Red Flags to Watch Out for When Choosing a Commercial Cleaner

Red flags before you sign

• No written scope of work: If a company quotes you verbally but won't put the task list in writing, there's no accountability.
• Unusually low pricing: Quotes significantly below market rate usually mean something is missing — underpaid staff, substandard products, or tasks that appear in the contract but rarely happen in practice.
• No proof of insurance: Any legitimate cleaning company can produce a current certificate of insurance quickly. Hesitation is a sign they don't have it.
• Vague answers about who will clean your space: If they can't tell you whether staff are employees or subcontractors, proceed with caution.
• High-pressure sales tactics: Manufactured urgency is a manipulation tactic, not an indicator of a reputable business.
• No references available: Any company with legitimate commercial accounts should be able to provide references from similar businesses.

Red flags during the relationship

• Constant staff turnover: A different crew every few weeks means no institutional knowledge of your space and inconsistent results.
• Ignored complaints: A company that takes too long to respond to a service complaint will not improve over time.
• Skipped tasks you've paid for: If items on your scope of work are regularly missed, document them and raise the issue formally.
• Surprise charges on invoices: Additions that weren't agreed to in writing are a sign of billing practices that will escalate.
• Reluctance to walk through the space with you: A transparent provider should welcome periodic walkthroughs to review quality together.

See our Insured & Bonded page for details on how this fits into our standard service offering.