Strata common area cleaning: what a sensible schedule looks like and what it costs in Adelaide
A sensible cleaning schedule for strata and community title common areas in Adelaide: lobbies, lifts, stairwells, bin rooms, car parks and courtyards, with 2026 market costs per visit and per month.
A sensible strata common area cleaning schedule in Adelaide is a weekly visit for a small walk-up block, two to three visits a week for a mid-sized building with a lift, and daily for a tower with a staffed lobby, with bin rooms done on every visit and car parks, courtyards and glass on a monthly to quarterly cycle. At 2026 market rates of $45 to $75 per cleaner hour, that means roughly $90 to $200 a visit for a small block and $400 to $1,500 a month for most mid-sized buildings. What the corporation pays is set by the number of levels, lifts and bin rooms far more than by the floor area.
Updated 3 November 2026. Written by Jordan Sinclair, JC Commercial, Adelaide. Figures are Adelaide market ranges, not JC Commercial’s rates.
Who is responsible, and for what
In South Australia the strata corporation under the Strata Titles Act 1988 (SA), or the community corporation under the Community Titles Act 1996 (SA), is responsible for maintaining the common property: the lobby, stairs, corridors, lifts, bin rooms, car park, driveways, courtyards and the outside of the building. Cleaning is part of that maintenance. The corporation's manager usually arranges the contract, the committee approves the budget, and every owner pays through the levies. Consumer and Business Services SA publishes the plain-language guides to both Acts. The point for cleaning is simple: the corporation owns the schedule, and a schedule written down is the only thing an owner can check a contractor against. Wet floors in a lobby or on a stair are also a safety matter, which is why Safe Work Australia's slips, trips and falls guidance is relevant to a building where the public walks through.
A schedule that works
| Area | Small block (6 to 12 lots, walk-up) | Mid-sized (12 to 40 lots, one or two lifts) | Tower (40 lots and up, staffed lobby) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lobby, entry glass, mailboxes | Weekly | 2 to 3 a week | Daily |
| Stairwells and landings | Weekly | Weekly, spot-cleaned each visit | Twice weekly |
| Lift cars: floors, panels, mirrors, tracks | Not applicable | Every visit | Daily |
| Corridors | Weekly | Weekly vacuum, spot each visit | Twice weekly |
| Bin rooms and bin bays: floor washed, bins wiped, odour treated | Every visit | Every visit | Daily |
| Car park: sweep, oil spots, bays | Quarterly | Monthly sweep, quarterly scrub | Monthly scrub |
| Courtyards, paths, pressure clean | Quarterly | Quarterly | Monthly |
| Common glass and balustrades | Quarterly | Monthly inside, quarterly outside | Monthly |
| Light fittings, high dusting, vents | Twice a year | Quarterly | Quarterly |
| Carpet extraction, common areas | Yearly | Twice a year | Quarterly |
External glass above the ground floor is a specialist access job and sits outside a cleaning schedule; high-rise external window work is quoted separately by rope-access or boom contractors.
What it costs
Strata cleaning is sold as a weekly or monthly figure that is really cleaner hours multiplied by a rate. Across Adelaide in 2026 the routine rate is $45 to $75 per cleaner hour, with the hours per visit set by levels, lifts and bin rooms. Typical ranges:
| Building | Visits | Hours per visit | $ per visit | $ per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small walk-up block, 6 to 12 lots | Weekly | 1.5 to 3 | $90 to $200 | $400 to $850 |
| Mid-sized building, 12 to 40 lots, one or two lifts | 2 to 3 a week | 2 to 4 | $120 to $280 | $1,000 to $3,400 |
| Tower, 40 lots and up, staffed lobby | Daily | 3 to 6 | $180 to $420 | $3,900 to $9,000 |
| Car park scrub (per 1,000 m²) | Monthly to quarterly | 3 to 5 | $250 to $450 | Per job |
| Pressure clean of paths and courtyards | Quarterly | $2 to $4 per m² | Per job |
Bin rooms are the item most often under-allowed. A bin room done properly, with the floor washed, bins wiped, the drain flushed and an odour treatment, takes 20 to 40 minutes a visit and is the single most complained-about space in a building when it is skipped. For how these figures compare with offices and other site types, see the 2026 commercial cleaning cost guide.
What should be in the contract
Four things make a strata cleaning contract work for a committee that is not on site. First, a written, clause-numbered scope listing every common area with the tasks and the frequency, so the manager can answer an owner's question without a site visit. Second, a record of every visit with the time in and out, the areas ticked off and photos of the lobby, lifts and bin room, which is the evidence when an owner says the building was not cleaned. Third, a response term: an issue raised by the manager is acknowledged within 2 hours and resolved within 24, written into the agreement. Fourth, no lock-in contract, with a notice period that applies both ways, so a committee can change contractors at an AGM without a legal argument.
Common mistakes in strata schedules
Three mistakes come up in most of the schedules we see. The first is pricing by floor area, which makes a six-level building with two lifts and three bin rooms look the same as a two-level one with none. The second is leaving periodic work (car park scrub, pressure cleaning, glass, carpet extraction) out of the schedule so it never gets budgeted and never gets done. The third is a contract with no record, which turns every complaint into a dispute between the manager and the contractor with no facts on either side.
JC Commercial cleans strata and community title common areas across Adelaide on a fixed schedule, with a record of every visit the committee can read. The strata cleaning page sets out the method, and a 15-minute walk-through turns the building into a written scope with the price. If you are comparing quotes, the guide to comparing commercial cleaning quotes applies to strata as much as to offices.
FAQs
How often should strata common areas be cleaned?
Weekly for a small walk-up block, two to three times a week for a building with lifts, daily for a tower, with bin rooms every visit and periodic work (car park, glass, pressure cleaning, carpets) on a monthly to quarterly cycle.
Who pays for common area cleaning in a strata building?
The strata or community corporation, through the levies every owner pays. The manager arranges the contract and the committee approves the budget.
What does strata cleaning cost per month in Adelaide?
Roughly $400 to $850 for a small block, $1,000 to $3,400 for a mid-sized building with lifts, and $3,900 to $9,000 for a tower with a daily clean, at 2026 market rates.
Are bins and bin rooms part of common area cleaning?
The bin room and the bins' exteriors are. Putting bins out for collection is a separate service and should be listed in the scope if the corporation wants it included.
Can the committee change cleaning contractors?
Yes, subject to the notice period in the contract. A contract with no lock-in and a notice period both ways makes the change simple; a fixed term with automatic rollover does not.