Cleaning Contract Template for Ireland

Why You Need a Proper Cleaning Contract

A handshake agreement with your cleaning provider is not sufficient for commercial cleaning in Ireland. Without a formal contract, you have no defined scope of work (leading to disputes about what is and is not included), no insurance verification (exposing you to liability if a cleaner is injured on your premises), no TUPE protection (creating legal risk when you change providers), no quality standards (making it impossible to hold the provider accountable), and no termination provisions (leaving you trapped in an unsatisfactory arrangement).

A well-structured cleaning contract protects both parties: the client gets defined service levels, insurance protection, and clear termination rights; the contractor gets payment certainty, scope clarity, and protection against scope creep. This guide walks through every element that should be in a cleaning contract for Irish businesses.

Essential Sections of a Cleaning Contract

1. Parties and Premises

The contract must clearly identify the client (legal entity name, company registration number, registered address), the contractor (legal entity name, CRO number, registered address), and the premises (full address, floor area, number of floors, access arrangements). If the contract covers multiple sites, each site should be listed in a schedule with its own specification and pricing.

2. Scope of Work (Cleaning Specification)

The cleaning specification is the most important section of any cleaning contract. It defines exactly what will be cleaned, how often, and to what standard. Without a detailed specification, disputes are inevitable.

A good cleaning specification includes:

• Room-by-room task list — Every room or zone listed with the specific tasks to be performed (e.g., “Reception: vacuum carpet, damp-mop hard floor, wipe reception desk, clean glass entrance doors, empty waste bins, replenish hand sanitiser”)
• Frequency for each task — Daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annually. Use a matrix format: rooms down the left, frequencies across the top, tasks in each cell.
• Standards — Define what “clean” means. Reference the BICSc (British Institute of Cleaning Science) appearance standards or create your own photographic standard.
• Exclusions — Explicitly state what is NOT included (e.g., external windows above ground floor, specialist equipment cleaning, waste removal to external bins, pest control).
• Consumables — Specify whether the contractor supplies consumables (toilet paper, hand soap, hand towels, bin liners, air fresheners) or whether the client provides them.

For guidance on writing specifications, see our How to Write a Cleaning Specification guide.

3. Frequency and Schedule

Define the cleaning schedule precisely: which days of the week, start and finish times, and any seasonal variations. Specify whether cleaning is performed during or outside business hours. Include provisions for bank holidays (cleaned or not?) and the Christmas/New Year period. State the minimum number of operatives required per visit.

4. Pricing and Payment Terms

The pricing section should specify:

• Monthly contract price — Fixed monthly amount, inclusive of all labour, equipment, chemicals, and consumables (if applicable)
• Price review mechanism — Annual price review linked to CPI, ERO rate increases, or a fixed percentage cap
• Additional works pricing — Hourly rates or per-task rates for work outside the specification (e.g., one-off deep cleans, emergency call-outs)
• Payment terms — Invoice date, payment due date (typically 30 days), late payment penalties
• VAT — State whether prices are exclusive or inclusive of VAT at 23%

5. Insurance Requirements

The contract must specify minimum insurance levels and require the contractor to maintain them throughout the contract term. Typical requirements:

• Public liability: €6.5M minimum (€13M for healthcare, education, government)
• Employer’s liability: €13M
• Professional indemnity: €1.3M (if applicable)

The contractor should provide copies of insurance certificates at contract start and annually thereafter. The contract should allow the client to terminate if insurance lapses. See our cleaning company insurance guide for details.

6. TUPE Obligations

TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings — Protection of Employees) is governed in Ireland by the European Communities (Protection of Employees on Transfer of Undertakings) Regulations 2003 (S.I. No. 131/2003). When a cleaning contract transfers between providers, the employees assigned to that contract automatically transfer to the incoming provider on their existing terms.

The contract should address:

• The outgoing contractor’s obligation to provide employee liability information to the incoming contractor at least 2 weeks before transfer
• Employee information required: names, ages, terms of employment, disciplinary and grievance records, collective agreements, any ongoing claims
• The incoming contractor’s obligation to maintain transferred employees’ terms and conditions
• Cost allocation for any redundancy arising from the transfer
• Indemnities for TUPE-related claims

For a detailed guide, see our TUPE and cleaning contracts resource.

7. Health and Safety

The contract should require the contractor to comply with the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 and all relevant regulations. Specific requirements include:

• Provision of a safety statement for the cleaning operation
• COSHH/chemical risk assessments for all products used on site
• Safe systems of work for cleaning tasks (e.g., working at height, use of chemicals, manual handling)
• PPE provision for all cleaning staff
• Incident and accident reporting procedures
• Coordination with the client’s health and safety officer

8. Key Holding and Security

If the contractor holds keys or access credentials, the contract should define key management procedures, alarm code protocols, out-of-hours access arrangements, responsibility for loss or damage to keys, and security clearance requirements for staff. See our GDPR for cleaning companies guide for data protection aspects of key holding.

9. Quality Management (KPIs and SLAs)

Define measurable quality standards:

Include a remediation process for persistent KPI failures: warning, improvement plan, and ultimately termination if standards are not met.

10. Variation and Additional Works

Define how changes to the specification are managed: who can authorise additional work, how additional work is quoted and approved, how the contract price is adjusted for permanent scope changes, and the notice period for specification changes. Without this, scope creep erodes the contractor’s margin and the client ends up paying for unspecified work at inflated rates.

11. Termination

Essential termination provisions include:

• Notice period — Typically 1–3 months’ written notice from either party
• Termination for cause — Immediate termination for material breach (e.g., insurance lapse, persistent quality failure, fraud)
• Termination for convenience — Either party can terminate without cause on the agreed notice period
• Break clause — In longer contracts (2–3 years), a break clause at 12 months gives both parties flexibility
• Handover obligations — Return of keys, TUPE information transfer, equipment removal, final cleaning

12. GDPR and Data Protection

Include a Data Processing Agreement as a schedule to the contract (or reference a standalone DPA). Cover key holding data, staff personal data, incidental access to client data, CCTV, and breach notification procedures. See our GDPR guide.

Common Mistakes in Cleaning Contracts

1. Vague specifications — “Clean the office” is not a specification. Define every task, every room, every frequency.
2. No price review mechanism — Cleaning costs rise with ERO rates and inflation. Without a review clause, the contractor absorbs cost increases by reducing quality.
3. Ignoring TUPE — Failing to address TUPE creates legal risk when changing providers. The incoming contractor may inherit staff on unfavourable terms.
4. No termination provisions — Locked into a poor-performing provider with no exit route.
5. Insufficient insurance requirements — Accepting low insurance levels exposes the client to liability.
6. No quality measurement — Without KPIs and audits, the client cannot objectively assess or challenge cleaning quality.
7. Unclear consumables responsibility — Who supplies toilet paper, hand soap, and bin liners? Ambiguity leads to disputes and stock-outs.
8. Rolling contracts without review — Auto-renewing contracts without annual review meetings allow standards to drift.

Contract vs Purchase Order

Use a contract for: ongoing cleaning services (daily, weekly, monthly), any arrangement lasting more than 3 months, any service involving key holding or out-of-hours access, and any relationship where TUPE may apply.

Use a purchase order for: one-off cleaning services (deep cleans, end of tenancy, post-construction), ad-hoc or emergency cleaning, and seasonal work with a defined end date.

Even for purchase order work, ensure the contractor has adequate insurance and a Safety Data Sheet for chemicals used on your premises.