Before you sign anything, ask every prospective commercial cleaner these questions: What is the exact scope of work and what is excluded? Can you provide current certificates of currency for public liability and workers compensation? Do your staff have access to Safety Data Sheets for every chemical used on-site? Are your workers employees or contractors, and how do you apply the Cleaning Services Award 2020 penalty rates for after-hours shifts? Do you carry out police checks or Working With Children Checks where required? Can you provide a written quality assurance checklist and references from similar premises?
The single non-negotiable before you award any contract: a Certificate of Currency issued within the last 30 days, with the insured entity name matching the company you are engaging. No certificate, no contract.
Quick checklist for first contact:
- “What is included in each visit, and what requires a separate quote?”
- “Can you provide current CoCs for public liability and workers compensation?”
- “Do staff have SDS access for every chemical used on our site?”
- “Are your cleaners employees or contractors, and how are penalty rates calculated?”
- “Do you conduct police checks or Working With Children Checks?”
- “What is your response time for a missed clean or urgent re-clean?”
- “Is there a lock-in contract, and what is the notice period?”
- “Can you provide a reference from a similar site — medical, childcare, or office?”
Key takeaways
Asking the right questions before you sign a commercial cleaning contract is the single most effective way to avoid compliance, safety and cost surprises.
| Point | Details |
|---|---|
| Verify CoC within 30 days | Require a Certificate of Currency issued within the last 30 days and check all six fields before awarding work. |
| Confirm SDS access and training | Every chemical on your site needs a current, English-language SDS and evidence that staff are trained to use it safely. |
| Request a written SLA with KPIs | Define missed-clean limits, re-clean response windows and variation pricing in writing before the first visit. |
| Check Award penalty-rate handling | Ask how the Cleaning Services Award 2020 applies to your shift pattern; a flat rate that ignores penalty loadings is a liability risk. |
| 360 Cleaning Solutions | Provides CoCs, SDS access, WHS documentation and after-hours flexibility with no lock-in contract across East Melbourne. |
Table of Contents
- What to ask a cleaning company: the full question bank by theme
- What documents should you request before signing?
- How does pricing work, and what contract terms should you watch?
- Red flags to watch for in proposals
- How to onboard a cleaner and manage quality in the first 30 days
- Why getting this right protects your business
- 360 Cleaning Solutions: compliance-ready commercial cleaning for East Melbourne
- What facility managers get wrong about cleaning compliance
- Sources
What to ask a cleaning company: the full question bank by theme
Scope of services
Pin down exactly what each scheduled visit covers. Ask which tasks are included as standard — vacuuming, mopping, bathroom sanitisation, bin liners, kitchen wipe-downs — and which trigger an additional charge. Specialist tasks such as steam carpet cleaning, external window cleaning, and high-level dusting should be listed separately with their own frequency and price. A written commercial cleaning agreement that defines scope, service levels and exclusions is the baseline for any dispute resolution.
Ask: “What consumables do you supply, and what do we need to provide?” Toilet paper, hand soap and bin liners are often excluded from base pricing and can add up quickly across a large facility.
WHS and chemical safety
Every chemical a cleaner brings onto your site is a workplace hazard under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011. Ask whether staff have been trained on each product they use, whether PPE is supplied and worn, and what the spill procedure is. Critically, ask who holds the Safety Data Sheets on-site and whether they are current and in English. SDS must be accessible to workers at all times — not locked in a van or stored at head office.
Pro Tip: Ask the cleaner to name one chemical they use and describe its hazard category. A trained operator will answer without hesitation. Vague answers here are a genuine warning sign.
Insurance and compliance
Request certificates of currency for public liability and workers compensation before the first clean. Ask for the policy number, insurer name, period of cover and the activities description — it must explicitly mention cleaning. Commercial cleaners need ABN registration and public liability insurance, and some site contracts require additional coverage for tools and vehicles.
Staffing and screening
Ask directly: are the people cleaning your site employees or subcontractors? Recent reforms have tightened contractor classification in Australia, and misclassification can create liability for your business, not just theirs. For childcare centres, medical clinics, or any site where cleaners have unsupervised access, ask for evidence of police checks and Working With Children Checks.
Ask: “What is your staff retention rate, and how do you handle substitutions when a regular cleaner is unavailable?” High turnover and unvetted substitutes are two of the most common sources of quality failures.
Scheduling and access
Confirm whether the provider can work after hours, and ask how alarm codes and keys are managed. Key custody policies, alarm reset procedures and after-hours contact numbers should all be documented before access is granted. Ask about minimum engagement times, because short after-hours visits can attract Award penalty loadings that affect the total cost.
Pricing and variations
Ask for a written breakdown of the pricing model — hourly, per visit, or per square metre — and ask specifically how variations are quoted and approved. A low base rate that excludes consumables, specialist tasks and after-hours loadings will look very different once those items are added. References and specific examples of how the cleaner has handled similar sites give you far more signal than a polished proposal document.
Ask every candidate: “Can you show me a QA report from a current client in a similar industry?” A provider who cannot produce one has no documented quality process.
What documents should you request before signing?
Procurement teams should collect and verify the following before awarding any commercial cleaning contract.
| Document | What it proves | How to validate |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate of Currency — public liability | Active coverage for third-party injury or property damage | Check insured entity name, policy number, period of cover, activities description, and sum insured. Require a CoC less than 30 days old. |
| Certificate of Currency — workers compensation | Coverage for staff injured on your premises | Same six-field check; confirm the insured entity matches the employer of the cleaners |
| Safety Data Sheets (SDS) | Each hazardous chemical is identified and staff are trained | Confirm SDS is current, in English, and covers every product used on your site |
| WHS documentation | Site induction, chemical handling procedures, training records | Ask for a completed induction checklist specific to your site |
| Award/payroll statement | Correct application of the Cleaning Services Award 2020 | Request a written statement of employment model and how penalty rates are calculated |
| Police check / WWCC evidence | Suitability for unsupervised access to sensitive areas | Ask for evidence dated within the last 30 days for each worker on your site |
The six fields to check on any Certificate of Currency: insured entity name (must match exactly), policy number, insurer name, period of insurance, sum insured per claim, and activities explicitly covered. A generic description such as “general services” without the word “cleaning” is a red flag.
- Reject any CoC older than 30 days — policies can lapse or be cancelled without notice.
- Cross-reference the insured entity name against the ABN on the quote.
- Call the insurer or broker directly to confirm the policy is active if you have any doubt.
How does pricing work, and what contract terms should you watch?
Pricing models
Three models dominate commercial cleaning in Australia. Hourly rates give flexibility but make budgeting harder. Fixed per-visit pricing is predictable but can hide scope creep when tasks are added informally. Per-square-metre pricing works well for large, uniform spaces such as warehouses but can undercount labour in complex environments like medical clinics.
To compare quotes fairly, add likely after-hours loadings and consumable costs to each base rate before putting them side by side.
After-hours and penalty rates
The Cleaning Services Award 2020 sets penalty-rate categories for evening, night, weekend and public-holiday shifts. A flat rate that does not account for these loadings either underpays staff — creating a liability — or will be revised upward once the provider realises the shift pattern. Ask for a written breakdown of how penalty rates are calculated for your specific schedule.
Contract terms to check
| Clause | What to look for | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Term and renewal | Auto-renewal clauses that lock you in without notice | “What is the notice period to exit or not renew?” |
| Variation pricing | How additional tasks are priced and approved | “Is there a written variation process with agreed rates?” |
| Early termination | Fees or penalties for ending early | “What are the exit conditions if performance is poor?” |
| SLA remedies | What happens after a missed or substandard clean | “What is the re-clean timeframe and is there a credit?” |
A written contract that defines these terms protects both parties and gives you a clear escalation path when performance falls short. Avoid agreements that define scope vaguely or leave variation pricing to verbal agreement.
Red flags to watch for in proposals
Watch for these warning signs during your evaluation:
- Refusal to provide a current CoC. No legitimate operator hesitates on this.
- Vague scope descriptions. “General cleaning” without a task list is unenforceable.
- No SDS access. Staff who cannot name their chemicals or locate SDS are untrained.
- Heavy subcontractor use without subcontractor insurance evidence. Your liability exposure extends to uninsured subcontractors working on your site.
- Inability to explain Award penalty rates. This usually means staff are being underpaid, which can draw Fair Work scrutiny to your site.
- No references from similar premises. A medical clinic and a warehouse have very different cleaning requirements; generic references do not confirm site-specific capability.
If a candidate refuses documentation, pause the award. Request a conditional start subject to verified evidence, or require a supervised trial period before granting unsupervised access. For background check requirements on sensitive sites, police checks and Working With Children Checks are standard procurement expectations — not optional extras.
How to onboard a cleaner and manage quality in the first 30 days
The first week sets the standard. A site walkthrough, signed scope-of-work and completed induction checklist before the first clean prevents 80% of the disputes that arise in the first month.
Onboarding checklist:
- Conduct a joint site walkthrough and document hazards, restricted areas and access points.
- Issue keys or access codes and record custody in writing.
- Confirm consumable arrangements and restocking responsibilities.
- Complete a site-specific WHS induction and file the signed record.
- Agree on a primary contact for both parties and an after-hours escalation number.
30-day QA plan
| Week | Action | Output |
|---|---|---|
| First week | Initial quality audit against signed scope | Written audit report with any deficiencies noted |
| Second week | Corrective actions confirmed and logged | Updated task list or amended scope if needed |
| Week 4 | Stabilisation audit with client sign-off | Agreed KPIs documented and baseline established |
Define measurable KPIs from day one: maximum missed cleans per month, re-clean response window (typically 24 hours), and photo evidence requirements for completed tasks. A structured office cleaning workflow that ties tasks to completion records makes audits straightforward and removes ambiguity about what was done.
Why getting this right protects your business
Skipping compliance checks does not just create an awkward conversation later. An uninsured incident on your premises can leave your business exposed to costs your own policy may not cover. Chemical exposure from improperly handled products is a WHS notifiable incident. Underpaid penalty rates under the Cleaning Services Award 2020 can attract Fair Work scrutiny, and the hiring business is not automatically insulated from that process when the cleaner is misclassified as a contractor.
The Cleaning Services Award covers penalty-rate categories for evening, night, weekend and public-holiday shifts — all common in commercial cleaning. A provider quoting a flat rate for a 6 AM start on a Monday public holiday is either absorbing a significant cost or passing it on later.
Pro Tip: Require CoCs less than 30 days old and record the name of the insurer’s broker contact. Procurement teams use this routinely to verify a policy is still active before a contract starts — it takes two minutes and removes the most common insurance surprise.
360 Cleaning Solutions: compliance-ready commercial cleaning for East Melbourne
360 Cleaning Solutions delivers regular office cleaning, medical clinic cleaning, childcare centre cleaning, steam carpet cleaning and customised commercial schedules across East Melbourne suburbs — all without lock-in contracts. Every proposal includes certificates of currency for public liability and workers compensation, SDS access for chemicals used on your site, and written WHS procedures. After-hours cleaning is available with documented key custody and alarm management, and penalty-rate handling is explained upfront in writing so there are no surprises when the invoice arrives.
To request a site walkthrough or a compliance-focused quote, visit 360 Cleaning Solutions or review the commercial cleaning contract guide to see exactly what documentation 360 Cleaning Solutions provides at proposal stage.
What facility managers get wrong about cleaning compliance
Most facility managers treat the compliance checklist as a box-ticking exercise — something to complete once at contract start and then file away. That is where the exposure actually begins. A Certificate of Currency issued in January means nothing in July if the policy lapsed in March and nobody checked. SDS folders that were current at sign-up become a liability when the cleaner switches to a different product six months in and does not update the file.
The more useful mental model is to treat your cleaning supplier the same way you treat any other contractor with site access: annual CoC renewal checks, a standing agenda item for SDS updates, and a quarterly QA review rather than a one-off audit. The WHS risks that professional cleaners manage on your behalf — chemical handling, slip hazards, biohazard disposal in medical settings — are ongoing, not static.
One practical tip that most guides skip: run a two-week proof period before committing to a longer arrangement. Give the provider a defined scope, conduct a formal audit at the end of week two, and use that audit as the baseline for your KPIs. It protects you from locking in a poor performer and gives a good provider the chance to demonstrate consistency before the relationship is formalised. No-lock-in arrangements, like those offered by 360 Cleaning Solutions, make this approach straightforward without either party carrying undue risk.
Sources
These Australian sources are worth bookmarking for deeper compliance and insurance verification:
- Commercial cleaning compliance in Australia: licences, employment, and WHS | Reguladar Blog
- What is commercial cleaning? Understanding agreements & key legal considerations for Australian businesses
- Cleaning business insurance guide AU (2026), Public Liability, Workers Comp, Tools | OneBookPlus
- 8 Critical Questions to Ask a Commercial Cleaner Before You Hire Them (+ Examples)
Retain copies of all supplier CoCs, SDSs and QA reports in your contract file. If an incident occurs on site, these documents are the first thing a regulator or insurer will request.