Step 1: Check Contract Notice Terms & TUPE
Most commercial cleaning contracts in London specify a 30-day or 90-day written notice period. Check whether TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment) applies if existing cleaners are being retained, and confirm whether your notice period counts from the date you give it or from the end of a rolling contract term — the two can land weeks apart.
Office cleaning is one of the examples ACAS gives for a TUPE "service provision change" under Regulation 3 of the TUPE 2006 Regulations — worth reading before you assume you can simply swap providers and staff.
Step 2: Budget for the Handover Period
A short overlap where you're technically paying both contractors is the safest way to guarantee zero gap in cleaning, but it does mean a few extra days or weeks of double cost. If budget doesn't allow for overlap, agree a single hard cutover date instead — just make sure your new provider's staffing and equipment are confirmed before your old contract actually ends, not after.
Step 3: Require Transparent SLA & Photo Auditing
When inviting new contractors to tender, ensure they provide digital photo auditing, DBS background checks, and explicit absence cover guarantees so standards don't drop. Ask each provider for a written SLA before you sign, not just a verbal assurance, so you have something to hold them to if standards slip later.
Step 4: Tell Staff and Building Occupants What's Changing
A cleaning contractor switch is invisible to most staff when it's done well, but access codes, out-of-hours schedules, or reception sign-in procedures sometimes change with a new provider. A short internal notice a week or two before the switch — who to contact, what's changing, what isn't — heads off confused calls to facilities on day one.
Step 5: Organize Seamless Key & Alarm Handover
Coordinate access code resets and key handovers for out-of-hours cleaning so there is zero gap in security or cleaning continuity. Change any shared alarm codes the outgoing contractor had, not just the physical keys, and confirm in writing who holds access from the switch date onward.
Step 6: Inspect the First Clean Before You Sign Off
Walk the site against an agreed checklist after the new contractor's first visit — washrooms, kitchens, high-touch points, and any areas your previous contractor had let slip. Raising issues against the first clean, while expectations are freshly set, is far easier than trying to correct standards a few months in.
What to Check For in Your New Contract
| Contract Feature | Weak Contract | Strong Contract |
|---|---|---|
| Quality checks | Verbal assurances only | Photo-based audit reports after each visit |
| Staff vetting | Unconfirmed | DBS-checked, named cleaners on file |
| Absence cover | Best-effort, no guarantee | Standby cover written into the SLA |
| Notice period | Long minimum term, no exit clause | Clear notice terms and a for-cause exit route |
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Book Site SurveyFrequently Asked Questions
How much notice do I need to give my current cleaning company? ↓
Most UK commercial cleaning contracts specify a 30-day or 90-day written notice period, but check your own agreement — some run to the end of a rolling term rather than counting from the date you give notice, which changes your real cut-off date.
Will there be a gap in cleaning while I switch providers? ↓
Not if the handover is planned properly. You can either run a short overlap where both contractors are briefly under contract, or agree a single hard cutover date once your new provider's site survey and staffing are confirmed.
Does TUPE apply when I change commercial cleaning contractors? ↓
Usually, yes. Regulation 3 of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (SI 2006/246) covers 'service provision changes', and ACAS guidance specifically lists office cleaning contracts changing hands as a typical example — the cleaning staff assigned to your site normally transfer to the new contractor on their existing terms. Ask both your outgoing and incoming provider to confirm in writing whether it applies before you sign anything.
What should I check during the new contractor's first clean? ↓
Walk the site against the same checklist you'll use for every future audit — washrooms, kitchens and high-touch points, plus any areas your outgoing contractor had let slip — before signing off on the first invoice.
Can I terminate my cleaning contract early if the service is failing? ↓
Most contracts include a for-cause termination clause for repeated missed cleans or breach of agreed standards, separate from the standard notice period. Check your contract's breach and remedy clause — it can sometimes let you exit faster than a routine 30 or 90-day notice.