Cleaning contract template
This is a plain-English services agreement for recurring cleaning work — ten clauses, each of which exists because it has gone wrong for somebody. Fill in the header, attach your scope, and print two copies. It is a starting point, not legal advice for your state.
Before you sign
- Attach the scope — the agreement points at it
- Decide the notice period before you write it in
- Check your insurance covers what clause six promises
Once it is signed
- Both parties sign and date; each keeps a copy
- Diary the first review for ninety days
- Re-issue rather than amend when the scope changes
1. The service
The contractor will clean the property to the scope attached to this agreement. The attached scope is part of the agreement; anything not listed on it is not included.
2. Schedule and access
Visits happen on the days and at the times set out above. The client will provide access. If access is not available on arrival, the visit is treated as completed and charged.
3. Price and payment
The price above is per visit and excludes any work quoted separately. Invoices are due on the terms above. Late payment may pause the service until the account is clear.
4. Changes to scope
Either party may propose a change to the scope in writing. A change takes effect only once both parties have agreed it and the price has been re-quoted.
5. Materials and equipment
Unless stated otherwise, the contractor supplies all materials and equipment. Where the client requires a specific product to be used on a surface, the client supplies it and accepts the result.
6. Damage and breakages
The contractor carries general liability insurance and will report any damage on the day it happens. Pre-existing damage noted at the first visit is recorded and is not the contractor's responsibility.
7. Staff
The contractor may send any suitably trained person. The client will not offer direct employment to the contractor's staff during the agreement or for six months after it ends.
8. Cancellation of a visit
A visit cancelled with less than 24 hours' notice may be charged in full, because the slot cannot be refilled.
9. Ending the agreement
Either party may end this agreement by giving the notice period stated above, in writing. Work already done remains payable.
10. Governing law
This agreement is governed by the law of the state in which the property sits.
Contractor ____________________________
Date ______________
Client ________________________________
Date ______________
The clauses that earn their place
Access, cancellation and staff non-solicitation are the three that get used. Access, because a locked door is a wasted slot. Cancellation, because a slot cancelled at short notice cannot be refilled. Non-solicitation, because a client offering your cleaner cash work is the single fastest way to lose both.
The scope clause is deliberately short and points outward, at the attached checklist. Scope belongs on a list that can be updated, not buried in a paragraph.
Where this template stops
This is a template, not legal advice, and it is not drafted for any particular state. Employment, tax and consumer rules differ; a contract that works in one state can be unenforceable in another. Have it reviewed locally before you rely on it for anything large.
In particular, if you engage cleaners as contractors rather than employees, the classification rules in your state matter far more than anything in this document.
Using it for commercial work
A commercial client will usually have their own paper. When they do, read the indemnity, the insurance limits and the termination clause first — those three are where a small cleaning business takes on risk it cannot carry.
Where you can, attach your specification as a schedule rather than accepting a description written by someone who has never cleaned the building.