Summary
– What are building cleaning needs?
– Building cleaning: maintenance of common areas
– Who’s in charge of building cleaning?
– How much does it cost to maintain a building?
Building cleaning is part of the industrial cleaning sector, like commercial cleaning and office cleaning.
A collective dwelling, such as a co-ownership, operates as a business in terms of hygiene and maintenance. Building cleaning includes cleaning of premises, street cleaning and garden cleaning.
What are the requirements for building cleaning?
The cleaning of a building includes a range of services:
– floor maintenance: vacuuming, washing, the dusting of furniture, etc.;
– the application of wax on wooded areas;
– the cleaning of glass parts;
– the cleaning of ramps, lift buttons, switches, etc.;
– maintenance of green areas;
– maintenance of external accesses, drainage channels and parking lots;
– taking out and cleaning the garbage.
Building cleaning: maintenance of common areas
In co-ownership, a maintenance book must be established by the syndic:
– it must be kept at the disposal of the co-owners, or even any potential buyer;
– it must include a chapter for each sector (each building, green spaces, premises for rubbish bins, car parks, etc.);
– it must mention the address of the building and the insurance contracts;
it must specify the dates on which major work is to be carried out (to serve as a benchmark and to determine the periodicity of certain specialized cleaning tasks such as façade cleaning);
– it must mention the references for the maintenance contracts and the associated schedule.
In co-ownership, the choice of maintenance method for common areas and, where applicable, the choice of cleaning company must be made according to specific rules. It is during a general meeting of co-owners that the majority of the co-owners vote for a solution. It is, therefore, preferable to ask the cleaning companies for quotes as soon as the issue is put on the agenda.
Who will take care of building cleaning?
Several solutions are available to the syndics and co-owners of collective residence buildings:
The caretaker:
In the past, cleaning responsibilities were the responsibility of the building caretaker. Since the boom of intercom systems and the Internet, this profession is tending to disappear, and many co-owners have to find other solutions.
Nevertheless, in properties where the caretaker’s lodge is still occupied, the caretaker may be in charge of the maintenance of the common areas (cleaning of the hall, corridors, maintenance of green areas, taking out the garbage…).
Maintenance agents and cleaning companies:
More and more condominiums prefer to call a maintenance company rather than employing a permanent employee to clean the premises.
Using an independent company allows for continuous maintenance, not constrained by the caretaker’s holiday dates.
How much does it cost to maintain a building?
The overall price of cleaning a building is not a fixed price. It depends on the configuration of the premises, the specificity of the needs, the desired frequency of maintenance, etc.
It is therefore recommended that the co-owners draw up a set of specifications for consultation with companies. Different estimates must then be compared to select the most interesting solution.
Hope this helps you out. Remember to leave your comments below.
