quarterly for upper-floor offices.

High-level dusting. Light fittings, air vents, ceiling tiles, tops of cupboards, and high shelving. Monthly or quarterly depending on ceiling height and ventilation.

Bundling these periodic services into your regular contract typically saves 10 to 15% compared to booking them individually.

Cleaning Schedule and Access Arrangements in a London Contract

Your contract should define exactly when cleaning happens and how your provider accesses the premises. Ambiguity here leads to missed cleans, security concerns, and operational disruption.

Cleaning days and times. The contract should state which days cleaning is scheduled and the time window for each visit. Most London offices require cleaning outside business hours, typically before 7am or after 6pm. The contract should confirm whether evening, early morning, and weekend cleaning is included at standard rates or attracts a surcharge.

Key holding and alarm procedures. If your cleaning team enters outside business hours, the contract should specify key holding arrangements, alarm code management, sign-in procedures, and the protocol for securing the premises after each visit.

Building access coordination. In multi-tenant buildings, cleaning teams may need to coordinate with building management for goods lift access, loading bay slots, and security sign-in. The contract should confirm who manages this coordination and whether any building-specific charges apply.

Bank holidays and seasonal adjustments. The contract should state what happens on bank holidays. Is cleaning skipped, rescheduled, or charged at a premium rate? If your business has seasonal peaks that require increased frequency, such as retail during the Christmas period, the mechanism for adjusting the schedule should be documented.

Staffing, Vetting, and Consistency Commitments

Who cleans your office matters as much as how they clean it. Your contract should address staffing in enough detail to protect your security and ensure consistency.

DBS checks and vetting. The contract should confirm that all staff assigned to your premises have undergone enhanced DBS checks. For government, legal, and financial services offices, BS7858 vetting or higher security clearance may be required.

Named team assignment. The contract should specify whether you will have a consistent named team or whether staff are rotated. Consistency matters for quality, security, and familiarity with your premises. Frequent rotation leads to missed areas, security re-onboarding, and variable standards.

Absence and cover protocols. What happens when your regular cleaner is sick or on annual leave? The contract should guarantee cover with a vetted replacement at no additional charge and specify how much notice you will receive.

Training and ongoing development. The contract should confirm that staff receive initial training on your specific premises and ongoing refresher training on cleaning methods, product handling, and COSHH compliance.

Quality Assurance and Issue Resolution

A good contract does not just define what should happen. It defines how performance is monitored and what happens when something goes wrong.

Regular inspections. The contract should include scheduled quality inspections by a supervisor or account manager, not just the cleaning team self-reporting. The frequency of inspections, typically monthly or quarterly, should be stated along with who receives the inspection report.

Dedicated account manager. You should have a named point of contact who knows your premises, your specification, and your expectations. Dealing with a generic customer service line for every issue is not acceptable for a London commercial cleaning contract.

Complaints and remediation process. The contract should define how issues are raised, the expected response time, and the process for resolving missed tasks or substandard work. A clear escalation path from account manager to senior management should be documented.

Cleaning logs and documentation. Your provider should maintain cleaning logs showing which tasks were completed on each visit. These logs should be available for your review on request and provide evidence of compliance if you operate in a regulated industry.

Contract Terms, Pricing, and Exit Clauses to Watch

The commercial terms of your contract deserve as much attention as the cleaning specification.

Contract length. Rolling monthly contracts or short initial terms of three to six months are standard among confident London cleaning companies. A provider pushing for a 12-month lock-in before you have seen a single clean is protecting themselves, not you.

Pricing structure. The contract should clearly state whether pricing is hourly, fixed monthly, or per square foot. It should itemise what is included in the standard price and what is charged as an extra. Transparent, itemised pricing is a strong indicator of a trustworthy provider.

Price review mechanism. Annual price increases should be agreed upfront, ideally linked to inflation or a fixed percentage, not left open for the provider to increase unilaterally. The contract should state when price reviews happen and how much notice is given.

Exit clause. Read the termination clause carefully. A reasonable notice period is 30 days. Anything longer, or any clause that imposes financial penalties for early termination, should be questioned. If the service is good, you will stay. The contract should not trap you.

Insurance and liability. The contract should confirm that the provider holds public liability insurance (minimum £5 million is standard for London commercial contracts) and employer's liability insurance. It should also confirm who is liable for damage caused during cleaning, whether accidental breakage, chemical damage to surfaces, or injury to third parties.

Get the Right Commercial Cleaning Contract for Your London Office

A well-structured cleaning contract protects your business, sets clear expectations, and gives you the documentation to hold your provider accountable. At C&A Commercial Group, every contract starts with a free site assessment where we walk through your premises, understand your requirements, and build a detailed specification before quoting a price.

Our contracts are transparent, flexible, and designed around how your London office actually operates. We include eco-friendly, COSHH-compliant products, DBS-checked staff, dedicated account management, regular quality inspections, and documented cleaning logs as standard. We offer rolling monthly terms with no long-term lock-in because we earn your business every month rather than relying on a contract to keep you.

We are SafeContractor approved, RoSPA assured, and CPD certified. We serve offices, retail stores, restaurants, gyms, medical practices, and commercial properties across London.

Contact C&A Commercial Group today for a free site assessment and a contract built around what your business actually needs.