Switching commercial cleaners without a gap: notice, handover and the first week
How to change commercial cleaning contractors in Adelaide without a missed night: reading the notice clause, timing the switch, keys and alarms, the first-week scope, and what to ask the new contractor for.
Changing commercial cleaning contractors does not have to mean a week of overflowing bins. Done in the right order, the outgoing contractor’s last visit is on one night and the new contractor’s first visit is the next. The order is: read the notice clause in the current agreement before anything else, get the new contractor’s written scope and price in hand, give notice in writing with a date, then hand over keys, alarm codes and the site record in the week before the switch. The thing that causes gaps is giving notice first and sorting the replacement second.
Updated 2 November 2026. Written by Jordan Sinclair, JC Commercial, Adelaide. Figures are Adelaide market ranges, not JC Commercial’s rates.
Step one: read the agreement you already have
Most Adelaide cleaning agreements have one of three notice arrangements. A rolling agreement with a notice period, usually 30 days, that applies both ways. A fixed term, often 12 months, that rolls over automatically unless notice is given inside a window before the anniversary. Or no written agreement at all, which happens more than people expect and leaves both sides with whatever the last email said.
Find the clause and write down three things: the notice period, how notice must be given (email is usually fine, but some agreements say registered post), and whether there is a fixed term with a rollover date. If the rollover is next month and you miss it, you may be paying for a year you do not want, so the date drives the whole timetable.
If the agreement has no notice clause, 30 days in writing is the reasonable default. If the contractor has been failing on the scope, a shorter period can usually be agreed, but put the failures in writing first.
Step two: have the replacement ready before you give notice
The gap almost always comes from giving notice early, feeling relieved, and then discovering the new contractor needs three weeks to start. Reverse the order. Get the new contractor to walk the site, issue a written scope with the price and the hours per visit, confirm their start date, and send the insurance certificate and the names of the people who will attend. Then give notice, dated so the old contractor’s last night and the new contractor’s first night are consecutive.
The written scope matters more during a switch than at any other time, because it is the document both sides will use to settle what "the standard" is. If the new scope lists every area, task and frequency, the first-week conversation about what was and was not done is short. The guide to comparing quotes covers what the scope should contain.
Step three: give notice properly
Email the notice to the contact named in the agreement, with the last service date stated, and ask for written confirmation. Keep it short and civil; you may want them to hand over cleanly, and you may want a reference from them later. State that keys, swipe cards and any equipment stored on site are to be returned on the last night, and ask for the final invoice to be issued to the last service date.
If the agreement is a fixed term with time still to run, ask for an early release in writing. Many contractors will agree rather than service a site that has already decided to leave. If they refuse, the fixed term stands and the switch date becomes the end of the term.
Step four: the handover week
| Item | Who | When |
|---|---|---|
| Keys, swipe cards and fobs: count what the old contractor holds, collect on the last night, issue to the new contractor the next day | Site contact | Last week |
| Alarm codes: issue a new user code to the new contractor and delete the old one the morning after the last visit | Site contact and alarm company | Day of switch |
| Site induction for the new crew: entry, alarm, lock-up sequence, lights, after-hours contact, fire exits, any restricted areas | Site contact and new contractor | Before first visit |
| Cleaner’s store: empty of the old contractor’s chemicals and equipment, keyed for the new contractor | Both contractors | Last night and first night |
| Consumables: who orders toilet paper, hand towel and soap from the switch date, and what stock is on site | Site contact | Last week |
| Periodical work: what was last done and when (carpets, floors, high dusting), so the new contractor can schedule the next round | Old contractor if they will say; otherwise the new contractor assesses on the first visit | Before first visit |
| Staff notice: tell the office the cleaner is changing, who the new contact is, and how to report a problem | Site contact | Day before switch |
Step five: the first visit and the first week
The first visit under a new contractor is usually longer than a normal visit, because the site is being brought up to the new scope rather than maintained at it. Ask the new contractor to say up front whether a first-visit catch-up is included or priced separately, and what it covers: the descale of the washrooms, the kitchen deep clean, the edges and corners the old contractor stopped doing, the bins that were never washed. Some contractors include a make-good of the washrooms and kitchen in the first week at no charge; if so, get it in the scope.
From the first night, ask for the visit record: the sign-in and sign-out time, each area ticked off against the scope, and photos of the areas that matter. The first week’s records are what let you see the new standard being set, and what settle any question from staff about whether the cleaner came. A contractor who sends that record every visit has made the switch visible; one who does not has asked you to take it on trust again.
Agree how problems get reported and how fast they get fixed. A 2-hour acknowledgement and a 24-hour fix written into the agreement means the first missed bin in week two is a phone call, not the start of the next switch.
Why switches go wrong
- Notice given before the replacement was confirmed, leaving a gap of one to three weeks.
- The rollover date missed, so the old agreement runs another year.
- Keys not counted, so the old contractor still has access a month later.
- No written scope with the new contractor, so the first dispute has nothing to refer to.
- No first-visit catch-up allowed for, so the new contractor is blamed for the old contractor’s backlog.
- Staff not told, so the new cleaner is challenged at the door on night one.
Choosing the next contractor so you do not switch again
The next agreement should be the one you can leave easily and will not want to. A no lock-in arrangement with a written notice period that applies both ways means the contractor keeps the work because the work is good. A scope you can read, a record you receive after every visit, a response term in writing, and an hourly figure that could actually pay the award are the four things that separate a contractor you keep from one you replace in a year.
JC Commercial takes on sites from other contractors across Adelaide with the first visit booked for the day after the old agreement ends. A 15-minute walk-through produces the written scope and the price the next business day, and the commercial cleaning page sets out what every site gets.
FAQs
Check the new quote against the 2026 cost guide before you sign.
How much notice do I have to give a commercial cleaning company?
Whatever the agreement says, commonly 30 days. If there is no agreement, 30 days in writing is the reasonable default. Check for a fixed term with an automatic rollover before you give notice.
Can I switch cleaners mid-contract?
Only with the contractor’s agreement, unless the contract allows termination for failure to perform and you have documented the failures. Ask for an early release in writing; many contractors will agree.
Should the old and new cleaners overlap?
No. Consecutive nights is better than overlap. Two contractors on the same site for a week leads to disputes about who did what and who holds the keys.
Will the new cleaner charge extra for the first visit?
Often, if the site has fallen behind. Ask before the switch what the first-visit catch-up includes and whether it is priced separately or included in the first week.
What if the old contractor will not return the keys?
Change the locks or the swipe access and reissue to the new contractor. It is cheaper than the risk, and the cost can be deducted from the final invoice if the agreement provides for it.