After many attempts at DIY-ing your vacation rental property‘s cleaning, you’ve finally decided to outsource your requirements to a cleaning company. You’ve finalized a solid contractor for the work, completed the initial negotiations, and set a date for them to begin.
But that’s not all. You need a vacation rental cleaning contract to put everything on paper and formalize your relationship with your cleaning provider.
Creating a cleaning contract isn’t easy. You’ll need to take a closer look at aspects like the scope of work, designated duties for both parties, timelines, and equipment.
Given how important a foolproof cleaning contract is, it’s best to do your research and rely on expert advice to draft a solid agreement. In this article, we’ll walk you through a few must-have elements to cover in your contract (and a lesser-known tip to make it work).
Here’s what we’ll cover:
- What is a vacation rental cleaning contract?
- Why do vacation rental hosts need cleaning contracts?
- What to look for in a cleaning services contract
- Top tip for managing your vacation rental cleaning services
- Frequently asked questions about vacation rental cleaning contracts
What is a vacation rental cleaning contract?
A vacation rental cleaning contract is a legally binding document between a cleaning service provider and a rental property owner/host. This signed agreement defines the responsibilities of both parties and clearly outlines the scope of work. It also includes crucial details like the cleaning standards, timelines, payment terms, and other mutually agreed conditions.
How to write a cleaning service contract for Airbnb and Vrbo
You can create a cleaning service contract in one of these three ways:
- Write a contract from scratch by looking at multiple agreements available online
- Select a template and customize it to match your terms
- Hire an expert and chalk out a foolproof agreement
Writing a contract from scratch might not be ideal if you’re unfamiliar with the legal language. Then again hiring an expert to draft this agreement can be too costly for some Airbnb hosts.
A template contract with a premade layout can help you design a solid agreement that protects your interests. You can download the template now—but stay with us to learn more about creating a well-crafted vacation rental cleaning contract that covers all bases.
Why do vacation rental hosts need cleaning contracts?
If you run a short-term rental business, house cleaning could be one of your biggest headaches, especially in the peak season. Working with a professional cleaning service provider can ease your workload and free up your schedule to focus on more critical aspects of your guest experience.
But that’s not all. There are huge benefits to stepping back from doing your own cleaning and outsourcing to professionals (trust us, it’s well worth the cleaning fee).
Benefits of outsourcing professional cleaning services
Managing a full-time cleaning team requires careful resource planning, task management, and a fair bit of to and fro—which isn’t for everyone. Here’s how a professional cleaning team can benefit you:
- Save time. Let your cleaning team manage their own schedules per your needs while you invest your time in maintaining your listing, guest communication, and vacation rental management.
- Excellent ambiance. A well-kept vacation home delivers a far better guest experience when compared to standard hotels. But guests still expect professional standard cleaning at an Airbnb. Keep your rooms ultra-clean to show off your property’s best features.
- Resource management. DIY-ing your cleaning requirements means you have to stay on top of cleaning supplies and occupancy status. Professional vacation rental cleaners take care of all that, so you’ll never worry about restocking the hand soap again.
- Pet-friendly property. Professional cleaning means you don’t have to worry about allergic reactions, unsightly pet hair, or drool strains, and your guests can travel with their furry friends.
Cleanliness is a non-negotiable part of managing a vacation rental. By outsourcing short term rental cleaning needs to pros, you can better deliver on guest expectations and get amazing reviews. But you might find yourself in trouble without an airtight cleaning service contract.
4 times you’ll wish you had a cleaning contract
A vacation rental cleaning contract does a lot more than just finalizing the scope of work and payments. It documents your expectations from the service provider and establishes the context for a healthy relationship.
Here are four key challenges you can solve with a cleaning contract:
- Your cleaners claim a certain task is out of scope. A cleaning contract outlines everything your provider has to do under the scope of work, taking all the guesswork out of the equation. This clarifies both parties’ expectations and leaves little room for scope creep.
- There are significant delays to property turnover. What happens if you hire a cleaning service provider and they work at a very slow pace to meet your requirements? This is where a contract will define timelines and give your provider a roadmap to complete the job faster.
- You’re experiencing inconsistent cleans. Any service provider would fail to produce quality results if you don’t give them clarity on how you expect them to carry out different tasks. You can outline your processes in a detailed contract to make the service delivery seamless.
- You keep facing unexpected disputes and misunderstandings. A contract documents all the mutually agreed terms of work. In case of a dispute, either party can refer to this agreement and resolve the matter based on the already agreed terms.
Put simply, a vacation rental cleaning contract protects your interests while bringing your service provider on the same page as you. Make sure you include all the crucial details to make it airtight in every circumstance.
What to look for in a cleaning services contract
A cleaning services contract for your vacation rental property would ideally establish your expectations of the service provider and define the scope of work. This agreement typically includes both parties’ details, the purpose of the contract, and its validity.
Your contract must include
- Scope of work
- Cleaning standards
- Equipment requirements
- Payment terms
- Force majeure
- Dispute resolution
Scope of work
The section detailing the scope of work is arguably the most essential part of the contract. This is where you must clearly lay down your cleaning team‘s responsibilities. Be as specific and detailed as possible to avoid any gray areas.
You can list daily, weekly, bimonthly, and monthly responsibilities to give your team better insight into their work. This section can also describe any existing workflows you follow, like the process for scheduling cleaning sessions or the steps for guests to call housekeeping.
Partnering with Jetstream can help you avoid scope creep by sending the cleaning team real-time alerts for every new cleaning job or guest request. You can also get better visibility into room occupancy and bookings from a single calendar since they’re automatically assigned. Lastly, you can add a cleaning checklist to ensure you’re being absolutely transparent.
Jetstream integrates with Operto Teams to help you manage and finalize cleaning schedules seamlessly.
Cleaning standards
Setting proper benchmarks is a great way to make work easier for your contractor. These are the cleaning processes and standards they should follow and strive to achieve through their work.
While there’s no one-size-fits-all cleaning benchmark, here are a few common standards vacation rental owners go for:
- Regular cleaning before, during, and after a stay
- Monthly deep-cleans and bimonthly fumigation
- Inventory management and restocking supplies
- Property inspection for maintenance and missing items
This section of your contract will essentially go deeper into the scope of work and clarify your expectations more explicitly. So, use this section to paint a picture of what your property typically looks like and pinpoint the steps you want to take to maintain this appearance.
Equipment requirements
It’s critical to cover requirements like supplies and equipment when finalizing the terms of your cleaning services agreement.
Will your contractor bring all the cleaning equipment? Will you have to give them tools like vacuum cleaners and mops? Answer all such questions to avoid any conflict later on.
If the service provider agrees to use their own supplies, mention it in the contract. You can also outline inventory management terms, so they don’t run out of supplies, especially during the peak season.
This is the part where you can mention any specific requirements for your property. A boutique hotel, for instance, might have different cleaning standards than a regular property. So, use this section to clarify the equipment and supplies your contractor would need to meet your property’s cleaning standards.
Payment terms
The payment terms are one of the most critical components of a good contract. Listing the cleaning costs in the contract minimizes the chances of re-negotiation and possible disputes once the project starts.
You have to add your service provider’s package fee in the agreement along with a list of add-on services outside the package. Carefully assess your cleaning needs and make your payment terms as precise as possible with all the potential add-ons you might need, like last-minute cleaning requirements or quick turnarounds.
The payout timeline for your Airbnb management costs is another vital point to cover in this section. Whether you process invoices on a weekly, bimonthly, or monthly basis, mention it clearly in the agreement to avoid clashes at a later date.
Force Majeure
A cleaning contract should protect both parties in adverse scenarios, like non-performance of responsibilities in circumstances outside their control.
Think of a case where your contractor can’t perform their duties because your property is under lockdown. Will they get paid in full, or will they receive a percentage of their original fee? The force majeure clause addresses this uncertainty with mutually agreed terms for situations of non-performance.
You can include a force majeure clause in two ways:
- Broad and negotiable. When the clause comes into action, the two parties can mutually decide the course of action instead of creating strict regulations.
- Specific and fixed. This means that the clause can be applied only when the event(s) aligns with the parameters outlined in the agreement. You can also decide the grounds for compensation if this clause is applicable.
It’s important to include a force majeure clause in your cleaning contract to protect your interests and pay your contractor as agreed beforehand.
Dispute resolution
Another must-have component of your cleaning contract is the dispute resolution process. Explain the procedure and protocols to resolve any disputes between you and the contractor.
For instance, you can raise a dispute as a host if the contractor fails to complete a cleaning job within the agreed time frame. On the flip side, the service provider can raise a dispute against you if they don’t get paid on time. The dispute resolution clause establishes the basic ground rules to handle conflicts professionally.
Top tip for managing your vacation rental cleaning services
Outsourcing your vacation rental cleaning is just the first step. You can streamline your cleaning schedules and empower your service provider to do more with cleaning management software like Operto Teams and Breezeway.
Operto Teams is a one-stop tool to maintain room readiness by simplifying coordination with your cleaners. It helps you:
- Schedule cleaning and housekeeping tasks on a calendar
- Organize every task and add details about the employees responsible
- Automate and schedule repetitive tasks or set rules to auto-generate tasks
- Real-time alerts for housekeeping requests
Jetstream integrates with Operto Teams to automatically schedule cleaning jobs, manage team calendars, and host cleaning checklists from a single source of truth.
Alternatively, you can also try Breezeway to stay on top of cleaning needs. The tool allows you to:
- Create, schedule, and monitor tasks with the designated staff and timelines
- Get real-time requests and assign tasks directly from these message requests
- Supervise the team’s availability and location before assigning a task
- Make customized workflows to automate specific tasks
Jetstream integrates with Breezeway to automate your operations by coordinating and communicating property care tasks.
But what if you don’t have time to get familiar with a new tech stack? The best part about working with these tools is that they’re all partnered with Jetstream, so you don’t actually need to spend any time using them. Our team will get you connected and handle all guest communications and service requests on your behalf.
Plug-and-play vacation rental cleaning contract template
Cleaning is undoubtedly one of the biggest priorities for any vacation rental host. Outsourcing it to a professional team would get half the job done, leaving the job of managing and streamlining their work for you.
The good news is Jetstream integrates with scheduling and management software like Operto Teams and Breezeway to schedule cleans, automatically sync up your calendars, and manage your team’s availability for you.
Jetstream’s consultancy services can get you started with finding the right contractors for your cleaning services, plus we’ll handle all guest communications for you.
Frequently asked questions about vacation rental cleaning contracts
How do I start cleaning my vacation rental?
To start cleaning your vacation rental property, you should:
- Clean the walls, drawers, and any place that takes dust
- Sweep and mop your floors (and walls, if required) and vacuum the carpets
- Collect the trash and throw it out
- Clean the bathroom and kitchen
- Change the linen and wipe the bedside table and headboard
What are the best vacation rental cleaning tips?
The best tips for cleaning your vacation rental efficiently are:
- Create a checklist of things to do and assign a time limit per task
- Start with the deep cleaning chores and move to the standard ones later
- Get a cleaning caddy to keep all your equipment in one place and easily accessible
- Take ample breaks and distribute the work throughout the day or multiple days
- Take help from cleaning professionals and outsource your cleaning needs
How do I automate cleaning on Airbnb?
To automate cleaning on Airbnb, you need a cleaning team and scheduling and management software. You can create or auto-generate tasks, assign them to your staff or cleaning professionals, and monitor every activity through this software.
