Five things to look for when hiring a cleaning company
There are a lot of cleaning companies and the differences are not obvious from a website. These five checks separate them quickly.
If you are a new parent, a pet owner, or working full time, keeping a house clean takes effort you may not have. Hiring it out gets that time back. The hard part is telling the good companies from the rest before you have handed someone a key.
1. Bonded and insured
A surety bond and insurance mean there is financial coverage if something is damaged, if something goes missing, or if the service you paid for is not delivered. Ask for it in writing rather than taking a website badge at face value. Suncoast Cleaning is licensed and insured and runs level 2 background checks on all employees.
2. How they price
Ask whether the rate is fixed or hourly, and what the reasoning is. Hourly can work, but it means the invoice is unknown until the job is done. Understand the structure before the first visit so nothing on the bill is a surprise.
3. A real checklist
Ask whether the company works from a written checklist. You almost certainly have specific things you want done a specific way, and a checklist is how those get recorded instead of remembered. We use a four page checklist, front and back, on every job.
4. Timeliness
Showing up when they said they would is the cheapest signal of how the rest of the work will go. Scheduling should also be convenient rather than something you have to chase.
5. References you can check
Ask for customers you can actually contact, or look at reviews tied to a real business profile. Anyone can print a testimonial with a first name on it.