The short answer
Good communal area cleaning covers every shared space residents and visitors use: entrance halls and doors, stairwells, landings, corridors, lifts, the inside of the communal windows and the bin stores, with carpets vacuumed and hard floors cleaned. It should run to an agreed schedule, and you should get confirmation after every visit that the clean has been done.
If you manage apartment blocks, communal area cleaning is one of the services residents notice most, and complain about first. A vague specification is usually the cause: “clean the common parts” can mean very different things to different contractors. This guide sets out what communal area cleaning should include, what it usually doesn’t, and how to check you’re getting what you pay for.
What communal area cleaning should cover
Start with a list of every shared space in the building. For most blocks, that’s:
- Entrance halls and doors, the first thing residents and visitors see.
- Stairwells and landings on every floor.
- Corridors leading to the flats.
- Lifts, where the block has them.
- Communal windows: the inside of the glazing in the shared areas.
- Bin stores, kept clean and tidy.
- Floors throughout: carpets vacuumed and hard floors cleaned.
Write the list into your specification, building by building. If one block has a glazed atrium, a lift or a basement car park lobby and another doesn’t, the specification should say so. It makes quotes easier to compare and leaves less room for argument later.
Communal windows: inside and out
The inside of the communal windows is usually part of communal area cleaning: the glass in the entrance doors, stairwell windows and landing glazing. The outside of the windows is a separate job, and on most blocks it needs water-fed poles or other access equipment.
It’s often simpler to give both to one contractor. We clean the outside of the windows from the ground with water-fed poles up to 70ft, so the windows and the communal areas of a block can be looked after by the same team. Apartment block window cleaning.
Bin stores, bulky waste and fly-tipping
Bin stores should be included in communal area cleaning: swept, cleaned and kept tidy, so they don’t smell or attract pests. But be clear about where cleaning stops. Removing bulky items, such as old furniture or mattresses, and clearing fly-tipping are waste collection jobs, not cleaning, and they need a licensed waste carrier.
What you should expect from your cleaner is to be told. We keep bin stores clean, and if we find bulky items or fly-tipping on a visit, we let you know so you can arrange removal.
Carpets and floors
Every visit should include vacuuming carpets and cleaning hard floors in the shared areas. Deep carpet cleaning, such as shampooing or hot water extraction, is a separate, less frequent job. Ask whether it’s included in a quote, and if it isn’t, plan it in as and when the carpets need it. With us, deep carpet cleaning is arranged separately.
How often should communal areas be cleaned?
There’s no single right answer. It depends on the size of the block, how many residents use it, whether there are lifts and bin stores, and the budget in the service charge. A small block with a quiet entrance may need much less than a large block with heavy footfall. Ask for a schedule that suits each building, and review it if residents start to complain or the block’s needs change.
We clean as often as each building needs, agreed with the managing agent when we quote. Every visit is scheduled in advance and the date confirmed with you. How often should commercial windows be cleaned?
Keys, fobs and access
Your contractor will need to get into the building, the bin stores and sometimes plant or cleaning cupboards. Agree who holds the keys and fobs, how they’re kept, and what happens if one goes missing. We can hold the keys and fobs we need for each visit, so you don’t have to arrange access every time.
How do you know the clean has been done?
This is where many communal cleaning contracts fall down. Without a record, you only find out a visit was missed when a resident complains. As a minimum, ask for:
- Sign-in on arrival at the building.
- A time stamp for each visit.
- Confirmation that the clean has been completed.
That’s what we provide after every visit. Some agents also want photos, so if that matters to you, ask about it when you request a quote.
Your communal area cleaning checklist
- Does the specification list every shared area, building by building?
- Is the inside of the communal windows included?
- Are bin stores included, and will you be told about bulky items or fly-tipping?
- Are carpets vacuumed and floors cleaned on every visit? Is deep carpet cleaning separate?
- How often will each building be cleaned, and how are visit dates confirmed?
- Who holds the keys and fobs?
- What record will you get after each visit?
- Are the cleaners DBS-checked and in uniform, so residents know who they are?
- Can you see the contractor’s insurance certificates?
Contracts and the service charge
Communal cleaning is usually paid for through the service charge, so leaseholders will expect value for money and a clear specification. Check the contract terms too. In England, a service agreement that runs for more than 12 months, where any leaseholder pays more than £100 a year towards it, is a qualifying long-term agreement, and you’d need to consult leaseholders under the Service Charges (Consultation Requirements) Regulations 2003 before entering into it. Take advice if you’re unsure whether an agreement qualifies.
With us, contracts are optional, with no minimum term and 30 days’ notice if you decide to stop. We invoice at the end of each calendar month for all the cleans completed that month, with 30 days to pay. Window cleaning contracts explained.
Communal area cleaning for block management companies
We currently cover dozens of block management sites for various clients across South Yorkshire, including six McCarthy & Stone retirement developments. Our communal cleaning covers entrances, stairwells, landings, corridors, lifts, communal windows and bin stores, and our teams are DBS-checked and uniformed. Our communal cleaning service, or retirement living.
Your quote comes with our insurance documents, and once you’ve accepted it we prepare a free risk assessment and method statement for each building. What safety paperwork to ask for. Tick communal cleaning on the quote form and tell us about your buildings. We reply within 2 hours during office hours.
Questions
What does communal area cleaning include?
Entrance halls and doors, stairwells, landings, corridors, lifts, the inside of the communal windows and the bin stores, with carpets vacuumed and hard floors cleaned.
Do you clean inside individual flats?
No. We clean the communal areas and windows for the block’s management company, not inside individual flats or private houses.
Do you remove bulky waste or fly-tipping?
No. We keep bin stores clean and tidy, and if we find bulky items or fly-tipping, we let you know so you can arrange removal.
Do you deep-clean carpets?
We vacuum carpets on every visit. Deep carpet cleaning isn’t included and is arranged separately.
How do we know you’ve been?
We sign in on arrival, and after each visit you get a time-stamped confirmation that the clean has been completed.
Do we need to sign a contract?
No. Contracts are optional, with no minimum term. If you decide to stop, we ask for 30 days’ notice.
