Guide
Switching cleaning companies: an Oakland handover plan
Changing cleaning companies is mostly a matter of order: check the notice terms, pick the date, move the keys and codes, sort the supplies, then walk the building in the first week. Done in that sequence, the people in the building notice the improvement more than the change.
Check your current notice terms first
Before anything else, pull out the paperwork from your current company and find three things: the notice period, the end date or renewal terms, and any clause about equipment or supplies left on site. Those lines decide how soon the new crew starts.
Count back from the date you want to begin. Send notice by whatever method that paperwork names, and file a dated copy with the building records. If your service renews automatically, note the window for ending it so it does not roll over while you are planning.
Meanwhile, book the walkthrough with the company taking over; our guide to choosing a cleaning company covers what that visit should include. Every quote we prepare includes one, and it lets the new plan be ready well before the last night of the old service.
Choosing the changeover date
Pick a start that keeps the building covered: the old company’s last visit and the new crew’s first should sit back to back. A midweek start helps, because staff are in the next morning to say what they see.
Avoid weeks that already carry pressure, such as a tenant move-in, a building owner’s visit, or an event in the lobby. In an Oakland high-rise, check whether the building needs advance notice to add a new vendor to its after-hours access list.
Hold the walkthrough with the incoming company a few weeks before the start, so the cleaning plan, the supply arrangement and the access steps are settled ahead of the first night. Leaving those details to the first visit puts a crew in an unfamiliar building with open questions.
Keys, fobs, alarm codes and building access
Collect every key and fob from the outgoing company and log each one. Change alarm codes and issue new ones to the incoming crew. Tell the security desk or property manager the name of the new company and the hours its crew will arrive.
List the rooms that stay locked, any areas the crew should leave alone, and the door they should use after hours. Write those details down for the new company so the first visit starts without a phone call.
Supplies, storage and the janitor’s closet
Walk the storage closet before the handover. Count the paper products, soap and liners on hand and settle with the outgoing company what belongs to whom. Equipment or chemicals they own should leave with them.
Then agree on who stocks restroom supplies from the first night, and make sure the new crew has a clear shelf and a place for its own equipment. A tidy closet on day one keeps restocking quick and keeps the space safe.
Check the floor care calendar as well. If a refinish or a round of carpet extraction is due, decide whether it happens before the changeover, so the new crew starts on fresh floors, or after the routine settles. Either way, list it in the new plan with a target month.
The first week and telling people
Tell staff and tenants a few days ahead: which night the new crew starts, when they will be in the building, and who to contact with feedback. In apartment properties, the property team usually posts the notice for residents; our guide to apartment common areas explains how visits fit around resident hours.
After the first few visits, walk the building with the crew lead. Mark anything missed, confirm restroom restocking and bin handling, and adjust intervals where a room needs more or less attention. Buildings with busy daytimes often add a porter at this stage; our guide to porters and nightly crews lays out how they divide the work.
By the end of the month, the new janitorial routine should feel ordinary, which is the point of a good changeover.
A few useful answers
Quick answers.
How far ahead should we tell our current cleaners we are leaving?
Check the notice period in your current paperwork, then count back from the date you want the new crew to start. Send it by the method that paperwork names.
Who keeps the paper and soap stock the outgoing company leaves?
Count them and settle ownership with the outgoing company. Whatever belongs to the building stays for the new crew to use.
What should tenants be told when the cleaning crew changes?
A short note a few days ahead with the start night, the crew’s hours and a contact for feedback works well.
Who walks the building with us before the first night?
Our team does, as part of the quote. That visit sets the plan the crew follows from its first night.
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