How to Switch Commercial Cleaning Companies

To switch commercial cleaning companies without a gap in service, confirm your contract’s notice terms, choose the new contractor before you give notice, check whether a worker retention law applies, and schedule a handover of keys, supplies and records. Then inspect closely for the first 30 days. A planned change usually takes six to eight weeks, and the contract’s notice period sets the real deadline.

This guide covers how to decide whether to leave, the order to do things in, the handover items that are most often forgotten, and the New Jersey and Philadelphia rules that can require a new contractor to keep the existing crew. It is written for facility managers, office managers and property managers replacing a janitorial vendor.

In this guide:

• Signs it is time to switch
• What to do before you give notice
• A week-by-week transition timeline
• Worker retention laws to check first
• Handover checklist for the outgoing contractor
• What the new contractor needs from you
• The first 30 days
• Common mistakes
• Frequently asked questions

Signs It Is Time to Switch

Every contractor misses something occasionally. What matters is the pattern and how the company responds when you raise it. These are the signs that a problem is unlikely to fix itself:

• The same tasks keep getting missed, even after you have reported them.
• Complaints from occupants are increasing. A simple log with dates and locations will show whether this is true.
• Nobody inspects the work. You cannot name the supervisor, or you only hear from them when you complain.
• Crews keep changing, and new people arrive without knowing the building.
• Fixes do not last. The problem improves for a week and then returns.
• Paperwork lags. Insurance certificates, training records or safety data sheets are late or cannot be produced.
• Security slips. Doors are left unlocked, alarms are mishandled or keys cannot be accounted for.

Before you decide, give the current company one documented chance. Send the issues in writing, ask for a corrective plan with dates and inspect against it for 30 days. If your expectations were never written down, the real problem may be the contract. A clear janitorial scope of work can sometimes solve it without a change of vendor, and you will need one if you do switch.

What to Do Before You Give Notice

The order matters here. Giving notice first leaves you exposed if the replacement takes longer than expected, or if service declines during the final weeks.

1. Read the contract. Find the term end date, notice period, how notice must be delivered, any automatic renewal, and the rules for ending the agreement early or for cause. Missing a renewal window can lock you in for another term.
2. Gather your evidence. Keep inspection notes, complaint logs and your correspondence. They matter most if you are ending the contract for cause.
3. Update the scope. Record square footage, fixture counts, schedules and task frequencies. Our office cleaning checklist and warehouse cleaning checklist are useful starting points.
4. Vet the replacement. Require a site walkthrough, references from similar buildings, proof of insurance and a named supervisor. Our guide to choosing a custodial company has more on what to look for.
5. Check who is affected. Your landlord, tenants or corporate procurement team may need to approve the change, and some vendors must be registered in a prequalification system first.
6. Sign with the new contractor, then give notice. Deliver notice exactly as the contract requires and keep proof of delivery.

If you have a contract review process, or the agreement is complicated, have your legal adviser read the termination terms before you act.

A Week-by-Week Transition Timeline

This timeline assumes a 30-day notice period. If your contract requires a longer notice, start earlier.

When	What needs to happen	Who leads
8 to 6 weeks before	Review the contract, update the scope, invite proposals and hold walkthroughs	You
6 to 5 weeks before	Select the contractor, check references and insurance, and sign	You
30 days or more before	Give written notice. Confirm the last day of service. Complete any legally required worker notices	You
3 to 2 weeks before	Finalize crew, background checks, badges and site training. Order supplies	New contractor
1 week before	Tell occupants. Agree on the handover date. Take baseline photos of floors, carpets and restrooms	You and new contractor
Last day of old contract	Walk the building with the outgoing contractor. Collect keys and badges. Change alarm codes	You
First night	Supervisor on site with the new crew, working from the written scope	New contractor
First 30 days	Inspect weekly and hold a short check-in after each inspection	You and new contractor

Try to overlap the end of one contract and the start of the next by a day, or at least avoid a gap across a weekend. Restrooms and trash cannot wait until a late start is sorted out.

Worker Retention Laws to Check First

Most switching guides skip this, but in some places the existing cleaning crew may have a legal right to stay on after the contract changes. These rules can apply to the company hiring the contractor as well as to the contractors themselves, so check them before you set a date.

New Jersey

New Jersey’s service worker retention law (P.L. 2023, c. 128) applies to service contracts entered into or renewed since it took effect in October 2023. Covered locations include office buildings and commercial complexes of more than 100,000 square feet, multi-family buildings of more than 50 units, industrial sites, pharmaceutical labs, schools, health care locations, and warehouses or distribution centers whose primary purpose is storage or distribution.

Janitors assigned to a covered location for at least 60 days are generally protected, unless they are regularly scheduled for fewer than 16 hours a week. The main requirements are:

• The party awarding the contract must act at least 15 days before the change. That includes arranging for the successor to receive a list of affected employees, notifying any union and posting a notice at the work site.
• The new contractor must offer affected employees work in writing and retain them for 60 days or until its contract ends, whichever comes first.
• If fewer workers are needed, the new contractor must retain by seniority within each job classification and keep a preferential hiring list.
• During the 60 days, retained employees can only be discharged for just cause, apart from those permitted reductions.

There is an exception where the new contractor agrees to take on an existing collective bargaining agreement that sets terms for discharge or layoffs. Workers can bring claims in court, and the New Jersey Department of Labor publishes a required offer form for successors.

Philadelphia

Philadelphia’s Protection of Displaced Contract Workers ordinance (Chapter 9-2300 of the city code) covers janitorial and building maintenance services, among others. As summarized by the law firm Littler after a 2021 amendment, a successor contractor generally must retain eligible workers for a 90-day transition period. Eligible workers are those who worked at the site for at least the prior eight months, excluding managers and people working fewer than 15 hours a week. The outgoing contractor must supply an employee list within three days of receiving notice.

City Council voted to expand the ordinance in 2024, including for some building sales, so check the current text before relying on any summary.

Federal contracts and other locations

If the work falls under a federal service contract, the Service Contract Act generally requires a successor contractor to pay at least the wages and fringe benefits that employees were entitled to under the previous contract’s collective bargaining agreement. Our scope of work guide covers government contracts in more detail. Other states and cities have their own rules, so ask counsel where your building is located. This section is general information, not legal advice.

Handover Checklist for the Outgoing Contractor

Most of the trouble in a switch comes from small items nobody assigned. Walk the building with the outgoing contractor on the final day and work through this list:

• Keys, fobs and badges. Count them against your issue log and deactivate electronic credentials the same day.
• Alarm codes and access. Change codes after the last shift, and remove old vendor accounts from any visitor or access system.
• Vendor-owned property. Agree in writing who owns the dispensers, floor machines, carts and mats. Dispensers are often tied to one supplier’s products, so a swap may be needed.
• Supplies on site. Inventory paper products, liners, soap and chemicals, and decide who keeps what.
• Chemicals. Have anything the outgoing contractor owns removed, and make sure nothing unlabeled is left behind.
• Records. Request cleaning logs, floor refinishing and carpet extraction dates, and notes on any special surfaces.
• Closets and storage. Confirm they are empty and clean before the new crew moves in.
• Open issues. List damage claims, outstanding complaints and unfinished periodic work.

For regulated spaces, also confirm that cleaning records required by your quality system are complete and stored where your team can reach them. Our cleanroom cleaning procedures guide explains why that documentation matters.

What the New Contractor Needs From You

A good start depends on what you provide. Before the first shift, give the new contractor:

• The final scope, including schedules and any areas that are off limits
• Access procedures, badge rules and parking or entry instructions
• Site safety rules and emergency contacts
• Your list of recurring problem areas and how you would like them handled
• Instructions for sensitive rooms, such as server rooms, records storage and executive offices
• A single point of contact on your side, and the supervisor’s contact details on theirs

Chemical safety needs specific attention. Under OSHA’s hazard communication standard, employers who use or store hazardous chemicals at a workplace shared with another employer must have methods for providing access to safety data sheets, explaining precautions and describing the labeling system in use. Exchange that information in both directions before the new crew starts, and ask for the safety data sheets for every product being brought on site.

If you want different products this time, this is the moment to say so. See our green cleaning program for lower-impact options.

The First 30 Days

Expect a learning period, but do not leave it unmanaged. A short, structured start tends to reveal problems while they are still easy to fix.

• Week 1: Walk the building the morning after each of the first few shifts, and compare it with your baseline photos.
• Week 2: Move to scheduled inspections with the supervisor, and score restrooms, break rooms, floors and trash.
• Weeks 3 and 4: Confirm that recurring problem areas are resolved and that weekly tasks are actually being done.
• Day 30: Hold a review. Agree on what is working, what will change and how often you will inspect from here.

Give occupants one simple way to report issues during this period, whether that is a shared email address or a short form. Tell them the start date in advance as well, so a new face in the building after hours is not a surprise. The baseline photos are useful here too: some of what you find in the first weeks will be problems left behind by the previous contractor, and periodic deep cleaning may be needed to reset the building. Our janitorial vs. commercial cleaning guide explains how that work differs from routine service.

Common Mistakes

• Giving notice before the replacement is under contract
• Missing the automatic renewal date
• Reusing a vague scope, which recreates the same disputes with a new company
• Forgetting to check worker retention rules until the last week
• Failing to change alarm codes and deactivate badges
• Assuming dispensers and equipment belong to the building
• Skipping inspections because the first week went well

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to switch commercial cleaning companies?

Six to eight weeks is a realistic plan for most buildings, covering proposals, walkthroughs, contract signing, notice and crew preparation. Your contract’s notice period sets the minimum, and large or regulated facilities may take longer.

How much notice do I have to give my cleaning company?

Whatever your contract states. Thirty days is common, but some agreements require more, and some must be delivered in a particular way. Check for an automatic renewal clause, which may have its own, earlier deadline.

Can I keep the same cleaners if I change companies?

Sometimes. In places with worker retention laws, including covered locations in New Jersey and work performed in Philadelphia, the new contractor may be required to offer jobs to eligible workers for a transition period. Elsewhere it depends on the new contractor and on any restrictions in the old contract.

Should I tell my current cleaning company that I am looking elsewhere?

Raise performance problems with them first, since that gives them a fair chance to correct course. Once you have decided to leave, it is usually best to wait until the new contract is signed before giving formal notice, unless a legal or contractual requirement says otherwise.

What if service drops after I give notice?

Keep inspecting and keep putting issues in writing, because the contract remains in force until it ends. If the outgoing contractor stops showing up, ask the new contractor whether it can start early, which is one more reason to have them signed before you give notice.

Who is responsible for damage found during the switch?

Document the condition of the building at handover with dated photos. Your contract and the insurance of the contractor involved will determine responsibility, and a joint final walkthrough makes those conversations much easier.

Planning a Change of Cleaning Contractor?

ProClean USA has provided commercial cleaning since 1996 for offices, warehouses, industrial plants and life sciences facilities. We start with a walkthrough and a written proposal, put a Supervisor or Account Manager over each account, screen every employee and send proof of insurance before work starts. See our janitorial services, office cleaning, warehouse cleaning and life sciences cleaning programs, including service in New Jersey and Philadelphia, or request a walkthrough. Call (856) 237-3041.