How to Switch Cleaning Companies Without a Gap

Most building owners stay with a cleaning company they're unhappy with for one reason: switching sounds like a hassle. Nobody wants a week of overflowing trash while one company leaves and the next figures out the building. Done in the right order, the switch takes a couple of weeks of planning and nobody in the building notices anything except that it got cleaner.

1. Read your current agreement

Find the notice period and how notice has to be given. Many cleaning agreements ask for written notice a set number of days ahead, and some renew automatically. Knowing the exact date lets the new company start the night after the old one stops, with no gap and no overlap you pay twice for.

2. Write down what's going wrong

Before you talk to anyone new, list the problems: missed restrooms, trash left behind, floors that never get done, a different crew every week, nobody answering the phone. That list tells you what to ask every bidder, and it becomes part of the new scope.

3. Get a written scope, room by room

A vague scope is where most cleaning problems start. The new agreement should list every area, every task and how often it happens. Our free cleaning scope checklist walks you through it. Hand the same sheet to every company you talk to so their proposals compare apples to apples.

4. Ask who will actually clean

The salesperson isn't the one in your building at night. Ask who the crew will be, whether they're the company's own people or subcontractors, how often a supervisor checks the work, and who you call when something is missed. More questions in 5 questions to ask any cleaning vendor.

5. Plan the handoff

• Keys and access. Collect keys and cards from the old company and change door or alarm codes if they had them.
• Supplies. Agree who stocks paper, soap and liners from day one.
• Closets and equipment. Make sure the old company's equipment is out and the new one has a place to store theirs.
• Start date. The night after the old service ends.

6. Walk the building after the first week

Do a walkthrough with the new company at the end of week one. Go room by room against the scope, point out anything missed, and agree on fixes. A good company expects this and wants it. After that, a quick check-in each month keeps it on track.

What switching to Fortis looks like

We walk the building with you and send a written scope within 48 hours. We plan the start date around your current notice period so there's no gap, our own crew starts the night your old service ends, and we walk it with you after the first week. Call or text us at 309-269-2752, or see commercial cleaning.