Managing a whole building is a different problem from managing an office. More zones, more ambiguity about who cleans what, and areas that get forgotten entirely because nobody walks them.
Zone map
Before writing a specification, map the building into zones with clear ownership:
| Zone | Typically cleaned by |
|---|---|
| Tenancy interiors | Tenant’s own contractor, or landlord service |
| Common corridors and lobbies | Building contract |
| Lifts | Building contract |
| Fire stairs | Building contract |
| Common bathrooms | Building contract |
| End-of-trip facilities | Building contract |
| Plant and service rooms | Building contract, reduced frequency |
| Car park | Building contract, reduced frequency |
| Grounds and exterior | Building contract or grounds contractor |
| Bin store | Building contract |
| Loading dock | Building contract |
Ambiguity here is the most common source of dispute. Resolve it in writing.
Daily
Entry and lobby
- Entry glass and doors, both sides
- Entry matting vacuumed
- Lobby floor
- Reception or concierge desk
- Seating
- Directory boards
- Hand sanitiser stations
Lifts
- Floor
- Walls and mirrors
- Button panels sanitised
- Handrail
- Door tracks spot-cleaned
Common bathrooms
- Full commercial bathroom protocol
Corridors
- Floors, high-traffic areas
- Handrails
Waste
- Consolidated to store
- Bin store kept clean
- Bins presented per collection schedule
Weekly
- Full corridor and lobby floor clean including edges
- Fire stairs, floors, handrails, landings
- Lift door tracks vacuumed
- Skirtings in common areas
- Internal glass and balustrades
- Bin store washed out
- Exterior entry swept, cobwebs cleared
- End-of-trip facilities deep attention
Monthly
- High dusting in common areas
- Vents and grilles
- Light fittings and diffusers
- Directory boards and signage cleaned
- Plant room floors swept
- Car park swept, litter cleared
- Fire equipment cabinets dusted (exterior only)
- Roof terrace or balcony areas
Quarterly
- Internal windows in common areas including tracks
- Balustrade glass
- Storage and archive areas
- Loading dock washed
- Exterior pressure wash of entries
- Bollards, seating and external furniture
Periodic
| Task | Frequency |
|---|---|
| Common area carpet extraction | 6–12 monthly |
| Hard floor strip and seal | 12–24 monthly |
| External window cleaning | Quarterly – 6 monthly |
| High-level dusting (EWP) | Annually |
| Facade wash | 1–3 yearly |
| Gutter clearing | Annually, pre-winter |
The zones that get forgotten
- Fire stairs. Used rarely, cleaned rarely, inspected occasionally. Dust and litter accumulate for years.
- Plant rooms. Dust accumulation is a genuine equipment and fire risk.
- The bin store. Becomes unpleasant fast and reflects on the whole building.
- Loading dock. First thing suppliers see.
- Lift door tracks. Grit accumulates and it’s visible every time the doors open.
- Roof access areas.
- The undersides of balustrade handrails.
- Behind and under lobby furniture.
Multi-tenant considerations
Access. Who has keys to what, and how after-hours access works for each tenancy.
Standards variance. Different tenants will have different expectations of the common areas. Set one standard and publish it.
Complaint routing. Tenants should raise common-area issues with the building manager, not directly with the cleaner. Direct requests bypass the specification and create scope creep nobody is paying for.
Reporting. A per-visit record by zone is genuinely useful in a multi-tenant building, it lets you answer "was the third floor lobby cleaned on Tuesday?" without anyone’s memory being involved.