Switching commercial cleaning companies takes about 30 days when it’s planned well: give notice, overlap the start date, hand over access, and walk the building with the new crew in week one. Most property managers who put it off do so because they’re worried about a week of dirty lobbies and angry tenants. That gap is avoidable.
This guide covers when it’s time to switch, how to move vendors without a missed night, and what to ask a new company before you sign. If you’re still comparing vendors, start with our 8-point checklist for Florida property managers.
Why January Is When Most Property Managers Switch
January is when budgets reset, contracts come up for renewal and the board wants to know what it’s paying for. It’s also right after the holidays, when buildings take their heaviest traffic of the year. If the cleaning held up badly in December, you’ll know.
That makes the start of the year the easiest time to make a change. The decision is already on the table.
7 Signs It’s Time to Switch
One bad night isn’t a reason to change vendors. A pattern is. Watch for these:
- You’re the quality control. You walk the floors to check the work, and you find the misses before the vendor does.
- You send the same email every week. The same restroom, the same trash room, the same missed floor.
- The crew keeps changing. Every new crew needs the scope explained again, and nobody knows the building.
- Nobody answers. You leave a message with a call center and wait a day for a callback.
- There’s no proof of visits. If you asked whether the crew was on site last Tuesday, the vendor couldn’t show you.
- Tenants or residents are complaining to you, not to the cleaning company.
- The scope has drifted. Tasks that were in the agreement quietly stopped happening.
If three or more of these sound familiar, the problem isn’t the building. It’s the cleaning program. Our page on commercial cleaning quality control explains what a vendor should be able to show you instead.
Before You Give Notice
Read your current agreement first. Look for:
- The notice period. Many janitorial agreements require 30, 60 or 90 days’ written notice. Some renew automatically if you miss the window.
- Termination terms. Check whether you can cancel for cause, for convenience, or only at the end of a term.
- Who owns what. Supplies, paper products, equipment and dispensers may belong to the vendor. Know what will leave with them.
- Keys, cards and codes. List every key, access card, alarm code and gate fob the current crew holds.
Then line up the new vendor before you send notice. You want a signed start date before the old company’s last night.
How to Transition Without a Gap in Service
Here’s the order that keeps the building clean through the switch:
- Walk the building with the new vendor (week 1). Show them every space, the problem areas and the tenant complaints. A good vendor asks more questions than you expect.
- Get a written scope and quote (week 1 to 2). Confirm the scope matches what you need, not what the old contract said.
- Sign and set a start date (week 2). Make the start date the night after the old vendor’s last service, or overlap by a night for large buildings.
- Give notice to the current vendor (week 2). Put it in writing and follow the method the agreement requires.
- Plan the access handover (week 3). Collect keys and cards from the old crew on their last night, and issue new ones to the new crew before their first. Change alarm codes.
- Stock supplies (week 3). If supplies leave with the old vendor, have the new vendor’s supplies on site before night one.
- First-week walkthrough (week 4). Walk the building with the new supervisor after the first few nights and adjust the scope.
Tell tenants or residents the date of the change and who to contact. People complain less when they know what’s happening.
10 Questions to Ask a New Cleaning Company
Ask every vendor the same questions so you can compare answers side by side:
- Can you show me proof that the crew was on site each night?
- Who inspects the work, how often, and can I see the inspection reports?
- Who is my day-to-day contact, and do they answer the phone?
- Is there a local supervisor who can be on site the same day?
- What happens when something is missed, and how fast is it fixed?
- Will the same crew clean my building most nights?
- Are your staff background-checked, and what insurance do you carry?
- Do you require a long-term contract?
- How do you handle onboarding in the first 30 days?
- Can you cover my other properties under one program?
If a vendor can’t answer the first two with something you can see, keep looking. For more on vetting vendors, including a scoring sheet, see our property manager checklist.
What a Good First 30 Days Looks Like
The first month tells you whether you made the right call. By day 30 you should have:
- A written scope that matches what’s actually being cleaned
- A schedule you can see, with visit records you can check
- At least one walkthrough with your supervisor
- Inspection reports, ideally with photos
- Fewer complaints than the month before
If you’re still walking the floors yourself to check the work at the end of the month, raise it right away.
Don’t Trade One Long Contract for Another
If you’re leaving a vendor because you felt stuck, don’t sign a three-year agreement with the next one. Clean Space doesn’t require long-term contracts, and every account has a 100% satisfaction guarantee. You can read more in our FAQ.
We’d rather keep clients because the work is good, not because the contract says they can’t leave.
How Clean Space Handles a Vendor Switch
Clean Space has cleaned Florida commercial buildings since 2011, and we’ve taken over plenty of buildings from other vendors. When you switch to us:
- We walk your building for free and send a custom quote within 24 hours.
- Most first cleanings start within a week.
- Every visit is GPS-verified through Clean Corner, our operations platform, and supervisors complete inspections with photos.
- You get a dedicated account manager and local supervisors.
- Property managers with several buildings can put them all on one multi-location program.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to switch commercial cleaning companies?
Most switches take about 30 days from the first walkthrough to the new vendor’s first night. The notice period in your current agreement is usually what sets the timeline.
Can I switch cleaning companies in the middle of a contract?
It depends on the termination terms in your agreement. Many contracts allow cancellation with written notice, and some allow it for cause if the vendor isn’t meeting the scope. Read the agreement before giving notice.
How do I avoid a gap in cleaning when I change vendors?
Sign with the new vendor and set the start date before you give notice. Schedule the first night for the day after the old vendor’s last service, and hand over keys and access cards in between.
What should I ask a new janitorial company?
Ask for proof of visits, who inspects the work, who your contact is, how misses are fixed, and whether they require a long-term contract.
Does Clean Space require a long-term contract?
No. Clean Space works without long-term contracts and offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
Ready to Make the Switch?
Book a free walkthrough and we’ll plan your transition date with you, so there’s no gap in service.