Terms and conditions for a commercial cleaning contractor

Commercial cleaning is a business-to-business contract with narrow margins, so the terms determine the profitability of each contract: the specification that controls scope, the price review that keeps pace with wage costs, the liability cap that matches your insurance, and the exit provisions that deal with your staff when the client changes contractor. I draft those terms for a fixed fee of £995, delivered in five working days.

Who this is for

Commercial cleaning contractors in England and Wales cleaning offices, shops, schools, medical premises, industrial units and communal areas, from a small local contractor to a company running dozens of sites. These are business customers, so the consumer rules do not apply and the terms can be drafted as a proper commercial contract.

What matters in commercial cleaning terms

The specification and inspections

The contract should attach a specification setting out the areas, tasks and frequencies, and say that anything outside it is chargeable. Inspections, a reporting process and the client's right to require re-cleaning of a missed area should be defined, along with how the specification changes by agreement. A client who signs a brief proposal and expects more than it describes is the reason the specification matters.

Access, security and hours

The terms should deal with keys, access cards, alarm codes and out-of-hours access, say that the client is responsible for the security of its premises when it chooses to give you access, and record the hours in which cleaning takes place. Where staff need vetting for a particular site, the terms should say who pays for it and how long it takes.

Staff and what happens on a change of contractor

Cleaning staff are usually employed by you, and when a cleaning contract moves from one contractor to another the staff working on it may transfer to the incoming contractor under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006. The terms should say what information the client and any successor are entitled to, who bears the cost of any employment liabilities on exit, and that the client will not solicit your staff during the contract or for a period after it.

Consumables, equipment and liability

The terms should say whether consumables and equipment are included in the price, how they are charged if not, and who is responsible for the safe storage of chemicals on site, which the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 require to be assessed and controlled. Your liability should be capped at a figure that matches your insurance, with consequential loss excluded. You cannot exclude liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, and any other exclusion in your standard terms is subject to the reasonableness test under the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977.

Term, price review and termination

A commercial cleaning contract needs a minimum term, a notice period after it, a right for you to review the price annually or when statutory wage rates change, and rights to terminate for non-payment or breach. Invoices should be monthly, with interest and fixed compensation on late payment under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998. A right to suspend the service for non-payment on notice is often more effective than an interest clause.

What it costs

Customer or supplier terms and conditions, £995. One set of terms, customer-facing or supplier-facing, drafted for your business. Five working days.

Review of your existing terms, £495. You already have terms and want them checked and brought up to date. Returned marked up with my amendments and an explanation of the changes. Three working days.

Email me at geoffrey@caesar.co.uk with what you need and any documents, and I will confirm the scope and the fee in writing, usually the same working day. If you would rather pay straight away, buying online forms the engagement on payment: the scope is what the terms and conditions drafting page describes, you accept the Terms of Service at checkout, and I will be in touch promptly to get started.

What you get

• A full set of bespoke terms drafted for your business, reflecting the legal requirements that apply to your business and sector
• A note in plain English explaining the terms I have drafted for you
• Liability, payment, termination and IP provisions that protect your position and are drafted to withstand scrutiny from the other side
• Guidance on how to incorporate the terms properly
• Your questions and comments answered by email or phone
• One round of amendments to finalise the terms ready for use

What is not included

• Negotiating your terms with individual customers (I am happy to quote for this as an additional service if required)
• Sector-specific regulatory compliance beyond the contract terms themselves
• Website privacy notice and cookie compliance, which I quote separately
• Terms governed by the law of another country
• Tax advice

Questions I am often asked

Can I pass on the cost of a rise in the minimum wage?

The terms can provide for the price to be adjusted when the rates set under the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 or your other direct costs change, with a mechanism for calculating the increase and a period of notice. Without that term you are absorbing every increase until the contract ends.

What if the client says the standard has dropped and stops paying?

The terms should give the client a defined process, a complaint, an inspection and a re-clean, rather than a right to withhold payment. Withholding should be limited to the disputed part of an invoice, if at all.

Do I need a separate contract for a one-off builders' clean?

The same terms work with a short order form describing the one-off job, the price and the date, so that the liability, payment and access provisions apply without a fresh negotiation.

Related guidance and services

• Terms and conditions drafting, £995, the service this page describes
• Contract review, £495, if a main contractor or business customer has sent you their terms to sign
• Terms and conditions for a domestic cleaning business, for household customers

This page is general guidance for businesses in England and Wales, not advice on your own circumstances. Last reviewed: September 2026. Email geoffrey@caesar.co.uk.